Frankenweenie: Disney and Tim Burton, Feast or Famine

[DisneylandTraveler]

The only thread in the Movies forum I could fine on MiceChat regarding Frankenweenie was closed a while back. The film premiered today but there seems to be a distinct lack of buzz about it despite Disney promoting the bejeezes out of the movie. Is the concept (boy exhuming his beloved dead dog that was run over by a car and bringing it back to life) that unappealing? (My answer is Yes but that's just me). If Frankenweenie flops on the heels of Tim Burton's Dark Shadows failure, has the bloom fallen off the rose?

[JerrodDRagon]

I want to see it..but none of my Friends do..so I'll wait but it could be his best film in years

[Barbossa]

I've got a busy two weeks ahead of me, but I'm hoping to catch it just before Halloween. Did see ParaNorman yesterday though; that one was good!

[FigmentJedi]

Just got back from it. It was okay, but nothing special. Had a few story issues which came with some of the padding, but it still needed said padding because it really is a small story. Gotta say though, ParaNorman blew this out of the water completely.

[DisneylandTraveler]

With a weak 11.5 million at the box office in its opening weekend, Frankenweenie should prove to Disney once and for all why it is a bad idea to placate a (sometimes) successful film makers whims instead of bank rolling the movies people want and expect you to make. Tim Burton's Frankenweenie along with Andrew Stanton's John Carter are both films that should never have received a green light. Hopefully wiser studio execs are now in place.

[indianajack]

I think it's gotten to the point that having Burton's name attached to a film turns some people off. And those "some" people encourage their friends to see another movie instead, such as Taken 2. Some are burned out on Burton.

[ALIASd]

I think it's gotten to the point that having Burton's name attached to a film turns some people off. And those "some" people encourage their friends to see another movie instead, such as Taken 2. Some are burned out on Burton.

Unless it was his previous Disney release, 'Alice in Wonderland' which somehow made over $1 Billion at the box office alone. And then add in revenue from DVD, merchandise, etc.

My guess is that despite terrific reviews that it was a combination of subject matter and a vast majority of the population's aversion/ignorance of stop-motion/animation and the fact that the film is in black & white.

[indianajack]

Alice was two years ago.
Burton's last three projects (Dark Shadows, Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Frankenweenie) have all underwhelmed at the box office. The schtick is wearing thin methinks; Alice was his peak.

[clara]

Alice was two years ago.
Burton's last three projects (Dark Shadows, Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Frankenweenie) have all underwhelmed at the box office. The schtick is wearing thin methinks; Alice was his peak.

This reminds me to watch Dark Shadows On Demand

I wanted to see Frankenweenie its opening weekend in 3D but my apartment community gave residents a great deal to see the movie on the 17th at a local theatre for $5 each person plus a free drink and small popcorn. I'm taking advantage of that as it will total only $10 for my son and I to see Frankenweenie and get two drinks and two small popcorns

And Lincoln:Vampire Hunter was a joke <----just my opinion.

[ALIASd]

Alice was two years ago.
Burton's last three projects (Dark Shadows, Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Frankenweenie) have all underwhelmed at the box office. The schtick is wearing thin methinks; Alice was his peak.

Burton was a producer not director the bold above. Most top tier directors don't release a new film every year, as a stop-motion film 'Frankenweenie' has been in production for the past few. 'Alice' would certainly still be regarded as relatively recent product, consider it's current not inexpensive life extension as part of evening entertainment at DCA.

And 'Dark Shadows' was an expensive Warner Bros. release. If anything it proved that Burton should probably steer clear of remakes/reboots/reimaginings in the future, not unlike his take on 'Planet of the Apes', and go with original fresh projects and collaborations.

[rwsmith]

I think it's more of a case of a film/concept that meant a lot to Burton, but few else. There was a reason he was fired in 1984 when he spent $1,000,000 making the live action version. It's not "Disney". It's black and white. The characters are visually unappealing as in Corpse Bride. It's like Burton made a movie for his taste and not broad appeal, which is hit or miss when it comes to broader success with the masses. I bet he sat in a screening room with a huge smile in his heart. This is probably a vision from his youth that's realized. The only reason this film was made and the live action version was included in the Nightmare Before Christmas Bluray is his other successes. If his next film is a home run all will be forgotten. His films aren't mainstream enough for the Pixar effect, where EVERYTHING that they do is great to the masses. There could have been a test pattern on the screen and Ratatouille would have made money. To me the fact that it was Pixar is the only reason it was received better than Meet the Robinsons.

[AdventureBlueDude]

Hi. Haven't posted on Micechat in like two years, but I just wanted to put my thoughts on Frankenweenie.

Honestly, in comparison, as it seems, to most of the posters on this thread, I absolutely loved Frankenweenie. It was very obvious that it was a personal movie for Burton, especially since he spent almost 30 years making it the way he intended it to be, a feature-length stop motion film. Being a horror fan, I noticed a lot of the references and the massive amounts of detail in the movie. Nassor looking and talking in a way reminiscent to Boris Karloff, the teacher looking like a caricature of Vincent Price and talking somewhat like Bela Lugosi(I'm making this connection solely because he was voiced by Martin Landau who played Lugosi in Ed Wood) and some of the smaller details like the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea poster in Victor's room and the recreation of the stair scene from Nosferatu. I just absolutely loved this movie. I think Ed Wood, another of Tim Burton's films, could be the closest comparison to Frankenweenie. Obviously, they're both shot in black and white and both are a love letter to something special to Burton. Ed Wood the filmmaker in Ed Wood and the horror movie genre, more specifically 50s B-Movies, in Frankenweenie. It was just obviously a labor of love and I really wish more people appreciated it the way I do. It might be because I've been watching the original for the bulk of my childhood(though I haven't seen it in a good 7 years) or the fact that I'm a fan of horror movies, but the movie just stuck with me. I only wish others felt the way that I did. Though, of course, it's understandable; the movie was kind of "niche", being shot in black and white and having a dark story in general.

