Tim Burton is a jack of all trades and a master of few, ‘and the genre he masters’ is the heart of ‘Frankenweenie. The adaptation of the 1984 short to the silver screen is worth a watch.

The director has a knack of getting into the minds and the hearts of his audience. The humor is horror-centric and the instant bereavement the protagonist feels after the death of his beloved pet is equally felt by the viewers.

The story is not just for giving us a good belly laughter! It’s about a boy who doesn’t fit like others within the social fabric. He has a lively dog named Sparky for company, who becomes victim to the wheels of a rash car.  The young lad feels like life has betrayed him for the final time. Borrowing from his vast scientific knowledge, he gears up to revive the dead pet. Success becomes his and so does failure. The hybrid that has come to existence is about to become a reason for massive troubles for the boy.

The name of the young protagonist of the movie has been coined after a zombie-like figure from the past: Frankenstein. That did not hit me as a huge surprise; Tim is known for borrowing from the glorious chapters of history to add another dimension to his story ideas.

Produced with stop-motion technique, Frankenweenie is a complete Tim Burton special. Since his early days, Tim has felt a certain level of affinity for stop motion cinema. From ‘Corpse Bride’ (2005), a movie that cannot be regarded as an epitome of stop-motion animation, he has come a long way. In ‘Frankenweenie’, he has really got the right results, the stop-motion is mind-blowing!

If you are on the search for reasons to book your tickets for the movie, the foremost is the spicy amalgamation of horror, humor and drama. Secondly, you know it’s a typical Tim Burton movie.

The voice-over artists have done a fine job, particularly Charlie Tahan as Victor deserves a special round of applause. Giving him company are the gifted Martin Landua, the irresistible Winona Ryder and the man who needs no mention, Martin Short.

Frankenweenie is a not a typical children film, yet children would catch a fancy to its horror-centric humor and would feel for the out of sorts protagonist. Losing a pet is like an apocalypse for any kid. When the protagonist loses his dear dog and then revives him, the children will naturally gauge his pain and the following ecstasy.

Tim Burton does know how to beautifully play with the delicate emotions of children and keep them wholly absorbed!