Frankenweenie, or the Importance of Jumper Cables

Continuing with the Halloween spirit of things, I now present an extremely brief review of Tim Burton's latest animated feature, Frankenweenie.

This was originally intended to be a full-length review but then I realized that this film simply wasn't worth it.  So, without further ado, here are my complaints:

#1  Several characters looked recycled from Burton's previous animated features.

Mrs. Frankenstein (Frankenweenie) & Victoria (Corpse Bride) :

 
Lord Everglott (Corpse Bride) & Mr. Burgemeister (Frankenweenie) :

And last but not least, Victor (Frankenweenie) and Victor (Corpse Bride).  That's right.  They even have the same name :

I don't know if Tim Burton's creativity reserves are well and truly dry or if he's paying homage to some of his own (forgettable) characters, but either way I'm unimpressed.

#2  The moral of the story is awful:  'If you've lost your pet screw death and find a way to bring them back regardless of the consequences.'

No one who is mourning the loss of a pet should see this film because it doesn't give the message they need to hear, which is that death is a natural part of life no matter when it may choose to take us or a loved one and we need to be able to accept it when it does.  I realize that this would require Sparky to be dead by the end of the film but it would have meant a lot more than the crappy happily-ever-after-with-the-rotting-corpse-of-a-dog ending we got instead.
Even when poor Sparky realized he was dead and ran away to the cemetery where he belonged Victor didn't say anything like, "I'm sorry boy, it was selfish but I missed you too much." 

He just coaxed Sparky out from behind the headstone and the plot continued to it's sloppy conclusion.  Speaking of which...

#3  The ending was so awful it's like Burton took a vacation and left the helm unmanned.  When the credits started to roll I actually blinked and said, "What the heck?"

And now for praises:

#1  The black and white palette may have left children in the audience squirming for something else to look at but I thought it was beautifully done.  In addition, the animation was fantastic.  I actually got a little choked up from Victor's expression when Sparky died, hats off to the animators.

#2  The few parts that were funny were pretty dang funny.  For instance:

All in all this is a cute movie that's worth seeing once, but try and see it the cheapest way possible because it isn't worth a full admission price or the cost of a DVD.