Also, just as one last note, Frankenweenie has been with Nightmare since it's VHS release.

[Maid of Horror]

Hi. Haven't posted on Micechat in like two years, but I just wanted to put my thoughts on Frankenweenie.

Honestly, in comparison, as it seems, to most of the posters on this thread, I absolutely loved Frankenweenie. It was very obvious that it was a personal movie for Burton, especially since he spent almost 30 years making it the way he intended it to be, a feature-length stop motion film. Being a horror fan, I noticed a lot of the references and the massive amounts of detail in the movie. Nassor looking and talking in a way reminiscent to Boris Karloff, the teacher looking like a caricature of Vincent Price and talking somewhat like Bela Lugosi(I'm making this connection solely because he was voiced by Martin Landau who played Lugosi in Ed Wood) and some of the smaller details like the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea poster in Victor's room and the recreation of the stair scene from Nosferatu. I just absolutely loved this movie. I think Ed Wood, another of Tim Burton's films, could be the closest comparison to Frankenweenie. Obviously, they're both shot in black and white and both are a love letter to something special to Burton. Ed Wood the filmmaker in Ed Wood and the horror movie genre, more specifically 50s B-Movies, in Frankenweenie. It was just obviously a labor of love and I really wish more people appreciated it the way I do. It might be because I've been watching the original for the bulk of my childhood(though I haven't seen it in a good 7 years) or the fact that I'm a fan of horror movies, but the movie just stuck with me. I only wish others felt the way that I did. Though, of course, it's understandable; the movie was kind of "niche", being shot in black and white and having a dark story in general.

Also, just as one last note, Frankenweenie has been with Nightmare since it's VHS release.

Wonderful post! I also loved Frankenweenie. This film is so close to Burton's original vision, and I agree that it's a labor of love, which makes it so special.

[Bronco21]

Hi. Haven't posted on Micechat in like two years, but I just wanted to put my thoughts on Frankenweenie.

Honestly, in comparison, as it seems, to most of the posters on this thread, I absolutely loved Frankenweenie. It was very obvious that it was a personal movie for Burton, especially since he spent almost 30 years making it the way he intended it to be, a feature-length stop motion film. Being a horror fan, I noticed a lot of the references and the massive amounts of detail in the movie. Nassor looking and talking in a way reminiscent to Boris Karloff, the teacher looking like a caricature of Vincent Price and talking somewhat like Bela Lugosi(I'm making this connection solely because he was voiced by Martin Landau who played Lugosi in Ed Wood) and some of the smaller details like the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea poster in Victor's room and the recreation of the stair scene from Nosferatu. I just absolutely loved this movie. I think Ed Wood, another of Tim Burton's films, could be the closest comparison to Frankenweenie. Obviously, they're both shot in black and white and both are a love letter to something special to Burton. Ed Wood the filmmaker in Ed Wood and the horror movie genre, more specifically 50s B-Movies, in Frankenweenie. It was just obviously a labor of love and I really wish more people appreciated it the way I do. It might be because I've been watching the original for the bulk of my childhood(though I haven't seen it in a good 7 years) or the fact that I'm a fan of horror movies, but the movie just stuck with me. I only wish others felt the way that I did. Though, of course, it's understandable; the movie was kind of "niche", being shot in black and white and having a dark story in general.

Also, just as one last note, Frankenweenie has been with Nightmare since it's VHS release.

I agree 100%! This film was fantastic (I just got back from seeing it). Remember when movies didn't feel like their only purpose was to make money? They had a purpose similar to a painting. They were there to stir up emotions and make you think about something (sometimes something you may/ may not be comfortable thinking about). But they had a much broader purpose than just making money. I fear that our world has lost it's interest in films like this except in small film festivals like Sundance. Frankenweenie was a perfect example of a film meant to be viewed as one would view a work of art. If you want mind numbing violence, unrealistic explosions, and simplistic storylines that never invite the viewers to contemplate anything, go see Taken 2. Taken 2 involves everything horrible that has happened to movies over the last 20-30 years and, sadly, it will probably end up making a bunch of money even though its is not only technically weak, but also a depiction of everything horrible that the world seeks after. Films like Frankenweenie are a dying breed, and its a real shame.

[MSVRider]

In all honesty, Tim Burton films are either a hit or miss for me. So, the draw for me seeing this film was not based on his name attached. But, admittedly, I absolutely LOVED this film. And, while I agree it was faithful to his original, I also thought it was so much more. Interestingly enough, the relationship between Victor and Sparky was so much more real in the animated version than in the live action version. The idea of the dog dying seemed much less of a way of moving the story along and being more the heart of the story. Maybe it's because I own a dog and I also know what it's like to lose a dog, but I found myself genuinely weeping at times.

I really don't think the reason for the film's failure has anything to do with the story nor do I think it has anything to do with the fact that it's stop motion or black and white. I think it has everything to do with the fact that it was released one week after "Hotel Transylvania." "Hotel Transylvania" has popular star voices, is colorful and, from the previews, looks much lighter hearted. I'm not saying that makes it a better film or that animated films should have popular star voices, be colorful and be lighter hearted. But, in this case, I think it definitely divided the market with word of mouth for "Hotel Transylvania" winning out in the long run.

It's a shame because I really do think "Frankenweenie" is a good film. I'm hoping that word of mouth will try to save it, but, unfortunately, I think the bottom line has ultimately been damaged.