Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride (HD-DVD/Stop-Motion Animation)
Picture:
B Sound: B Extras: C+ Film: C+
Though
not as wide-ranging or successful as James
& The Giant Peach or The Night
Before Christmas, Tim Burton’s
Corpse Bride (2005, co-directed by Burton and Mike Johnson) is a fairly
good but all-too-short tale of a young man named Victor (voice of Johnny Depp) in
the world of the living who is tricked and trapped by the title character
(voiced by Helena Bonham Carter in an amusing turn) who falls for him. Of course, he wants to live, but her and her
friends that being a member of the living dead has its benefits. Victor is not so sure.
The idea
is amusing and the John August/Caroline Thompson/Pamela Pettler screenplay is
playful and consistent, but the whole thing is just too short at 77 minutes,
often too obvious and plays it too safe.
Not that it should be NC-17 rated, crazy, violent, vulgar or idiotic,
but that more possibilities and humor or cleverness was missing. The film could have been longer. Inevitably, it pales as compared to the
classic Mad Monster Party (reviewed
elsewhere on this site) and though a good work, it misses greatness. Other voice actor highlights (backing my
point) include Tracey Ullman, Albert Finney, Michael Gough, Jane Horrocks,
Richard E. Grant, the great Joanna Lumley and the inarguable Christopher
Lee. The script could not give them more
to do past 77 minutes? Hmm.
The 1080p
1.85 X 1 digital High Definition image has its moments and is sometimes so
detailed that I almost wanted to rate it higher, but there were times it fell a
bit short. Still, this was clearer and
more consistent than most digitally animated features and live action films
with digital visual effects you will see.
The stop-motion is often clever, but it also sometimes looks like we
have been here before. Pete Kozachik’s
cinematography is very good and only an HD format can really do justice to the
detail the puppets and sets offer. Color
is consistent, Video Black is rich and there is interesting depth of
field. Of all things, this will make for
an interesting comparison to the all-out obvious puppet film Team America.
The Dolby
Digital Plus 5.1 EX also has its moments, though I was not the biggest fan of
Danny Elfman’s standard “Horror” score.
The mix is not always a winner and not being here in Dolby TrueHD or any
DTS is a shame, because the sound at its best deserves better and the music is
available in an isolated Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 like Burton’s Charlie & The Chocolate Factory reviewed
in HD-DVD elsewhere on this site. This
is not bad overall as HD playback material.
The
extras include that music-only track, the original theatrical trailer, seven
featurettes on the making of the film and some artist & fan friendly
preproduction galleries. The work with
the puppets is as interesting and terrific as similar featurettes for Team America, all proving that puppeteering
(with or without stop-motion animation) are far from dead, an
ever-underappreciated artform and one waiting for a new renaissance as CG gets
a little played out and the animation market grows in new ways. Tim
Burton’s Corpse Bride is hopefully part of that movement.
- Nicholas Sheffo
