Doesn't compare to Nightmare

Rating: Null/10 (14 December 2005)

For me, comparing director/producer Tim Burton's blockbuster, The Corpse Bride, to his 1993 movie, Nightmare Before Christmas, does nothing but highlight its mistakes. The style and animation is basically the same, making some technological advances toward the process. Even the music score is very similar, again having well written lyrics and entertaining beats. The two movies both have the same whimsical feel, and The Corpse Bride definitely owns up to Nightmare's charms. The characters are also once again incredibly creative and full of personality. The music is one big contributor to why the movie doesn't satisfy the craving for a sequel to Nightmare Before Christmas. The songs aren't nearly as memorable as Nightmare's "What's This?" and "Kidnap the Sandy Claws." The characters are full of dimension and life. Each one is nicely developed, has a unique personality, and is brought to life amazingly by the voice cast. However, the movie does not have a strong plot line. Instead, it relies on the brilliant animation that immediately captures your attention...yet eventually wears out. One of the main characters, Barkis Bittern, plays the villain in Corpse Bride. He schemes and plots against Victor Van Dort, who has an arranged engagement to marry Victoria Everglott, whom he also has sinister plans for. But the script never really makes clear the details of his attacks, or even the reasons behind them. Corpse Bride is more of a romantic story, than a comedy, although there are the occasional humorous parts. It, however, lacks the sense of dread that you expect from a Tim Burton movie. It is lighter than most of his movies, and not nearly as bizarre as his other movies like Edward Scissorhands and Nightmare. But the end is well drawn out and not overly dramatic. The Corpse Bride doesn't nearly live up to Nightmare, which people expected because of the similar looks and moods of the previews. It is not nearly as bizarre as any of his other movies, which is one of the qualities that Burton fans adore. Another factor that made the movie a little more pushed was that it was a mere seventy-five minutes. That just means that there was no time for extra materials or details. In all, I would say that The Corpse Bride is a little bit of a disappointment after seeing any of Tim Burton's other movies, yet Burton comes through, and the movie is still entertaining with all of the imagination and creativity put forward. I really did enjoy it, but like I said, compared to Nightmare, it doesn't quite do it for me.