Victor Van Dort's got a problem: he's gone and married the wrong woman. And by "woman" we're refering to Emily, otherwise known as the Corpse Bride. But does Victor have feelings for Victoria, his forced fiancee? What will his parents say? Is it even legal to marry a corpse bride?
This film highlights all of Tim Burton's more eccentric tastes for ghouls and such while not going too far over, which makes this more of a mainstream movie than Nightmare Before Christmas. And there's no good reason why you shouldn't see this film. Animated "old school" style with painstaking stop-motion techniques, this movie is a prime example why this method shouldn't be abandoned for fancy computer graphics. Every character is sculpted to perfection and given graceful movement, whether they're scurrying away to a darkened forest or dancing with the dead.
It helps to have a grade A cast, though most have worked before with Burton. Everyone from legends (Christopher Lee) to obscure British actors (Richard E. Grant) put their best voice forward, and let's not forget the ever talented Johnny Depp. All do a wonderful job in this movie, and even get to do a little singing as well.
But the best part of the movie is the message Burton wants to tell us: "I'd rather be dead than to live in Victorian times." The "real" world is drenched in dull blues and blacks, while the netherworld that Victor visits is alive with color. Even Danny Elfman's score highlights this with dreary harpsicords for the living and styling jazz sounds for the world of the deceased.
With all of this positiveness, I either really liked this film or was bribed by Warner Brothers. Sadly, it was the first. But if you never liked or understood Tim Burton's films before, you probably won't like this one either. But please support this film and tell Hollywood that we want more stop-motion animation. B
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