Anyone who knows me is well aware of the fact that I love stop-motion animation. As someone who grew up on Rankin & Bass holiday specials and such iconic films as the original King Kong and Ray Harryhausen’s Sinbad series, I’m hopelessly in love with the unique style created by moving articulated puppets in tiny increments and capturing them on film (or video) one frame at a time. And as an amateur practitioner of the art, I fully appreciate the care and skill that went into making the gorgeous spectacle that is Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride.
While the film has Burton’s stamp all over it, much of the credit goes to his co-director, Mike Johnson, who was the one in the trenches day in and day out while Burton was overseeing production on Big Fish and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Johnson and his crew, led by animation supervisor Anthony Scott, have done an impeccable job of bringing these characters to life, even though most of them are dead.
Based on a 19th century Eastern European folk tale, Corpse Bride stars Oscar nominee Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Sleepy Hollow) as the voice of Victor, a young man who is about to be wed when he is whisked away to the underworld and married to the mysterious Corpse Bride, voiced by Helena Bonham-Carter (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit). Frightened of her at first, Victor warms up to his departed spouse and finds himself torn between two worlds. Emily Watson (Equilibrium, Punch Drunk Love) provides the voice of Victoria, Victor’s fiancée who pines away for him in the land of the living.
Corpse Bride is drawing comparisons to Burton’s 1993 stop-motion holiday classic, The Nightmare Before Christmas, directed by Henry Selick. However, it’s difficult to fairly compare the two since Nightmare was more ambitious in its scope and more grandiose in its presentation. Jack Skellington’s theatrical entrance is still one of the best in film history, though the "unveiling" of the Corpse Bride character is a goosebump-inducing achievement as well. Less Broadway than Nightmare, Corpse Bride plays more like an Edgar Allan Poe yarn brought to the screen with musical numbers and a healthy dose of whimsical humor. The sets are beautifully constructed but provide more intimate settings than the wondrous world of Holloween Town created for Nightmare.
If I have one gripe about the film, it’s that I would like to have seen more development in Victor’s relationships with both Victoria and the Corpse Bride. There are some nice moments between the characters, but I felt a little more was needed to really motivate Victor’s actions. But the movie is called Corpse Bride and the title character truly carries the film on her bony shoulders. I really felt for her and couldn’t help but fall in love with her, despite her skeletal extremities, the exposed ribs and the maggot that dwells in her eye socket.
Corpse Bride is a feast for the eyes and ears. Cinematographer Pete Kozachick’s rich digital photography combines with Danny Elfman’s moving score and rousing songs to create a first-class entertainment experience that plays as well to adults as it does children. Younger kids may even be frightened by some scenes, hence the PG rating.
Above all, Corpse Bride is a stunning achievement in animation. My hat is off to the skilled artists who put their blood, sweat and tears into this production. It’s great to see that the art of stop-motion animation is not only alive and well, but looking better than ever.
Go behind the scenes with director Mike Johnson and animation supervisor Anthony Scott in the September issue of Animation Magazine.
Credited animators:
Phil Dale
Brian Demoskoff
Drew Lightfoot
Charlotte Worsaae
Pete Dodd
Jo Chalkley
Mark Waring
Anthony Farquhar-Smith
Malcolm Lamont
Chris Stenner
Brad Schiff
Tim Watts
Jason Stalman
Brian Hansen
Matt Palmer
Chris Tichborne
Tim Allen
Tobias Fouracre
Trey Thomas
Jens Johnathan Gulliksen
Antony Elworthy
Mike Cottee
Stefano Cassini
Chris Tootell
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