526. Frankenweenie

Do they ever put the lights on in Tim Burton's house?
I was left musing on why Burton's movies, be they animations, thrillers or whimsy are so ruddy dark.
Frankenweenie is for kids but like Coraline, is as dark as the night and I suspect would have some younger children darting under their mother's skirts.
The premise is that supergeek Victor (Charlie Tahan) is devastated when his dog, Sparky is mowed down by a lorry.
However, Victor has a plan to bring him back to life and when the next dark storm comes, he manages to siphon electricity from lightning into his pet's corpse.
This brings a somewhat battered pooch into the land of the living.
However, the problems really start when the kids at school find out what has happened and want to bring their pets back too.
Let's be clear - Frankenweenie is clever. It's animation is grand and it evokes a sense of the macabre splendidly.
The animation is typical of-Burton films - so the characters have those deep eyes but harrowed faces that we have become use to.
And the movie really comes into its own when the pace picks up in the final 30 minutes.
I have to say, however, that my mind did wander while the scene was being set. Did this have something to do with me being 49 as opposed to 9? Maybe.
Fans of Coraline will love it - I suspect the more mainstream cartoon fans will plump for Madagascar 3.
Laughs: a couple of sniggers
Jumps: none - but I'm not six years old.
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 6.5/10