Frankenweenie: A Tim Burton Movie that will “Shock” You!

Tonight my family went to see the new Disney movie “Frankenweenie” that was directed by Tim Burton.  This was the first time I had seen a Tim Burton movie in the theaters, and let me tell you, this was a much better film then I thought it was going to be!

The story of Frankenweenie is about Victor and his dog, Sparky.  Sparky is everything to Victor, his pal, his best friend, perhaps, his only friend.  Victor loves Science, and one day, the Science teacher, Mr. Rzykruski, tells the class to get their permission slips signed so they can participate in the Science Fair!  Victor brings his slip home, but his dad won’t sign it.  He tells Victor that he can participate in the Science Fair if he’ll also sign up to play baseball, so Victor agrees to this “compromise.”

It is at the baseball game that Victor — and Sparky’s — lives would be changed forever.  Victor is at bat, and he finally hits the baseball all the way to the street!  Sparky breaks free of his rope/leash, chases after the ball, and gets it — only to be run over in the process.  It was a very sad moment in the film because their was nothing that anyone could do…or was there?

The next day in Science class, the class learns that with electricity, the muscles of animals will have movement, and that causes Victor to realize that, with enough electricity — say the amount a lightning strike would bring — a person might even be able to raise something from the dead!  And that is exactly what Victor did — he raised Sparky from the dead, and in the process, opened a whole can of worms when the other kids in the Science class learned that he had done that.

While Burton’s film covers a dark subject matter, and isn’t for the youngest of Disney fans, the way that the subject of death — and life — is handled very well.  Since these are all Science Fair kids at the school, they all try and raise their pets from the dead.

• Nassor raises his pet hamster, Colossus  from the dead (where he is entombed in a giant crypt!)
• Edgar doesn’t own a pet, but he digs through the trash can, finds a dead rat, and brings it back to life as the Were-Rat!
• Toshiaki raises his pet turtle, Shelly, from the dead — where he turns into a huge Godzilla like turtle and heads towards the carnival where everyone is celebrating Dutch Day.
• Bob so wants to win the Science Fair, he had bought some Sea Monkeys.  He threw them in the pool in the backyard, let them be struck by lightning, where they grew and went crazy!
• The Weird Girl, with Mr. Whiskers, her weird cat, caught a bat (Mr. Whiskers actually caught the bat) and while the Weird Girl was going to raise it from the dead, Mr. Whiskers bites onto the bat, and they transform into the Vampire Cat!

While all of this seems extremely weird, freaky, and totally crazy, it was actually a really good movie.  If you are unconvinced about seeing this movie, take a look at these posters and also this trailer to see if that helps you make your mind up!  Enjoy!

As I said earlier, I didn’t think this movie was going to be all that good, but I was very surprised. I think, if you haven’t seen it, I would recommend it for older elementary school kids and middle school kids to see at a matinee price.  Frankenweenie is rated PG.  Thanks for stopping by!

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