Before making it big with Beetlejuice, Batman and Edward Scissorhands, director Tim Burton worked as a Disney animator, and made a few short films, this is another one of those shorts, a parody and homage to Frankenstein (1931), based on the classic Mary Shelley novel. Basically ten-year-old Victor Frankenstein (The NeverEnding Story's Barret Oliver) liked to create movies starring his beloved Bull Terrier dog Sparky (his name is a play on the use of electricity in the film). When playing catch, Sparky runs into the road and is hit by a car, Victor is devastated, but then he gets an idea, learning about electrical impulses in muscles he believes he can bring his dog back to life. Victor builds an elaborate machine, digs up Sparky from his grave, stitches him back together, and bringing down a bolt of lightning he successfully revives his dog. Victor is pleased, but the animal terrifies the neighbours, Victor's mother Susan (The Shining's Shelley Duvall) and father Ben (Home Alone's Daniel Stern) find out and decide to introduce the revitalised Sparky, but everyone is angry and terrified. Sparky runs away, with Victor pursuing him, they head into the local mini golf course and hide in its flagship windmill, the neighbours have become an angry mob, one of them uses a cigarette lighter to look around, and accidentally causes the windmill to set on fire. Victor is knocked out from falling, Sparky rescues him, but is crushed by the falling windmill debris, realising their error the neighbours use their car engines and jumper cables to "recharge" Sparky. In the end Sparky is revived and everyone celebrates, the dog also falls in love with a poodle, whose fur has a great resemblance to the hairdo of the Bride of Frankenstein, Sparky is bussing, literally. Also starring Sister Act's Joseph Maher as Mr. Chambers and Sofia Coppola as Anne Chambers. If you know the original Frankenstein really well, you can recognise all the references and spoof moments, you recognise Burton's style, and it will humour you with its dark touch as well, this film was made into a full length animated feature in 2012, as for this original live action film, it is a likable fantasy horror comedy. Very good!
Review of Frankenweenie
