Frankieweenie

Overview

Production Company: Walt Disney
Producer: Julie Hickson
Director: Tim Burton
Screenplay: Lenny Ripp, based on an idea by Tim Burton
Music: Michael Convertino, David Newman
Camera (black and white): Thomas Ackerman
Cast: Shelley Duvall (Susan Frankenstein), Daniel Stern (Ben Frankenstein), Barrett Oliver (Victor Frankenstein)
Running time: 29 mins

Burton's second film as a director is a playful homage to James Whale's Frankenstein (1930) and its sequel, Bride of Frankenstein (1933). Frankenweenie is the story of ten-year-old Victor Frankenstein, an American boy growing up in a typical Amercian suburb with his ordinary parents. When Victor's dog Sparky is run over by a car and killed, Victor decides to use electricity to revive him, as his famous namesake had done with his creature. The experiment is successful, and Victor hides Sparky in the attic until his father discovers this scientific miracle. He decides to show his son's "science project" to the neighbors, but events get out of hand, and Sparky is chased away by the angry mob, perceived as a monster. He sacrifices himself while rescuing Victor from a burning mill, after which he is revived with a little help from the batteries in the neighbors' cars. Sparky ends up finding love with a poodle that bears a remarkable resemblance to Elsa Lanchester in Bride of Frankenstein.

Apart from the many references to the Frankenstein films on the level of the story, the film's look is also based on the gothic horror films of the thirties. The black and white cinematography and contrast-heavy lighting strongly recall the atmosphere of the classic horror film, with the contemporary suburbanized setting providing a nice contrast. Victor Frankenstein is an outsider just like Vincent, bringing his dog back to life out of love, only to be perceived by the people around him as a monster.