From The Maker of Nightmare Before Christmas: Another Winner

Rating: 10/10 (4 October 2005)

Tim Burton intended Corpse Bride to be a follow-up to 1993's Nightmare Before Christmas. Indeed, there are echoes of the skeletal creatures frm Nightmare in this one too. But he waited a full 12 years to perfect the cinematography/stop animation to this wonderful film. Ultimately, Nightmare Before Xmas is superior in that it has better comedy, memorable songs and more interesting a story. However, Corpse Bride holds his own, and not merely because of the lavish details in every scene. Johnny Depp stars as Victor Van Dort, a pale-faced, thin and shy young man who is betrothed to marry Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson). The marriage is arranged between the bourgeois, social climbing nouveauriche Van Dorts, Victor's parents (Tracy Ulman and Paul White House) and Victoria's folks Maudelaine and Finnis (Joanna Lumely and Albert Finney). These folks are equally pale but worse, they're dull, pretentious and snobbish. Victor accidentally places the wedding ring on the cold dead hands of the Corpse Bride (Helena Bonham Carter) and is now faced with a dilemma: should he honor his vow to remain married to the dead bride or will he break them and marry the living fiancÃ© ? This is an enjoyable drama with comedy and Tim Burton has indeed done it again.