After enchanting audiences with "The Nightmare Before Christmas," Tim Burton brings another stop-motion animated spectacle, "Corpse Bride." In this story, Victor Van Dort, an inept young groom-to-be, can't make his way through his wedding rehearsal. Going outside to get his lines right, he accidentally winds up marrying the corpse of a murdered bride-to-be. The animation is spectacular, proving stop-motion can be good enough to compete with computer animation. Johnny Depp provides the voice of Victor, showing mild-mannered and nervous grace. Helena Bonham Carter is the voice of Emily, the Corpse Bride, giving the dead character lively emotion. One striking element of the movie is the color scheme. In the living world, there is no bright color, making a near-black and white appearance. The story is well-written, and the music is good. Overall, "Corpse Bride" must definitely be seen!
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EmperorNortonII5 October 2005
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I got to go to an advance screening of 'Corpse Bride'. The anticipation for the movie was high as the theater audience was clapping and yelling.
I had been afraid this was going to be too reminiscent of 'Nightmare Before Christmas', but it was delightfully original. That is potentially what I enjoyed most about the movie. It's quite an original story.
I commend Burton and all those who worked on this movie. I really enjoy watching the animation, and the characters are all very well developed. It's so good in fact, that I can't imagine this movie being done with real actors.
The songs in this movie are good and enjoyable. I don't enjoy them as much as I did 'Nightmare's', but they do justice.
The voice work in this movie is great. Depp(whose praise I'm not sure will ever stop) did excellent work. I don't think I would've known it was him, that is if I hadn't already. Albert Finney is great, and it's so nice to hear Michael Gough.
My only criticism of this movie is they don't always take enough time. It starts off wonderfully with the wedding rehearsal, introducing us to the characters and the situation. Then Victor takes ends up "running into" the corpse bride, goes to the "underworld", and the whole thing is explained with a song. I was left wanting more when it came to the corpse bride and the underworld. Then the movie continues at a nice level, just that one part left me wanting more.
It's a good movie. If you want to see it you shan't be disappointed. If you don't want to see it, it might be a pleasant surprise. -
TheLittleSongbird23 November 2010This is not my favourite Tim Burton movie by a long shot, but I did find myself enjoying it. The animation is absolutely amazing with the dark bold colours and inspired visual ideas. The music is good too, it adds very well to the atmosphere. The four songs are pretty decent, if nothing special. Remains of the Day was the one I liked best. The script is witty and deliciously dark in places, while the story is clever and fairly original, even if it drags slightly occasionally. The characters are wonderfully quirky and the voice work from the likes of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter is top notch. All in all, a beautifully crafted film, if not quite Burton's finest hour. 8/10 Bethany Cox
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tedg6 January 2006I liked this a lot, and a large part of the reason is that it is pure a Burton film as we are likely to find.
And when I say Burton, I mean that oddly successful collaboration between him and Elfman colored by commercial realities.
The big picture is that there are very few filmmakers with the skills and courage to be unique, to make movies that only they could. This goes beyond style into the nature of the soul.
If you do not have an interesting soul, you cannot be an artist. If you do not have the courage and ability to reveal that soul in some way to us, you cannot either. So hurrahs for the few in the world of film that do.
In a way, this film is a notion expanded around Ub Iwerks' (yes, that's a real name) "Skeleton Dance" done for Disney and quoted in a couple more hip Betty Boop cartoons. In another way, it is a simple date movie: boy gets girl, boy loses girl by misunderstanding, boy gets girl back and the thing ends in a wedding.
And also in a way, it is a love poem to his girl friend. I'm fascinated by these things, where a talented director (usually a man) can shape the image of the woman he loves. Films DO influence how we think of love, but this is more genuine and powerful than any of them, this real love that shines through purely cinematic means. Just think about casting the woman you love as a corpse! She is as alluring here as she has even been.
But beyond that is something that is more lasting, the business between Depp and Burton. Johnny is a fine actor, but many fine actors don't get the opportunity to explore new and unknown corners of darkness. He has and is better off for it. And so are we, though whenever this happens we end up with a new character template that inevitably becomes a stereotype. Depp already mines that stereotype in his Pirate movies.
But what concerns us here is how Burton/Elfman deepens what he has with Depp. He introduces the character as a pianist, and does so with a piano piece. That piece is a skillful blend of Chopin and pop, but more on the Chopin side. For many, Chopin is the most nakedly emotional yet dark soul they will encounter. No humor, only intimacy and passion.
