"Corpse Bride" awakens art of stop-motion animation

Rating: 8/10 (30 March 2006)

Tim Burton's visually stunning debut into the world of stop-motion animation (otherwise known as "claymation") was 1993's "The Nightmare Before Christmas", a meticulously crafted masterpiece that re-invigorated the genre.
Burton's latest foray in claymation, "Corpse Bride", is as darkly funny, and as visually appealing, as it predecessor. The plot is simple, if overly so: timid Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp), one day shy from marrying his fiancée, the equally demure Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson), accidentally weds a dead woman upon practicing his vows in a forest. Placing a wedding ring on what he believes to be a twig, a horrified Victor watches as a beautiful, blue-tinged, wedding gown-clad corpse emerges from the ground. "You may now kiss the bride!" she proclaims with glee. Complications of a mistaken marriage ensue, with Victor's frantic attempts to return to his beloved.
As the voice of the film's title character, actress Helena Bonham Carter makes the most of her playful delivery and impish giggle. Johnny Depp and Emily Watson portray their characters with a hint of yearning, and as the Maggot, Scottish actor Enn Reitel jokingly pays tribute to actor Peter Lorre of "Casablanca" fame.
In addition to the Lorre reference, the film provides an abundance of homage to films of present and yesteryear. Among the spoofed are "Gone with the Wind", Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", "Forrest Gump", "and Victor/Victoria".
Danny Elfman's original score is as whimsical as it is sinister, perfectly enhancing the chaos amid the characters' surroundings. The musical numbers, at times incoherent, still give the viewer a good jolt of toe-tapping energy.
As a feature film, "Corpse Bride's" 76-minute run-time should be acknowledged as an amazing feat, considering the painstaking efforts put forth by Burton and his team of animators. A 12-hour workday produced just two seconds of footage for the film, and the completed animation for "Corpse Bride" took nearly three years to finish. The result is a brief but altogether satisfying movie experience.