Corpse Bride

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One of my favorite films of all time is "Tim Burton´s The Nightmare Before Christmas." It is a film that mesmerizes me each and every time I see the film. The stop motion animation is enchanting, the characters brilliant and the story captivating. I have hoped and prayed for a sequel to Tim Burton´s masterpiece, and aside from a game on my Xbox, "Tim Burton´s Corpse Bride" may be the closest to that sequel that I desperately want. It does not feature Jack Skellington or the antics of Oogie Boogie, but it is another Tim Burton stop motion animation project. The film also features one of my favorite actors, Johnny Depp. Burton, stop motion and Johnny Depp is not the followup to my favorite film, but it is a potent combination and needless to say, I absolutely love the film.

At its roots, "Corpse Bride" is a love story, as was "The Nightmare Before Christmas." This time around, young Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp) finds himself in the middle of an arranged marriage to Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson). Victoria´s family is looking to marry their daughter off into wealth and Victor and Victoria must suit their parent´s wishes in this manner. Victor is very nervous with the situation and is unable to recite the wedding vows. He runs off into the woods in frustration and through a bit of an interesting occurrence, finds himself married to the Corpse Bride (Helena Bonham Carter) and pulled into the dead underworld where she resides. Victor finds himself caring for his arranged bride, but wanting to get away from the bride he found himself married to.

Trickery and deception are not enough to free himself from the marital chains Victor is bound by. After a while, Victor decides to marry his undead bride in the flesh world so that they may be together in life and in death. Plotlines evolve and the villain behind the Corpse Bride emerges and involves the eventual fate of the young, lovely and living Victoria. A triangle of love ensues and the Corpse Bride must come to terms with her love for Victor, but to also do what will make Victor the happiest. Victor was willing to make a tremendous sacrifice to allow her to have her happiness, and the Corpse Bride finds herself having to choose between allowing his sacrifice or to make a sacrifice on her own.

The story behind "Corpse Bride" is subdued when compared to the more epic and grandeur tale of "The Nightmare Before Christmas." However, it is a more focused story. Where the older film had a large number of subplots and twists, "Corpse Bride" focuses on the plights of Victor and Victoria as they are separated from each other. Victor becomes part of the Corpse Bride´s world and must adjust to living among the dead. If you were to describe Victor´s reaction to his new extended family, social shock would be putting it mildly. He must also deal with losing Victoria, whom won his heart in the few moments they were together. Victoria finds herself being pursued by a suspicious suitor. And of course, there is a connection between the suspicious suitor and events regarding the poor Corpse Bride. This simpler, more streamlined film allows for more development of the main characters than was allotted for Jack and Sally in "The Nightmare Before Christmas." There is precious little time where one of the main characters is not on display on the screen.

The stop motion animation is again brilliant. The filmmakers and animators that Tim Burton surrounds himself with for these timeless spectacles are incredibly talented and where stop motion is almost a lost art, Burton keeps it alive with perhaps the best example of the art form ever put on screen. The world and characters are not as whimsical as my beloved "Nightmare Before Christmas," but the technology and art of "Corpse Bride" is simply amazing. The clockwork faces of the film´s important characters allows for incredible facial animation. This is a great improvement over the replaceable heads adorned by Jack Skellington and friends. Henry Selick did a fine job directing the first film. Burton works with director Mike Johnson for this second animated film. One hopes that Burton is not finished with this art form after two wonderful films.

Music is again an important part of the Tim Burton experience. His friend and long time collaborator Danny Elfman has written the songs and lyrics for "Corpse Bride." I loved the barroom number where Victor first is introduced to the underworld. However, after that number, the songs of "Corpse Bride" are more wishy washy than entertaining. I can sing along and enjoy myself with "The Nightmare Before Christmas," but "Corpse Bride" is a film where it is more enjoyable to listen to the songs and witness their beauty. The first film is more akin to a great children´s story in the tone and fun nature of the songs. The "Corpse Bride" and its songs are meant to convey a love story and are more adult in nature. They are very good songs and Danny Elfman is on top of his game, but I truly did enjoy singing along with Elfman´s Jack Skellington vocals in the first stop motion movie.

I would have wanted something more lively and less lovely than "Corpse Bride." It is an absolutely breathtaking animated film and the story is well written. The film will not replace "The Nightmare Before Christmas" on the to of my list. It will not even join that film on my favorite films list. I do love the "Corpse Bride," but the more involved and romantic story is not something I can revisit as frequently as I can the other film. I can watch Jack Skellington everyday. I cannot watch "Corpse Bride" in the same fervor. The more mature nature of this film and less pure entertainment that was delivered by the first movie can cause "Corpse Bride" to become boring with too many screenings. It "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was "Raiders of the Lost Ark," then "Corpse Bride" is "Gone With the Wind." "Gone With the Wind" is a better film, but "Raiders of the Lost Ark" is far more adventurous.

Video:

I anxiously awaited the Blu-Ray release of "The Corpse Bride." In fact, it may have been the most awaited film yet released for either Blu-Ray or HD-DVD. An animated film can look stunning in High Definition and the film looked very good on standard definition. Part of the allure of a Tim Burton stop motion animation film is its highly detailed visuals and three dimensional feel. Stop motion allows for more detail and more intricate characters and sets than cell animation and has a much more authentic look than digital animation. One of the reasons I love the first film is the incredible look of the stop motion piece. Halloween Town and Christmas Town are some of the most amazing scenes in motion picture history. At least in this reviewer´s opinion. "The Corpse Bride" is another visual delight and a picture than can only benefit by increased resolution.

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