So two clever things were done with this. The first is that the Depp persona (though an animated avatar here) was made deeper by reference to our deepest pianist. The second is that a few musical scenes and effects are set up, all of which reference the scene in some way. There's a sweet musical duet with Helena where they do fall in love. There may be few things more lovely than making love via music played to each other -- with each other.
Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching. -
jeslongo5 October 2005People say that Corpse Bride was horribly boring, etc. HOWEVER, that is because they are comparing this nonstop motion picture with Nightmare Before Christmas. Those who were really upset after the movie, saying that 'it's definitely not Nightmare', you are absolutely right. It is not Nightmare. It's Corpse Bride, a completely different movie. Everything was comparison, Nightmare to Corpse Bride, and yes, I'll admit, I enjoyed Nightmare more. However, when going to see this movie, you cannot compare Corpse Bride to Nightmare because then yes, you will be upset. If they had done another Nightmare, they would have done it years ago. But this is a different movie with a beautiful plot when you think more closely about it. It's a very strong plot of love, betrayal, hate, death, etc and you see that very strongly if you listen closely to Danny Elfman's wonderful music, vocal and instrumental. Basically, go into the theaters with an open mind and enjoy and pay attention to the movie because it truly has strong, very strong, meanings. If truly watching and comprehending, at parts you cry and at others you smile. It's very clear that it is beautifully created and the actors match their parts well, but the storyline is simply beautiful. Do not think about Nightmare because that movie has been finished years ago, but enjoy Corpse Bride. I will not give anything away, so I leave my review at that. Enjoy Corpse Bride people! And for others who think I am Anti-Nightmare or something, I am seriously not. I loved and still love that movie, but just enjoy Corpse Bride without judgement until after the movie.
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naturenut1 October 2005I think that The Corpse Bride is a beautiful story. It's about true love and kindness. Johnny Depp is a perfect Victor Van Dort and all the characters are played wonderfully. The animation is superb from facial expressions to a reflection in a tear drop. The ending is one worth waiting for. It's an excellent film that all families should see. I'd suggest not taking children younger than 8 or 9. They might not understand the story line that young, but they'll love the dancing skeletons and the fun songs! That was a surprise: all the songs they sang. If there's one song you must hear it has to be the skeleton one, but also the piano sequence is beautiful as well. Hope you enjoy the film as much as I did!
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I probably would have liked this movie more if I had not already seen - many times - "The Nightmare Before Christmas" which was a brilliant and original piece of work. This movie does share some of that movie's qualities - haunting soundtrack, bumbling authority figures, a tall thin protagonist who is searching for something, a heroine whose limbs easily detach, and a dear departed house pet. It also has some interesting ideas of its own - the living looking and acting as though they were already dead, versus the dead living it up, since they have no more worries and forever to look forward to with the prospect of all of their loved ones returning to them one by one. In fact, the only time the living seem happy in this film is when the dead return to the land of the living for a truly unique wedding and instead of menacing or haunting the living, there are tearful and happy reunions. However, the individual characters in this film are just not that interesting.
In short, even though all of the characters in "The Nightmare Before Christmas" are dead, they just seem more alive and motivated than the characters in this film. Also, this movie is darker than "Nightmare" and not as funny, so kids under 10 might find it too intense and probably not as interesting. Thus, although it is worthwhile viewing, I'm just afraid that Tim Burton set the bar too high with his previous animated film. -
shawn272424 September 2005In Tim Burton's dazzling Corpse Bride, both Tim Burton fan freaks (I was raised on Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice) and new inductees alike will find something to like here. The exceptional stop-motion animation (which has seen an upgrade since 1993's classic Nightmare Before Christmas) joins with top-notch voice talent (Depp and Helena Bonham Carter stand out here) and typically good score/musical work from genius Danny Elfman to create a wonderful movie-going experience. Yes, this is a movie for anyone - in fact, I think teens and young adults will enjoy it more than younger kids with its dark at times bold humor and fast-paced banter (particulary in the clever songs). NO, it is not as good as Nightmare Before Xmas, but it may be that it would be hard for any film to match that picture. As usual, Tim Burton is always at the top of his game when he sticks to his favorite formula - exploring the darkness of the human soul with off-beat humor. Well-paced and a terrific ending wrap up this well-crafted package! 9/10 stars - it's awesome.
