Not surprisingly, Frankenweenie brought a lot of fans to theaters. A kind of self-tribute for Tim Burton, and a return to animated adventures that have won over millions, Frankenweenie offered a multi-pronged attack on inciting interest.
Though not without its detractors (me, to a certain degree, among them), the film managed a great response, including solid positioning on many a top ten list. Even for those not completely sold on the effort, there is a lot to love about the film, especially if the genre homage lands.
The story, a reworking of Burton’s own short (included with the home release), may include monsters and a certain degree of mayhem, but it delivers on its celebration of friendship, childhood, and a boy’s love for his dog. It’s a quirky mix, but one that showcases the power of sci-fi in telling stories that deliver reality better for their lack of reality.
The home release’s special feature list may seem sparse, but you’re getting quality additions here. A new short shows off Victor and Sparky’s own filmcraft, and it’s a treat. Beyond that you get a spin on the usual Making Of, and a featurette dedicated to the touring exhibit that showed off what the “Behind the Scenes” of such a film really means.
While they may not sound like much, and aren’t overly long, these are solid bonuses that add to the experience, as opposed to the filler offerings many have become used to. They’re are actually rather close to being extensions of each other, because they really both explore the intense complexity of putting together a film like this, but they manage it in an entertaining way, and really give a feel for how impressive it is to bring this together. Just getting a real sense of how many people work, and for how long, in order to capture a few seconds of film is mind-boggling.
©2011 Disney Enterprises.
In the end (my problems with the film aside), this is one every family ought to pick up. Adults will love it, or at least find it mostly fun, and I can’t imagine the kids who doesn’t fall for this. The extras are great, and here is a case where the younger fans will actually find the behind-the-scenes worth watching.
If you haven’t already, you can Check out our podcast review of Frankenweenie here.
Below check out some clips, more info on the release, a list of surprise facts, and enter to win your very own copy.
FRANKENWEENIE – CLIPS:
“You Should Be A Scientist”
“Mr. Whiskers Had A Dream About You”
“Rocket Man”
“Mr. Rzykruski”
“Colossus Lives”
A must-add to any Tim Burton collection, the hilarious 3D stop-motion animated masterpiece is filled with quirky characters and unexpected twists. Boasting an electrifying variety of bonus materials, the4-Disc Combo Pack (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy) includes an all-new original short “Captain Sparky vs The Flying Saucers”; an exciting behind-the-scenes featurette with Tim Burton “Miniatures in Motion: Bringing ‘Frankenweenie’ to Life”; a showcase of the film’s touring exhibit, “‘Frankenweenie’ Touring Exhibit”; Tim Burton’s original live-action short of the same name, and more.
The Blu-ray Combo Pack’s spectacular picture and sound enhances the tale of a boy who uses the power of science to bring his beloved dog back to life … and a whole town faces the unexpected and electrifying truth of what happens when monstrous experiments run wild!
“Frankenweenie” features an all-star cast including the voices of Emmy Award®-winner Catherine O’Hara, Tony Award®-winner Martin Short, Academy Award®-winner Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron, Conchata Ferrell andGolden Globe®-winner Winona Ryder.
From Disney and creative genius Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas”) comes the hilarious and offbeat “Frankenweenie,” a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town learn that getting a new ‘leash on life’ can be monstrous.
4-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy)—Includes:
- All New Original Short: “Captain Sparky vs The Flying Saucers”—An exciting all-new short featuring Victor and Sparky’s home movie.
- “Miniatures In Motion: Bringing ‘Frankenweenie’ To Life”—Viewers get an in-depth tour of the London set that includes never-before-seen footage showcasing the hundreds of artists who worked on the film.
- “Frankenweenie” Touring Exhibit—Allows audiences to explore the artistry of the film’s puppets, sets and props in a showcase that’s traveling the world.
- “Frankenweenie” Original Live Action Short—Burton’s original live-action short film.
- Music Video—“Pet Sematary” performed by Plain White T’s
THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT FRANKENWEENIE
SECRET #1: THE ANIMATORS VIEWED CLASSIC MONSTER MOVIES FOR RESEARCH.
“We looked at a lot of old black and white horrors to research Frankenweenie,” admits Allison Abbate. “We looked at old Frankenstein movies, especially The House Of Frankenstein and the fun monster-mash up movies. Some of the characters are inspired by various monster movies from the past. The invisible fish is obviously inspired by The Invisible Man and the Mummy Hamster is inspired by old mummy movies. It was a lot of fun to watch them again for inspiration.”
SECRET #2: AN ALLEN KEY IS USED TO CHANGE THE EXPRESSION ON THE PUPPETS’ FACES!
