A different take on the afterlife

Rating: 10/10 (22 December 2012)

Director Tim Burton really knows how to make dark tones not seem all the dark. Look at one of his first examples in filmmaking; Beetlejuice (1988). Sure the character of Beetlejuice played by Michael Keaton was a little not your usual dead guy but there were actually a lot of laughs to be had. Same goes for this movie.
The story is about shy man Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp) who is having an arranged marriage with also a shy, sweet young lady named Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson). Unfortunately, Victor is rather opposed to whole idea because he just doesn't feel like he could be ready for such a commitment. So in a panic, he flees from the practice session to get some fresh air. While in the forest, he recites his marriage vows and accidentally awakens the corpse bride played by Helena Bonham Carter.
Now that Victor has disturbed the dead he must make a choice to whom he will marry. All the voice actors give an excellent performance as their characters. Depp is great at making himself sound inferior and feeble as the meek Victor. Watson and Carter both play sweet female leads as well. Even composer Danny Elfman has voice role in this film. Quite rare if you ask me on Elfman's part. But his score is just as abundant like the rest of his collaborations with Tim Burton. This score well appreciated because of its sense of emotion and tone.
The animation is great here too. It actually reminisces to Burton's film of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1964) featuring stop motion animation. Obviously since the it was 2005 the filming techniques have become much smoother so it looks even better than before. The art department I could tell had a good time with this too. The difference between life and death are quite the opposite. Normal life is gray and dull while the afterlife is colorful and vibrant. Which could almost suggest that death is more fun but most of us don't have that kind of mentality.
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride is enchanting and fun altogether. The animation is spectacular and the voice acting is wonderful.