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Lady_Targaryen19 October 2005I like Tim Burton a lot as a director,and I always liked his movies; maybe that's why I imagined that Corpse Bride would be fantastic, like Nightmare Before Christimas; the movie itself is not horrible, but it's not the great story I was expecting to be,you probably know how it is going to end with 35 minutes of animation. But the scenarios are great, the doll's expressions are lovely and the voices of Johnny Depp,Helena Bonham Carter and Emily Watson are cool.:D
There are cute messages in the movie, but I think that little kids would be kind of frightened with some scenes in it. Ps: I think that Vitor, the main character , looks a lot with Edward Scissorshands! Only coincidence? -
seaview126 September 2005Don't let the creepy title of this animated, musical tale throw you off. In the tradition of other excellent, animated features of recent years, The Corpse Bride will surely rank as one of the best. Granted, this kind of film may not be for all tastes, but if you can get past the title and are game for a wondrous, haunting world of fantasy and love, then this is your meal ticket.
Victor and his parents meet Victoria and her family to attend a wedding rehearsal. Unbeknownst to Victor's family, it seems Victoria's parents are broke and desperately need the marriage to secure their future. Yet, marriage is new to the nervous Victor, and when he gets jittery at the church, he runs off and into the woods to collect his thoughts. There, he jokingly recites his wedding vows and slips his wedding band on a finger shaped piece of what appears to be wood. The next thing he knows, the wooden finger is a real finger belonging to a former bride, and she has sprung 'alive' to his offer of marriage. As Victor reels in horror and confusion at his 'corpse bride', he is whisked away to another world of people who have died. While the corpse bride is partly decomposed, she retains much of her former beauty. Yet others in this strange land are mere skeletons and rotted flesh. It turns out that the corpse bride was to be married, but her groom had evil plans for her. She has been waiting for her true love ever since her demise. Meanwhile, Victoria's parents are approached by a mysterious, handsome suitor who wants to marry Victoria. Victor must make a fateful decision and choose between the two brides even as the dead descend on the land of the living for a wedding ceremony like none other. One groom and two brides-what to do? This is Tim Burton's latest foray into stop motion animation, and he and Mike Johnson direct with economy from a relatively simple screenplay by John August, Pamela Pettler, and Caroline Thompson. The characters, especially Victor and the corpse bride, are well etched and create an emotional bond with the audience. Although we want Victor to marry his love Victoria, we grow to feel sympathy and attachment to the corpse bride as well. As for the images of the dead, Burton and company do a delightful job of making what, on the outset, could be grotesque and turning them into energized, playful souls. There is a terrific Peter Lorre homage with a worm who keeps popping in and out of the bride's eye socket. After a short time, the skeletal limbs and discolored dead no longer seem frightening or gross. Ironically the most colorful sequences involve the world of the dead while the living are painted in austere, lifeless mutes of gray.
Much of the production team are veterans of other Burton films. Longtime collaborator Danny Elfman again provides an atmospheric score and a handful of nifty, little songs to move things along. Even the voices of the principals are Burton alumni, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter (Burton's significant other). Give Depp credit for voicing a British sounding character convincingly while others like Emily Watson, Albert Finney, Christopher Lee and Tracey Ullman, to name a few, are quite effective at bringing their figures to life. It's a testament to Burton's imaginative appeal that twice the usual number of major acting talents contributed to this work.
For all those who loved Burton's earlier produced efforts, The Nightmare Before Christmas (whose ghoulish nature is quite similar) and James and the Giant Peach, this is a worthy followup. The animation itself is virtually seamless, and the characters and figures move as in real life. It is a far cry from the Rankin-Bass Christmas specials of the 1960's. The set designs and costumes are very much Gothic in style. It seems that Burton is drawing from his own films or is perpetuating his influences as evidenced in his previous films like Beetlejuice, Batman, and Edward Scissorhands particularly in his obsession with the good and evil in man. It also delves into the perception of life versus death. Who is really alive and who acts like the nonliving? It is evident that the true antecedent of The Corpse Bride is Burton's own version of Washington Irving's Sleepy Hollow with a nod toward Dickens (with its contrast in class distinction and its unsavory characters), especially the Miss Havisham character in Great Expectations.
