I took the kids to an advanced screening of the new Disney movie by Tim Burton, Frankenweenie. And while I am still on the fence about this movie, the kids liked it. They were not overly enthusiastic about the movie at first, but when I asked them, they did both indeed said they liked it. I was actually kinda shocked that they said yes. I didn’t really ave any expectations or any real knowledge of what this movie was about. I knew it was Tim Burton and I just assumed it was Halloweenish.
On the way to the screening my daughter kept asking “Is it all in black & white”, and I was like – “I have no idea….?” Then she pretty much told me that she was certain it was all in black and white. Clearly, she knew way more about this movie than I did.
Frankenweenie is essentially a story about a boy, Victor and his dog Sparky. {spoiler alert} Sparky dies. The movie is about bringing him back to life and all that happens after that.
As you can imagine, with any Tim Burton film, you can expect it to be kind of dark and gloomy. My kids are six and eight and while I knew the eight-year old would be fine, my six year old can tend to get a little scared, but to my surprise he was fine too. It does move a little slower than most animated films, but that is because they used a process called “stop-motion animation”, which according to the film makers helps to “respect the simplicity of the story and adds depth and texture to it’s presentation”. There were also over 200 puppets created for this movie including 18 Victors and 15 Sparkys. A little Inside scoop – they used real human hair for all the puppets.
I was also a little concerned about the dog dying, my kids are a little sensitive to death because of their grandpa’s recent passing – but it wasn’t a problem, no tears were shed. The style of this movie is very much a classic horror flick from the 50’s with a true Frankenstein style and some fun references. The cast of characters are a bunch of odd balls that will make you laugh, because there just so odd, it’s funny.
I say see it. However I do not recommend this movie for kids under the age of five and only if they are a mature five. It’s something different and unexpected. So, while it might not be my favorite Disney movie, I do respect the artistic film quality and appreciate the quirky style and humor.
Are you taking the kids to see this movie?
After you see the movie you might want to make some Frankenweenie- inspired Spooky Treats
