Can't there ever be a animated movie that sustains a darkly beautiful tone?

Rating: 6/10 (29 October 2008)

I'm not a huge Tim Burton fanSweeny Todd was decent, but that's all I can really give himand I've never seen The Nightmare Before Christmas, so I can't compare this to it. If you're looking for an unbiased review, this is one of the few you'll get.
First of all, for an animated movie, this is one of the better ones I've seen. The themes running though are not overdone clichésunlike, say, Wall-Eand it was very nice to see women in an animated film fighting for the man, and not clichéd vice versa. The plot line itself is something similar to what you'd read in a kid's horror anthology, but it totally worked for this film's style. More importantly, the plot isn't something you've heard a thousand times, and I couldn't pick out any glaring clichés. In a way, The Corpse Bride is more mature of an effort story-wise than some of Burton's live-action, R-rated films because it has more imagination.
The signature Gothic style is done very well, and the animation is stellar to look at. I found the use of black-and-white in the real-world sequences a bit annoying and overdone, but to each his own. For someone who isn't a hardcore Burton fan, I can't say I really even noticed the music. Every now and then I thought it was pretty, but I doubt if you're not paying a lot of attention you'll even notice what everyone else is deeming as "beautiful and a masterpiece".
The main problems The Corpse Bride had: - Most of the characters were forgettable. They play out flat, as if the plot is just using them as pawns. I wouldn't mind this if the plot was AWESOME, but it just simply isn't, and the lack of emotional attachment to the characters really gets in the way of the overall effect.

No immersion. I understand this is a children's movie, and being an adult may have something to do with it, but as hard as I tried to love The Corpse Bride there was just something dull about it that I can't put my finger on. The world Burton creates is a near-perfect mix of childish macabre fantasy, and it is beautiful, but there is something missing. I assume that would be a darker plot line. The constant use of puns, also, takes away from the seriousness and beauty of the whole thing. Can't there ever be a animated, PG-rated movie that creates and sustains a darkly beautiful tone? Overall: Be sure to watch it on TV when the countless cartoon networks are playing it for Halloween. It is worth your time. It's just not the masterpiece I was hoping it would be.

6/10