The Corpse Bride marks a continuing peak in the current revival of animated feature films which was signaled by Toy Story a decade earlier and has been raised to new heights with such recent triumphs as Shrek and Finding Nemo. The final shot is a wondrous, memorable end that recalls the transformation scene in Disney's classic, Beauty and the Beast. In fact, so good is its animation and technique that it is easy to forgive any shortcomings in what is basically a one act, one note story albeit told with sincerity. With just a bit more pathos and storyline, Burton's team would have had an instant classic. It's a near miss, but its status as the best animated film of the year is secure. -
Tim Burton is a director who almost always makes enjoyable movies - you can watch them, enjoy them, laugh a bit here and a bit there - but eventually you will forget them. Tim Burton creates beautiful and magical worlds, and the problem is that he often just focus too much on the visuals.
In that sense, Corpse Bride is a typical Burton movie. The plot is a simple fairytale which works great for the moment, but it's not something that will stay in your head. Instead you'll want to watch it for the typical Gothic style of his movies, which works great. It's beautiful animated and Danny Elfman's music adds even more to the atmosphere. What's interesting here is that the movie show us two worlds - the world of the living and the land of the dead - and it's the world of the living that is the dark place, with a color scale of black, gray and white and inhabitants that are sad, evil and greedy. In the land of the dead corpses and skeletons sing together, it's colorful and mysteriously beautiful and almost everyone there seems to be having a good time, even though they're dead.
The voice actors are great; as many times before, Burton features Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in his movies. They're both great. Other notable voice actors are Christopher Lee and Emily Watson.
In the end, it's a pretty funny movie during the time you watch it, but there's no depth in the story whatsoever. It's no movie that stays in your head. That's the reason that I can't rate it any higher, but if you get the chance to see it it's good entertainment for an hour and a half. -
classic_sara27 September 2005Tim Burton's Corpse Bride was one of the best animated movies I've ever seen. My mother and I are so happy that he made another beautiful and original animated film since The Nightmare Beofre Christmas because we waited for it for 10 years. I'm glad to say that the wait was worth it. The Corpse Bride is a wonderful emotional yet fun story with heart. We had a wonderful time watching it in the theaters and we can't wait to go see it again this weekend. The visuals are so amazing that you'd have to go see the movie with your own eyes for its impossible to explain there perfection. The characters all look stunning and there are so many wonderful new characters in this movie that will keep your eyes glued on the screen. The voices of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Emily Watson are packed with fantastic emotion and acting. The score goes very well to the movie and the four songs that are performed sound wonderful. My favorites were "Remains of the Day" made me feel like dancing: it was such a jazzy fun song with the cool voice of Danny Elfmen. And my other favorite was "Tears To Shed" it broke my heart. Helena Bonham Carter sang that song with such heartbreak I loved it! The story is very entertaining and it has so much heart in it and Gothic like background. I loved the dialog some of my favorite lines were "Why Go Up There When People Are Dying To Get Down Here" and "Can A Heart Still Break Once It's Stopped Beating." But the most important thing is that this movie makes you feel less frightened about death. Death in this movie is a lot funner than living and the dead are always having a good time and partying that you feel like dying is not so bad. You should take anyone to see this movie if their paranoid about death it will soften their fears, Overall I strongly encourage anyone to go see this movie. I hope Tim Burten wins the Oscar for best animated movie this year. He truly deserves it! Thank you Mr. Burten for the Corpse Bride, Nightmare Before Christmas and years worth of your great films.
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The_Void21 November 2005After the huge, and endearing, success of Nightmare Before Christmas - director Tim Burton has returned to Gothic animation, this time as director, with the superbly macabre 'Corpse Bride'! Personally, I prefer live action films; but when animation looks this good, I can hardly complain. Corpse Bride is rich with skeletons, spiders, maggots and a lush dark atmosphere - making this the most horrific 'kids' animated film I've ever seen. Many of the sequences really are quite macabre, which was surprising considering most kids films tend to have a 'nice' slant. One criticism I do have for Corpse Bride is that it's theme is wasted a little. The ideas behind the central plot are too complex, and the film never really explores any of them in great detail. Don't get me wrong, I like this film; but I also feel that a really, really great live action film could be made from a similar plot. Anyway, the basics of the story are that a young man forced into an arranged marriage accidentally finds himself married to a corpse after putting the wedding ring on her finger while rehearsing his vows. Oops!
