Charming and Beguiling

Rating: 9/10 (7 May 2006)

Beautifully animated and voiced by talented actors like Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter the Corpse Bride is without doubt one of the most enjoyable films I've seen all year. The film like all Burtons best works hovers on the borderline between sentimental and Gothic and is much the better for it. Where Disney might have overloaded on the sentiment to the point where it would be mawkish and saccharine (perhaps with Phil Collins or Elton John yodelling away on the soundtrack) the Corpse Bride contains enough gently macabre touches and black humour to ensure that the romantic elements remain genuinely affecting. The songs work well, being entertaining while still remaining part of the story rather than having the plot stop for a big musical number and at 1 and 1/4 hours the film never outstays its welcome. All in all brilliant.