Reisz Frankenweenie

Victor Frankenstein & Sparky

Frankenweenie illustrates the touching story of Victor Frankenstein’s love for his dog, Sparky, in an old-time horror film adaptation for children. Victor is an outcast within his community. The only people who he understands are Sparky and his science teacher, Mr. Rzykruski. His science teacher explains how electrical energy can be harnessed after Sparky is hit with a car. This lecture gives Victor the idea to bring his only friend back to life. However, crossing the line between life and death has greater consequences as the other children in town discover Victor’s secret. Several other pets are brought back to life but not in the same light or same good will as Sparky. The town and children try to decipher the age-old question of what is right and what is wrong in this cross between children’s film and animated old horror film.

Based on Burton’s short film in 1984, this version brings back several of elements that Disney had previously rejected. Burton refused to produce the film in anything other that black & white. With a history of paying homage to other artists and original films, he chooses to keep the film in its old time horror-film black & white color scale. Events take place in a similar manner and with similar camera choices. However, the major difference is that Burton chooses to tell the story all through stop-animation in this recent version.

Stop-animation allows viewers to be less critical about the film’s plausibility. Films cast with real life people are subject to criticism on accuracy and focus on which stars feature in the film. Stop-animation invites the audience to look more into the messages behind the film. Burton and other crewmembers are also given more creative freedom with the use of stop-animation. Each caricature appears bigger than life or has one feature especially featured. Burton uses this to provide insight into characters, create another world for the audience, and make the world more inviting for the children audience. The stop-animation also holds a special place for Burton since it was his earliest professional artwork.

After 28 years of film experience since his first Frankenweenie rendition, Burton makes the recent film more his own and furthers it thematically. The 1984 film reflected the stereotypical 60s family with a white picket fence and 2.5 children. When a car in the original hits Sparky, viewers see the entire family on the front porch in that typical American Dream picture. This incident is a shock to Victor about the eminent reality of death. Americans often ignore the fact that life is short because they are striving so much for the future throughout their lives. This same idea was explored in Burton’s film Beetlejuice. In the 2012 Frankenweenie, Burton focuses less on this stereotypical picture and focuses more on Victor Frankenstein as an outcast from society. This outcast theme is represented in all of Burton’s films since his first short of Frankenweenie. When Sparky is hit with a car in the recent film, it was as a result of Victor playing baseball. Victor’s father and his desire for Victor to be “normal” is the reason that Victor is even at the baseball game that Sparky dies at. These differences from the original short versus the full stop-animation production create larger messages for the audience and present an overall different children’s film. 

The question of crossing the line between life and death is raised. Also, the responsibility of man with science is a prominent issue with the children raising the dead for the wrong reasons. While this idea of misuse of power and the greater issue of death run throughout the film, Burton presents the issue in such a different way that still attracts a younger audience. No matter what your age I would suggest watching Tim Burton’s recent Frankenweenie and perhaps even the original short if you’re feelin’ ambitious. While not his best production, the small differences certainly can reflect his progression through film over the years and is a Burton-esque film.

Reisz Sweeney Todd

Sweeney Todd & Mrs. Lovett

The emotion behind Sweeney Todd and his overall motivation leads viewers to sympathize with him, despite the cannibalism throughout the film. Burton overcomes the cannibalism by relating to Sweeney as an outsider and makes that relatable to the audience as well. Sweeney Todd has his wife unjustly taken from him then is banished from London to Tasmania. This banishment strips Todd of what the rest of society has rights to and turns him into an outsider. The horrors and grief that Todd goes through gives him a motivation that audiences can sympathize with despite the cannibalism. Since society striped him of his rights, he devours them and takes away their rights to life. The mixture gothic fantasy and musicals also eases viewers into the fact that citizens are actually eating their fellow Londoners. Mrs. Lovett first introduces the idea while rolling dough and clattering in the kitchen in an upbeat musical way.

However, Burton also conveys man’s natural fears and cannibalism in relation to the urban growth in London. With the growth of urbanization, the world becomes more cut throat, especially with businesses. Mrs. Lovett cleverly comes up with an idea that helps Sweeney Todd, who she secretly desires, and save her business. She takes the idea of cannibalism in a metaphoric and literal sense as she devours other businesses by using “free meat” and shares literal cannibalism to every citizen through her pies. The fact that citizens enjoy her pies so much alludes to the fact that man enjoys devouring one another as part of our natural instinct. Although this cannibalistic nature is very primitive, it actually increases with man’s rapid industrialization. Despite whatever corruption or social reforms are presented, the bestial notion of cannibalism remains throughout the film. In the courts Judge Turpin devours those who are weaker than him because he has the power to do so. Mrs. Lovett devours other businesses through literal cannibalism and devours her competition, Sweeney Todd’s wife, by telling misleading stories to get what she wants. The constant presentation of cannibalism alludes to the idea that humans cannot hide from our natural fears or primitive natures. If we apply this idea to all “civilized” growth in society, we may reveal a darker nature that is as natural as ever to us today.