The style of the film is absolutely wonderful. The lushly Gothic visuals are married to a distinctly dark picture, and this results in a great base for the macabre plot line. Many of the scenes look absolutely amazing - the title character's introduction scene being the best of them! Burton has gathered up an array of talent for the making of this film, including Johnny Depp, Emily Watson and Helena Bonham Carter in the leads; and horror icons Christopher Lee and Michael Gough delivering great supporting performances. Danny Elfman has created another great score, and while I don't usually say that I'm a fan of musical numbers in films like this; most of the songs here are actually quite entertaining. The character development is surprisingly good too, with the final outcomes of the leads being believable in spite of the fact that they're just lumps of clay. On the whole, while this film lacks the depth that the themes behind the story deserves; the animation is top quality, the film is lots of fun and there's enough dazzling sequences to ensure that any horror fan will enjoy this movie. Look out for the Peter Lorre-soundalike in the role of the maggot that lives behind the Corpse Bride's eye! -
jml198812 December 2019The plot and characters I found lacking. Victor was incredibly annoying simply because he refused to ever speak up for himself and tell the truth on what was going on. Instead, he stuttered through the movie, all doe-eyed, while everyone else talked over him. I found it quite irksome and made the whole plot unnecessary.
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Jacques9829 October 2008I'm not a huge Tim Burton fanSweeny Todd was decent, but that's all I can really give himand I've never seen The Nightmare Before Christmas, so I can't compare this to it. If you're looking for an unbiased review, this is one of the few you'll get.
First of all, for an animated movie, this is one of the better ones I've seen. The themes running though are not overdone clichésunlike, say, Wall-Eand it was very nice to see women in an animated film fighting for the man, and not clichéd vice versa. The plot line itself is something similar to what you'd read in a kid's horror anthology, but it totally worked for this film's style. More importantly, the plot isn't something you've heard a thousand times, and I couldn't pick out any glaring clichés. In a way, The Corpse Bride is more mature of an effort story-wise than some of Burton's live-action, R-rated films because it has more imagination.
The signature Gothic style is done very well, and the animation is stellar to look at. I found the use of black-and-white in the real-world sequences a bit annoying and overdone, but to each his own. For someone who isn't a hardcore Burton fan, I can't say I really even noticed the music. Every now and then I thought it was pretty, but I doubt if you're not paying a lot of attention you'll even notice what everyone else is deeming as "beautiful and a masterpiece".
The main problems The Corpse Bride had: - Most of the characters were forgettable. They play out flat, as if the plot is just using them as pawns. I wouldn't mind this if the plot was AWESOME, but it just simply isn't, and the lack of emotional attachment to the characters really gets in the way of the overall effect.- No immersion. I understand this is a children's movie, and being an adult may have something to do with it, but as hard as I tried to love The Corpse Bride there was just something dull about it that I can't put my finger on. The world Burton creates is a near-perfect mix of childish macabre fantasy, and it is beautiful, but there is something missing. I assume that would be a darker plot line. The constant use of puns, also, takes away from the seriousness and beauty of the whole thing. Can't there ever be a animated, PG-rated movie that creates and sustains a darkly beautiful tone? Overall: Be sure to watch it on TV when the countless cartoon networks are playing it for Halloween. It is worth your time. It's just not the masterpiece I was hoping it would be.
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a_joining_spark24 September 2005This film is 100% spectacular, in my opinion. As we all know from the previews prior to the release, Johnny Depp's character must choose between his living and dead brides, essentially. To be perfectly honest, throughout most of the film, I was undecided on who I thought he'd choose and be able to work it out with. This is accounted for by wonderful story-fying and lovely screen writing! Danny Elfman is the musical genius still, not that I had any doubts.
Overall, throughout my viewing of the film, I was in awe, gales of laughter, near tears, or just plain excited! Tim Burton has done it again.
AMAZING FILM! -
coney_island_baby25 October 2005OK, I saw this movie today, and I have to say, it didn't really do it for me. I mean, the animation was amazing and the models were beautifully made, but the storyline was terrible! It always gets me with this kind of film-- the hero/heroine always falls in love within five minutes of knowing the other person. He meets Victoria, she basically tells him she is unaccomplished (cannot play piano or do anything else interesting), she does pretty much whatever her mother tells her to, and she likes to be called Victoria. So I can only assume that it is on the basis that she is not hideously ugly that Victor falls in love with her. (oh yeah, and; 'Victor and Victoria'??? ewww!) Whereas the corpse bride is open about her love for him, has a much more interesting background (he knows a hell of a lot more about her anyway) and plays the piano beautifully. They are perfectly matched! I really think he should have died. That would have really been a happy ending. Well, a Gothic ending.
