The Lively Dead! (moofie review)

Rating: 8/10 (26 November 2005)

Only Tim Burton can make the world of the dead seem like a fun place to be! Which is why I think the movie is titled "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride", rather than just "Corpse Bride", which might be mistaken for a schlocky gory flick.
The Corpse Bride is about the misadventures of the shy son of a wealthy fishmonger, Victor, as he is accidentally married to a corpse bride. The corpse bride, although dead and blue, is not cold, unlike some of the living (who have grey skins). Rather, she is passionate but bears a heavy heart.
The movie also features dancing skeletons, and a worm who tries to pass off as the Corpse Bride's conscience.
The combined efforts of Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and the other talented voice actors make this a highly enjoyable movie. Also being filmed in stop motion greatly benefits the film as it gives it more depth and texture than one that relies heavily on CGI. The narrative is also good, and the characters are livelier and more believable than some movies with real actors.