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Corpse Bride, The

The latest offering from director Tim Burton is a scream and a major achievement in the world of stop-motion animation. Burton knows how to bet on a winner, and proves this by using talent he’s used in many previous films. An impoverished aristocratic family must marry off their daughter to the nouveau riche to save face. The children, Victor and Victoria, meet for the first time at their rehearsal. Victor cannot seem to get his vows right, and takes off into the night to clear his head. While practicing in the forest, he finally gets it right, except the part where he accidentally commits himself to a corpse. The rest of the movie is spent trying to find a way out of the marriage, and finding out who murdered Emily (the corpse bride) in the first place. The original music provided by Burton veteran Danny Elfman is beautiful and fun. Even though one of the songs is performed by a maggot and a black widow spider, it’s still a wonderful representation of Elfman’s talents. Another of Burton’s regulars, Johnny Depp, delivers a convincingly humble performance as Victor. Burton’s fiancé (whom he met on his film The Planet of the Apes), Helena Bonham Carter voices Emily. Other Burton regulars- Christopher Lee (Pastor Galswells), Albert Finney (as Finis Everglot), Deep Roy (General Bonesapart) also lend their character to this Oscar-nominated fright-fest. One would think that the constant pairings of Burton with Depp and Elfman would lend to mediocre and stale work. However, it seems like this combination is a formula to continue knocking things out of the park. Corpse Bride is just another in a long line of Burton’s successes. It is enjoyable from start to finish, and is suitable for most ages.

Written by: Tracy Elledge

Reviewers Rating: 8.5
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