Thankyou.
and btw, did anyone else get freaked out by the title? ever heard of necrophilia??? -
MrVibrating17 February 2006We all know Burton love the Gothic, the dark and the comically twisted. He uses it in all his films, in one way or another. But he is also very diverse. Movies like "Ed Wood", "Mars Attacks!" and "Big Fish" are proof he can do other styles as well. But in this movie, Burton does what everybody expects him to do, and boy does he do it good.
The art style of this movie is perfect, flawless and as Burtonesque as anything can be. The use of stop-motion puppets instead of the more and more tiring CGI gives the movie a realistic feeling and makes it feel more artsy.
The story might be the movies weak link but I never thought about it during the movie. Besides, it's an old folk tale, so it's bound to be pretty basic.
Danny Elfman. That makes a few roll their eyes but Burton and Eflman is a good team, actually. The songs in this movie were not as good a those in "Nightmare before Christmas" but the suited the movie fine and they were never annoying.
The voice work is fine, Christopher Lee is great, and the characters are really characteristic and alive, ironically enough. Johnny Depp might be a little wasted since his character is pretty unremarkable, but his involvement has to do with his friendship of Burton and not as a poster name.
I recommend this movie to those who liked Tim Burton's earlier movies. You might not be surprised or totally blown away, but masterful handiwork like this is to be encouraged in these times of repetitive CGI children's movies. If you do not like Burton's very special style, then this movie is not for you, but for us who like a little originality in our lives, this is just right. -
Elvison27 September 2005Corpse Bride works for me on so many levels but outstanding is the integration of music and words. The musical that blended the words and music to such a level that one could hardly imagine the film without the composer's contribution. This should be advertised as Danny's production as was the practice of Rogers and Hammerstein, or Irving Berlin or Cole Porter. We have a new art form here: the animated opera. Music is alive and well in the world of the dead. The music in the titles presents themes which continue into the film. An important part of the love story is the interest of the main characters and their methods of expression of emotion via piano music. The characters exist in an aura of sound. Imagine a Russian epic without the Lara Theme or Rick's place without Sam's piano. This film has achieved an identity that says this is music and this is what the movies has to say. All awards to those involved!
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noralee28 September 2005"Corpse Bride" is one of the best animated musicals since "Beauty and the Beast." Danny Elfman is co-creative force with director Tim Burton, as the delightful songs, music and piano playing courtships match the distinctive ensemble of characters.
There are no schmaltzy Disney ballads as the songs, sung by the character ensemble, help to reinforce plot and character points. While the songs aren't classics, they are hummable. With a few more additions, Elfman could turn it into a theatrical production.
Each character has delightfully exaggerated features (who didn't want to cut Johnny Depps's drooping forelock off during the Academy Awards?). The crowded Victoriana setting is as fraught with visual possibilities as "Howl's Moving Castle (Hauru no ugoku shiro)" and Hogwarts in Harry Potter. The color scape is almost all moon-lit black, gray and blue.
The film is charming and funny from the opening through its smidgen too long 76 minutes (though I didn't stay through the credits). The stream of visual jokes and one-liners may go over kids' heads, such as the head waiter. The tributes to old movies also come fast and furious, from the Harryhausen piano to "The Gone With the Wind" satire, the Heckle and Jeckle dream sequence from "Dumbo", "Barkis Bittern" seems to look a lot like an older "Gaston" from "Beauty" or maybe "Dudly Do-Right," and more. The Peter Lorre-imitating maggot was a bit much.
This isn't the first time we've seen dem bones dance around in animation but this is once again with a lot of feeling.
Christopher Lee voices the minister marvelously and Helena Bonham Carter enlivens the title character.
What's particularly lovely is that none of the characters are really nasty and the magical romantic triangle is resolved with no cruelty. -
kmlaing3 September 2005I gotta tell you.Animation films these days are just getting better and better.Tim Burton's directing and vision succeeds once again.For almost the whole movie,I could tell everyone in the theater was enjoying it.
Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter were fabulous voices,the music and songs were just right for the mood,and the story was actually quite different from The Nightmare before Christmas.Altogether it made an enjoyable,clever and funny movie,that I think you will want to see over and over again.Take your friends.Family or relatives to see this classic movie.Trust me you will NOT be disappointed.Or at least I wasn't disappointed -
evilmatt-324 September 2005Tim Burton's Corpse Bride is by no means a bad movie- indeed, it is much better than most schlock these days- but it is part of a growing category of films with a very specific problem. It does not seem to have a specific audience in mind, or if it does, it is not approaching that audience in the proper way.
Most people will see this film because it is to all appearances the follow-up to The Nightmare Before Christmas. Visually, this is true- Corpse Bride looks and feels very similar to the older film, although computer animation makes this one look even better.
However, whereas The Nightmare Before Christmas maintained a jovial, family friendly theme and plot (complete with misunderstood heroes and dastardly villains), Corpse Bride gives us a quiet little story about three young adults who find themselves in an impossible moral situation. Promises are made which must be kept, and out of three people, one must inevitably end up heartbroken. The three central characters are all exceedingly likable- although one may believe Emily is to be the villain of the piece, she consistently demonstrates as much humanity as anyone.
Ultimately, the film is about one very difficult moral choice that has to be made by one of the characters. The choice is made and the movie ends, but unless you're paying really close attention, it's difficult to understand why the characters act as they do, and why the film has the ending that it does. While not giving anything away, I'll say that in this sense, the third act of the film presents a very mature dilemma that children (and many adults) are not going to appreciate.
Of course, the frustrating thing about this movie is that so much time is spent on song and dance numbers that the moral and romantic elements never really get fleshed out. As such the film (like Victor) is stuck between two worlds, and never really makes up its mind where it wants to be. On this point, then, it fails.
It's probably still worth watching, although Tim Burton has done much better in the past. -
XFLRWF17 September 2005Hello all. I had the privilege to catch an advance screening of "Corpse Bride" today so here's my take on it.
Presenting subjects which are typically dark and frightening and show them in a positive light has long been a trademark of Tim Burton. In the director's latest film, "Corpse Bride", Burton spins death and murder into a charming musical about the power of love. Burton applies the same technique as with his last stop-motion picture, "The Nightmare Before Christmas, but with a more fluid and smoother effect. Lead by the vocal talents of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, "Corpse Bride" is a terrific achievement of film-making.
On the day of their wedding rehearsal, arranged lovers Victor (Johnny Depp) and Victoria (Emily Watson) run into a complication with the ceremony: Victor cannot remember his vows. While practicing in the forest, Victor mistakenly places the ring on the finger of a dead woman (Helena Bonham Carter) and is immediately married to his new bride, Emily. While Victor searches for a way out of the underworld and back to Victoria, he learns of the devious plot of how Emily was murdered and experiences the beauty and charm that still resides in her. Victor must decide whom he loves more: his bride-to-be or his corpse bride.
Tim Burton and Mike Johnson create a contrasting yet complementing world. The background and setting for the living is dark and cloudy. This is matched by the dark clothing, mundane lifestyle, and pale complexion of the citizens. Characters who are more full of life and color occupy the underworld, a location that is supposed to be bleak and gloomy. The stop-motion animation style is accomplishedly used to bring these objects to life. They never fail to capture emotion nor are they afraid to be as outrageous as they can with the characters' design and movements. This is best illustrated when the directors capture an elaborate song and dance number detailing Emily's demise.
The screenplay penned by John August, Pamela Pettler, and Caroline Thompson feels targeted for younger members of the PG audience. There are many puns is regards to death, e.g., "dead right", and the end is predictable thanks in part to an obvious foreshadowing detail. But that is not to say the film is a failure. The writers do a great job with tackling the morbid topic of death and turning it into a love story.
Whenever there is a Tim Burton film, Johnny Depp will usually be leading the charge. "Corpse Bride" is one of those instances. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter lead a talented cast of actors in providing the vocals to their characters. Depp gives Victor the frightened, insecure persona that befits the young man who is unsure of just about everything in life. Emily Watson does the perfect counterpart for Victoria. She is more confidant and less shy than her groom-to-be and she brings out the more attractive qualities of Victor. Carter provides Emily with a loving and caring demeanor. She genuinely cares for and loves Victor and she will do anything to make him see that. Even more skillful is her ability to bring out Emily's sadness. Audiences will feel her pain when she cries and the emptiness she feels when all she needs is love. The supporting actors are also expertly cast including Christopher Lee, Albert Finney, and Michael Gough. Each performer's voice brings out the ideal quality and trait of their character that one can imagine them performing the role in the flesh.
