dvd of the week
The second animated film by Tim Burton to be nominated for an Oscar, Frankenweenie has more flashes of brilliance in it than anything he has done in more than a decade.
It is the story of a strange, nerdy boy – both a budding filmmaker and a genius scientist – who manages to bring his beloved dog Sparky back to life. The boy is named, of course, Victor Frankenstein.
While trying to keep this weird miracle a secret, his classmates are also competing to win the local science fair, and clearly, nothing would be guaranteed to win quite like reanimation.
As you can imagine, complications and slapstick comedy ensue. Unfortunately, as seems to happen in many recent Burton films, the third act is overloaded with needless action. But throughout, Burton makes incredible images, using his indelible style, and creates a memorable, and wonderfully weird, movie.
