The deader the better

Rating: 8/10 (14 May 2012)

In a world where so many animated films are effortlessly vibrant and soaked with bright candy colors, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride is a dark, yet rarely dreary exercise, with dark subject matter taken in a harmless and fun form. The story is cute, the voice acting has a fine elegance to it, and the mischief and cinematography is delightfully cinematic.
Any expectations of frightening sequences or nightmare-inducing scenes can be safely discarded upon arrival. While the film is sometimes dark, it is never haunting or indelibly scaring and, I firmly believe, the more films you've seen the more inclined you are to enjoy it. I recall references some early twenties and thirties films and including one famous line uttered from one very famous film.
The story revolves around the shy and clumsy Victor Van Dort (voiced by Johnny Depp), who is preparing for his arranged marriage with Victoria Everglot (Watson) in a Victorian Era Europe. The Van Dorts are a wealthy family, while the Everglots don't have a dime to their name, and marriage will hopefully buy them a better spot on the social class level. When Victor ruins the potential wedding, he is sent off to better prepare himself where he practices his vows in the woods, placing his ring on a curled stick only to have it come alive as the "Corpse Bride." The bride is voiced by Helena Bonham Carter, in a beautifully fitting role, as she believes Victor sincerely meant to marry her. Things become conflicted, but thankfully, never resemble a shouting match like an episode of Maury.
The stop-motion animation is absolutely wonderful. An artful and divine masterpiece. Characters are created in true Tim Burton fashion; tall and lanky, as if their arms are black-coated toothpicks and their heads small mounds of clay with a touch of fantasy. What is even more amazing is what Burton can do with such tiny characters. There is a scene early in the film where Victor plays a lovely song on the piano, as Emily waltzes down the stairs quietly so as not to disturb him. The scene is complimented by utter silence and simplicity, not to mention beautifully crafted romance before the subjects even meet each other. Not to mention, Danny Elfman's score, like always, is ravishing and perfectly concatenates the vibrant experience that is awaiting the viewer.
At a mere seventy-three minutes without credits, Corpse Bride has the look and feel of a potential Television program for the unique viewer. It races past, and with a basic yet imaginative idea, its possibilities never feel gridlocked to the ordinary. It's hard to believe it took four writers (one of them the late Pixar voice actor Joe Ranft) to write such a concise work for the eyes and the mind. If there's one petty complaint, it's that even at a slender seventy-three minutes the film starts to become much of a muchness and the drab look does wear on the eyes. What could've been a tedious exercise is still worked fittingly into a stop-motion film from a director that has proved in the past he can deliver a brilliant one.
Voiced by: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman, Paul Whitehouse, Joanna Lumley, and Albert Finney. Directed by: Tim Burton.