The title of "Corpse Bride" almost gives the wrong impression about the film. The movie is a love story albeit with a darkened twist. It is not meant to be frightening but rather it shows a peaceful and romantic co-existence between the living and the dead. Audiences will be fascinated with the seamless quality of the animation and the vocal talents that give the characters life. For "Corpse Bride", the honeymoon is about to begin.
CORPSE BRIDE Starring: Johnny Depp, Helen Bonham Carter, Emily Watson
Grade: A-
Honeymoon for "Corpse Bride" 8/16/05 (released 8/23/05) -
hardcoresocrates16 September 2005I am perplexed by the over-exuberance of those who have voted on this film. I have a feeling many have voted before actually seeing it.
The movie is... fine. It's really nothing exceptional. Nightmare Before Christmas blows this out of the water when it comes to character development, complexity of animation and story telling.
Corpse Bride was cute, nice, cliché. While it started with a strong promise and premise, with a glowing gray world with family characters, all went wacky when Victor went into the forest. This is about where you wish you were in the forest with Jack instead.
Unlike those you meet in Halloweentown, the dead characters are not interesting, all either blue or bones. The humor and puns are forced and repeated, in case you didn't get that pulling the sword out of the dead dwarf was funny the first, second, third, fourth or fifth time.
The songs were great in the beginning, sparse and annoying in the middle. At times, the sound effects were louder than the lines themselves, so lyrics of the songs and/or punchlines couldn't be deciphered.
The bride character was so one-dimensional that I didn't care about her, until her act about how she wishes she were alive -- a touching song there. Interestingly, Victoria, through just her "acting" seemed more developed than any of the other characters, save for Victor.
Some of the characters' actions were less than motivated. Victor suddenly going from uninterested to willing-to-marry because of sharing a 20-second piano duet with Corpse Bride? The Parents obsessed with finding Victor, then just disappearing out of the story?
What saved this film for me was the ending, which, while predictable, was so heart-warming and honest... Great 1st and 3rd act does not a good film make.
I don't want to be negative. I'm about as big of a Tim Burton / Danny Elfman fan as anyone else, (sans freakish obsessions or those who think Jack Skellington is some evil bad ass I need to buy on a t-shirt at the mall so my parents will see what a rebel I am), but this movie was little more exciting than Frosty The Snow Man. I didn't hate it. But it wasn't worth my midnight premiere.
You might say, "Oh, this is a children's film. It doesn't need character development, a logical story or interesting songs."
To that I might say, "Shut up."
This film will soon be forgotten, like James and The Giant Peach, whereas masterworks like Big Fish, Batman and Nightmare Before Christmas will live on forever.
Thanks for reading. -
coyote-433 December 2005I was looking forward to this movie because I'm a huge Tim Burton fan, the concept is GREAT, and the animation looks fantastically amazing.
I really, really wanted to love this movie.
As far as the visual direction goes, I was not disappointed! The set design is beautiful, the puppets are beautiful, and the animation is incredible! The directing and editing is terrific. If I must compare this movie to Nightmare Before Christmas, I admit Corpse Bride was, at least, much more visually stunning.
The story, however, is a disappointment. The visual storytelling and the voice acting is good, but the actual plot and script leaves much to be desired. The first musical number was a good introduction to the setting and plot, but the others seemed like wasted opportunities to get to know the characters better. The subplot with the villain seems to just get in the way of telling an interesting story. Overall, there was a lack of motivation and character development in the main characters.
At the end of the movie, Victor and Victoria haven't changed at all. You get the idea they're both still just following their parents wishes. The ending is confusing as Victor and Victoria haven't really gotten to know each other at all. --and you never really learn if Emily loved Victor or just the idea of getting married. I'd have liked to see the characters evolve. Especially Victor. I'd have liked to see him do something because HE decided to, not because someone else told him to or made him feel guilty.
As a Burton fan, it was a big relief to see that while he was the director, he was NOT the writer. Watch this movie for the visuals if you're an animation fan, but don't expect much else (besides selling a lot of toys at Hot Topic).