A beautiful tale of a newly-dead

Rating: 10/10 (29 October 2006)

Ever since Tim Burton created the exceptional Nightmare Before Christmas, I've been eagerly awaiting a follow-up. And with the Corpse Bride, we have one of sorts. Not a sequel in the strictest sense of the word, but it has the same energy and spirit, and with a much more substantial story, Corpse Bride emerges as one of the finest stop-motion animated films ever made.
If you've ever seen Beetlejuice, then you'll remember that scene towards the end when Geena Davis starts turning into a skeleton while wearing her wedding dress. That one scene may have been the inspiration for Corpse Bride. In fact many elements of Beetlejuice crop up in this film, but where that film was an assemblage of madcap sight gags, here we have a much more tightly focused story to toe the line.
In a story that alternates between the land of the living and the dead, the meek Victor Van Dort (voiced by Johnny Depp) is the son of parents who have just come into a lot of money. While the horrible Everglots (voiced by Joanna Lumley and Albert Finney) are snobbish aristocrats fallen on hard times. They plan to marry off their daughter, Victoria to Victor so they can get their hands on the money.
Victor is not so sure about marriage, and makes a complete mess of the wedding rehearsal. He runs off into the woods to practise his vows, and places the wedding ring on a twig that looks like a finger. And is instantly betrothed to Emily, the Corpse Bride!
Emily (a lovely performance from Helena Bonham Carter) takes her new husband down to the underworld that is her home, delighted that she's fulfilled her (un)life long dream of marriage. Victor on the other hand is less than thrilled, and only wants to return home. But Emily is not prepared to let him go that easily. And the Everglots have plans for Victoria, now that Victor is out of the picture. They intend to marry her off to the dastardly (but wealthy!) Barkis Bittern (Richard E Grant).
Corpse Bride really is a fantastic film. Lots of great characters, flawless animation and a touching story too. What more could anyone ask? The animation portrays the people above ground in a permanent monotone world of greyish gloom, similar to Burton's Sleepy Hollow. These people are horrible, selfish and motivated only by personal gain. But Burton makes their character flaws witty to behold, especially the way they look with bulging bug eyes, wafer thin arms, legs and necks, and colourless skin.
The living dead on the other hand is where Burton has the most fun. A colourful, vibrant world where every nook and cranny is populated by characters so oddball they wouldn't have looked out of place in HalloweenTown.
It's with these characters where Burton's sympathies lie. In the case of Emily, she is portrayed as a lonely figure, jilted at the altar when she was alive, and died before she got the chance to walk down the aisle. Helena Bonham Carter transforms Emily from what could very easily have been a maudlin, unbearable character into a moving, sympathetic person. Her loneliness is affecting, never false. And her current dilemma touching instead of mawkish. But she balances it with enough light humour to make Emily not only a warm individual, but also one of Tim Burton's most memorable female creations.
Although the songs from Danny Elfman are nowhere near as toe-tapping as the ones from TNBC, they do provide one very catchy number with a group of skeletons doing a jazzy, blues number that use their bodies as musical instruments.
Tim Burton has also amassed an impressive voice cast, some comprising his favourites. Although Johnny Depp plays pretty much the same person he did in Sleepy Hollow, he makes Victor an amusing hero with a passable English accent. His relationship with Emily is nice to watch, and the scenes where they play the piano together are really quite charming.
Also present and correct are Burton faves Christopher Lee and Michael Gough, who gives a wonderfully dignified performance as one of the undead elders. Also look out for a maggot that lives in Emily's eye socket, that looks and sounds suspiciously like Peter Lorre.
The grand finale is quite moving, and especially the final scene is a moment that will stay with you long after the film is over. I can't remember the last time I felt so moved at the end of a film. A shame, that like The Nightmare Before Christmas the Corpse Bride performed poorly at the box office. Especially when so much time and effort went into making these dazzling films. Still, TNBC gathered a cult following over the years, and hopefully, time will be just as kind to Corpse Bride. I think it will.