but it is better than most and definitely better than Alice in Wonderland 's. A strong voice cast compliments the visuals. Charlie Tahan makes for a solid and emotionally believable hero. Martin Short and Catherine O'Hara are fine as Victor's parents (and a couple of supporting characters) and Winona Ryder makes a welcome return to Burton's world as next door neighbour Elsa Van Helsing (a nice double homage to old-school horror). Martin Landau and Atticus Shaffer are also great in smaller roles. Frankenweenie might not be as great as some of the films that it seems to be looking back to but it's a welcome return to form for a director who seems to disappoint more than he delights these days. Often very funny and quite touching, it's a lovely and emotionally satisfying film. It's many film references will probably go completely over the head of much of it's audience but it is, at it's heart, a story about a boy and his beloved pet and you can't get more universal than that.