“If you want to change the expression on a puppet’s face, you use an Allen key in the puppet’s ear,” admits Allison Abbate. “There is a system of pulleys inside each puppet’s head and you twist the Allen key to make it smile or frown. Mr. Rzykruski is a little different. He has replacement mouths when he speaks. The bottom half of his face comes off from the nose downwards!”
SECRET #3: THE FILMMAKERS CREATED AN EXCLUSIVE SHORT FOR THE BLU-RAY RELEASE!
“We love the idea of creating fun extras for the Blu-ray release, which is why we came up with an extra short for the Frankenweenie Blu-ray,” reveals Allison Abbate. “The short film sees Victor and a dead Sparky looking at a movie they made prior to the accident. It’s a really sweet short film of them hanging out together.”
SECRET #4: FRANKENWEENIE IS NOT THE FIRST 3D BLACK AND WHITE MOVIE!
“Is this the first 3D movie in black and white?” ponders Tim Burton. “Ever in the history of movies? No, because they released The Creature From The Black Lagoon in black and white 3D. There were a few black and white movies in the 50s that were turned into 3D, but I think Frankenweenie looks really beautiful in this format. It really helps to create a feeling and an emotion.”
SECRET #5: TIM BURTON INVITED HIS HIGHSCHOOL ART TEACHER TO THE MOVIE’S PREMIERE IN LOS ANGELES!
“Some teachers really inspire you and make a huge difference in your life,” admits actress Winona Ryder, who voices Elsa van Helsing in the movie. “They stay with you forever and that’s one of the messages of the movie. I think that’s why Tim Burton invited his high school teacher to the premiere in Los Angeles. He’s 82 years old and I couldn’t wait to meet him.”
SECRET #6: THE NAMES IN THE ANIMAL CEMETERY CAME FROM THE CREW’S OLD PETS!
“When we were designing the pet cemetery, we asked everyone in the crew for the names of their pets that had passed away,” reveals Allison Abbate. “We incorporated the names into the tombstones, and then we would try to figure out who each pet belonged to. You’d hear people walk around saying, ‘Wait a minute… Were you Bob Fishy’s owner?’ The ‘Goodbye Kitty’ joke was Tim’s idea, but it’s also interesting that Sparky’s tombstone was added to the pet cemetery outside the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland during Halloween. That was really sweet to see.”
SECRET #7: THE FILM WAS ACTUALLY SHOT IN COLOR!
“Tim Burton wanted Frankenweenie to be an homage to the monster movies of the 60s, so black and white was the perfect choice,” explains executive producer, Don Hahn. “However, the movie was all shot in in color. We catch each frame in color and then we change it to black and white immediately on our computer screens. In this digital age, it’s an extra step to get it in black and white, which is funny. The chips in the cameras naturally capture everything in color – but it’s very easy to change them once we’ve got the shot.”
SECRET #8: THERE WAS A PUPPET HOSPITAL FOR ON-SET EMERGENCIES!
“The puppets are very delicate,” admits Allison Abbate. “The hands are very fragile and the fingers can only bend so many times before they need to be replaced. That’s why we set up a puppet hospital on set. The puppets get touched hundreds of thousands of times over the course of a few weeks, so parts have to be replaced every now and then. The puppet hospital was like a normal hospital in many ways because you’d see people rushing in screaming, ‘Broken neck!’ The hospital saved the day on more than a few occasions.”
SECRET #9: FOIL IS PLACED UNDERNEATH THE FEMALE PUPPETS’ DRESSES IN ORDER TO KEEP THEIR SHAPE!
“Each of the puppet’s outfits is made specifically for them,” explains Allison Abbate. “A lot of the dresses on the women are lined in foil so that when the animators move them around, you can move the fabric to a set position. It was really difficult to source the material for the clothing. It had to be to a specific scale, so it wasn’t an easy task at all!”
SECRET #10: SPARKY IS BASED ON TIM BURTON’S CHILDHOOD PET!
“When I was little, I had a dog named Pepe,” reveals Tim Burton. “Sparky is definitely inspired by him. Pepe was a mutt and he was very dear to me. He had a disease, which meant he wasn’t supposed to live very long, but he lived much longer than expected. I’ll never forget Pepe.”
SECRET #11: THE PUPPETS’ TEARS ARE MADE FROM GLYCERINE!
“Stop-motion animation is very time consuming because you have to move the puppet 24 frames for each second of film,” reveals Allison Abbate. “Even the pupils of the puppets’ eyes are moved! The animators used toothpicks to move them gently. The tears on the puppets are often made from a hard glycerin soap. It looks like the tears are wet, but they’re not.”
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