Charming Animated Musical

Rating: 7/10 (28 September 2005)

"Corpse Bride" is one of the best animated musicals since "Beauty and the Beast." Danny Elfman is co-creative force with director Tim Burton, as the delightful songs, music and piano playing courtships match the distinctive ensemble of characters.
There are no schmaltzy Disney ballads as the songs, sung by the character ensemble, help to reinforce plot and character points. While the songs aren't classics, they are hummable. With a few more additions, Elfman could turn it into a theatrical production.
Each character has delightfully exaggerated features (who didn't want to cut Johnny Depps's drooping forelock off during the Academy Awards?). The crowded Victoriana setting is as fraught with visual possibilities as "Howl's Moving Castle (Hauru no ugoku shiro)" and Hogwarts in Harry Potter. The color scape is almost all moon-lit black, gray and blue.
The film is charming and funny from the opening through its smidgen too long 76 minutes (though I didn't stay through the credits). The stream of visual jokes and one-liners may go over kids' heads, such as the head waiter. The tributes to old movies also come fast and furious, from the Harryhausen piano to "The Gone With the Wind" satire, the Heckle and Jeckle dream sequence from "Dumbo", "Barkis Bittern" seems to look a lot like an older "Gaston" from "Beauty" or maybe "Dudly Do-Right," and more. The Peter Lorre-imitating maggot was a bit much.
This isn't the first time we've seen dem bones dance around in animation but this is once again with a lot of feeling.
Christopher Lee voices the minister marvelously and Helena Bonham Carter enlivens the title character.
What's particularly lovely is that none of the characters are really nasty and the magical romantic triangle is resolved with no cruelty.