A Giant Leap

Rating: 7/10 (25 September 2005)

Tim Burton is a master. The direction in this film is brilliant. Some of the shots he achieved are just unbelievable and the character design is remarkable! There were moments when I had to force myself to remember that I wasn't watching actors. The stop-motion processes have become so much more fluid and human than they were in "Nightmare Before Christmas." I'm still puzzled over how they managed to get those puppets to do some of the things they did. This film represents a giant leap for stop-motion. I'm incredibly excited to see what Burton does next with the medium.
Story-wise, there wasn't too much new ground made. Burton's fascination with "the outsider" is further explored here but there's not a lot in the way of new insights.
Some people have complained that the film is too short. I think that feeling arises because the film is so visually amazing that you can't help but want to see more. 90 minutes is still the average length of a film. I guess we've been spoiled by some really excellent films that are a bit longer in the past few years.
Danny Elfman's music is excellent again, but it's not his best work. The songs are not going become as unforgettable as those from "Nightmare" which, I think, will probably always be Burton's stop-motion masterpiece.