A Genre-Bending Marvel

Rating: 7/10 (23 September 2005)

So, how do you classify Tim Burton's Corpse Bride? It's a story about true love temporarily interrupted...so it must be a romance. It's got several original song and dance numbers...so it's a musical. It has enough puns and double entendres to make anyone laugh...so it is a comedy. It's about corpses, ghouls, and skeletons....definitely horror material. And oh yes, it's done entirely in stop-action animation, suitable for all family member, except maybe the very young.
I've got it. Tim Burton's Corpse Bride is the first of a new genre--a romantic musical comedy horror animated family feature film. I wonder if the Golden Globes will create a new category.
But whatever you call it, this film is a marvel. Despite a few cloying characters (the Peter Lorre maggot being one) and songs of uneven quality, this is a movie worth watching...and watching. It is a visually stunning film with an enjoyable script that is voiced perfectly by an A-list cast. To borrow a line, you should definitely keep an eye out for it.