Corpse Bride
Starring Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson
Written by John August & Pamela Pettler
Directed by Mike Johnson & Tim Burton


Corpse Bride is beautiful. How is that for an oxymoron. Tim Burton has done it again and created another dark and breathtaking fairy tale that can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.

Inspired by a 19th century Russian-Jewish folktale about a man who accidentally marries a corpse, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride tells the story of an arranged marriage between Victor Van Dort and Victoria Everglot, two kids in a Victorian age where families still try to marry-off their kids to better their status and fatten their pockets. Victor (voiced by Johnny Depp) is a timid soul that seems bored with life and its normalities, that is until he meets Victoria (voiced by Emily Watson). At first both Victor and Victoria are cold to the idea of marrying someone they have never met, but once they meet, they instantly feel a connection to one another. It looks like everything just might turn out okay after all, that is until Victor accidentally proposes to a corpse and gets sucked into the depths of the underworld. Now both Victoria and Emily, aka Corpse Bride, want Victor to be their husband. The usually female companionless Victor now has two women after him; not a bad change in his life -- except for the fact that one of the females is already dead.

Corpse Bride is pure eye candy. Using traditional still-frame animation techniques and some of Hollywood’s biggest names for voices -- Corpse Bride is a masterpiece. Tim Burton shows us how far he has come since A Nightmare Before Christmas and reminds us that he is still one of the most talented filmmakers of our time. The film has some Disney-style musical numbers featuring dancing skeletons and some really comedic moments, utilizing the idea that the dead are more “alive” than the living (nicely conveyed with all the living characters appearing rather colorless and the dead in vibrant shades of color).

Corpse Bride is definitely worth checking out, whether you are a fan of animation or not. It has an appealing look, a wonderful cast, and is full of life.


THE RUNDOWN:

The Good: Corpse Bride is fun and lively!

The Bad: Story may be a little dark for a handful of people.

The Law: Definitely propose to Corpse Bride.