News Taffy

It’s finally October which means Halloween is upon us. This is my absolute favorite time of year because one, I get to wear all my fun fall clothes and two, this is when some of the best horror movies come out. I may be easily scared, but I love a good horror movie. This weekend, a friend and I decided to check out Tim Burton’s latest film, Frankenweenie 3D. I know what you’re thinking. No, it’s not all that scary, but it is definitely a fun holiday movie for the whole family.

For those who may not realize, Frankenweenie 3D was actually a short film project written and directed by Tim Burton (Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Beetlejuice) in 1984. The original was a live-action flick produced by Walt Disney Pictures and it starred Shelley DuVall, Daniel Stern and Barret Oliver. Burton was then fired from Disney for supposedly wasting resources to make a film that they deemed too scary for family viewing, but a censored version was later released after the success of Burton’s later films.

Fast forward to 2012 as a new generation is introduced to this take on a classic story. Victor Frankenstein (voiced by Charlie Tahan) loves two things very much: science and his dog, Sparky. He has a new science teacher who challenges his students by having them participate in the upcoming science fair, so Victor begins working on the typical projects that all students have had to do at some point. Victor’s father (Martin Short) on the other hand, thinks his son’s time would be better spent playing baseball and interacting with other kids his age. But ultimately taking up this new activity leads to the very sad demise of his beloved Sparky.

With his love of science he cannot accept the loss of his dog – especially when he has the means to bring his dog back from the dead. But life, death and science can be an electrifying, yet terrifying combination. As word gets around that Victor has seemingly done the impossible, this kick starts a chain reaction of havoc on the little town of New Holland.

Tim Burton has collaborated with John August (Big Fish, Corpse Bride) yet again to create a sweet homage to classic horror movies we all know and love. The characters are all unique and just as kooky as one would hope to see from Tim Burton.

Frankenweenie 3D is sure to become a favorite of audiences young and old for years to come. It’s definitely a great film to get viewers into the Halloween spirit.

Until next time,
Beth