Reisz Big Fish

Edward Bloom

            I particularly enjoyed the juxtaposition between the sunny Edward Bloom and the somewhat darker character inhabiting Big Fish. The commonalities that the characters Edward Bloom ran into was that they were all rather misunderstood. Most people run away in disgust or ignorant fear; however, Bloom is not afraid (after all he knows how he is going to die) and takes the time to get to know the darker creatures. For example, the young boys run from the scary looking witch but Bloom stays and talks to her. Another example would be the giant who seems frightening at first but is simply a kind and misunderstood creature. Edward Bloom is such a sunny character because of his wide-eyed optimism towards life and people. He says during the werewolf scene that, “most things that you consider evil or wicked are simply lonely” (1:06:45). This understanding for outcasts and those who are misunderstood merges any creature with Bloom despite any personality differences. Edward himself likes them because they are so much greater than life, like him. He also has a compassionate heart that enjoys helping those in need. Bloom displays this by helping the giant find a home and saving Spectre free of charge.

However, a good heart is not enough to link together Bloom with such dark creatures. Another important factor is Edward Bloom’s grander-than-life personality. One would expect no ordinary creature in his fantasies. This personality matches directly with Burton’s real-life father who Burton has said was, “a real fairy-tale character.” Although Bloom is an average man, he was a great fairy-tale character through his fantasies and in his mind’s eye. I think that Burton took on Big Fish as a sort of homage to his father. Burton always loves tying in his personal life and emotions into his work, which I think can clearly be seen by the final mutual understanding between father and son. Perhaps Burton wished that he had the opportunity to reach this mutual understanding with his own father before he passed. Burton’s love for his father combined with his admiration for the strange and unusual, like Edward Bloom’s fantasies, can be seen through his work in the heart-wrenching film Big Fish.

Tim Burton Quote on Big Fish

Reisz Sleepy Hollow

Katrina Van Tassel in Burton's Sleepy Hollow

            Women are a central figure for Ichabod Crane both in Washington Irving’s short story and in Tim Burton’s film adaptation. In Irving’s version, women are viewed more as the seed of the devil who tease and deceive the hardworking men. Ichabod leaves Katrina Van Tassel’s home feeling alone and tricked after being rejected. The narrator suggests that she had been leading him on the entire time and curses women. His interactions with Katrina Van Tassel play a vital role in Ichabod Crane’s overall goals and his fate in the story. Burton also uses women as an important factor in Ichabod Crane’s development. However, he fabricates an entirely different view of women through Crane’s backstory revealing the loss of his mother. Burton stamps his signature theme of abandonment and feeling like an outsider with this decision. This makes the emotional ties and relatable connections to Burton stronger, which ultimately shows through his work. In the film, Katrina Van Tassel is seen as a wicked temptress as Crane believes that she is behind the murders and has been casting evil spells on him. The film Ichabod Crane is following the same mindset as the characters in Irving’s story when he believes Katrina is an evil woman. This idea soon becomes ridiculous as she has been casting protection spells for loved ones and is found innocent of any such crimes. This strays heavily from Irving’s original story that condemned women as nothing more than gossiping housewives and cruel temptresses.

Although Burton leaves a woman as the killer, he reveals the caring side of Katrina and the carefree loving side of Crane’s mother as well. Burton depicts the various sides of women and makes them more humane than Irving’s depiction. I think that this decision especially pushed Burton’s film past a mere horror story. Women pull Ichabod Crane’s inner fear and conflicts through the horrific Headless Horseman hauntings. These innermost fears of Ichabod Crane are more detrimental and frightening to him than perhaps the horseman. Woman’s’ role in the story therefore becomes incredibly important and enhances the film’s play off of Irving’s original story into something with more emotional weight and meaning. 

Reisz Planet of the Apes

Zathes & Army before Final Battle

I really found the dualities of civil liberties versus slavery and science versus primitivism in Planet of the Apes linked closely together. While the film naturally revolves around the idea of civil liberties and slavery in the city of apes, the idea of science appears to need to become more of a privilege. The entire film depicts a power struggle between the apes holding control and the humans fighting for some power.  However, Zaius warns his son Thades of humans’ true destructive power. The only difference between how the apes are treating the humans and how humans usually treat apes is the lack of technology. The apes military formation and tactics reminded me of ancient Roman flanks. The apes focused on using their physical strength to dominate over the humans. They used this power to enslave and strip humans of their civil liberties. However, with Zaius’ warning about humans abuse of technology against other creatures and against themselves, the apes abuse seems less drastic.

While the apes certainly appear more primitive without technology, they still abuse power. Humans, however, abuse power with weapons of mass destruction and have a history of enslavement. I think that the combined duality issues of civil rights versus slavery and primitivism versus technology raises the question of, should technology be a privilege until people learn not to abuse its power to strip others of their civil rights. With the rise of technology before World War I, people began using it against civilians to establish power and make a statement. However, technology has proven to be just as destructive and enslaving as it has been beneficial to the world. Primitivism suggests the core of humanity though, which is what civil rights are all about – everyone having the same basic rights to life. Technology and enslavement then appear to be connected by the audience as well. While primitivism in the apes is not seen as a positive thing, the destructive nature of advancement is certainly not better when used as a power mechanism against others’ civil rights. By contrasting these dualities against one another, viewers can really evaluate and compare the two extremes and link their relevance to one another together.