Tim Burton probably spent his childhood days doodling Gothic images in schoolbooks and watching old horror movies. For Burton, films which most celebrate suburban misfits (“Edward Scissorhands”) and horror legends (“Ed Wood”) feel like his most personal ones. They’re also his best.
It’s no surprise, then, that “Frankenweenie” — centered on a lonely teenage filmmaker named Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) — marks the most memorable Burton release in years. Childishly irreverent to expectations as it is obsessed with horror classics, the film plays like a ‘70s teenager’s directorial effort caught in a time warp.
The film follows Victor as he successfully brings his deceased dog Sparky back to life. He tries to keep the revival under wraps, but his peers soon discover his secret and duplicate his experiment. Only their efforts result in oversized mutant pets intent on destroying the town.
Sounds stupid, right? But the fact is, Burton has a knack for honoring B-movie amateurism in a very professional way (see: “Mars Attacks!”). His latest work can rollick into unexpected and unjustified plot directions, but you always feel in good hands.
To wit, Victor’s secret only gets out when a hunchbacked teen named Edgar (Atticus Shaffer) happens to stumble upon Sparky near a dumpster. Yet Edgar’s overtly Igor-like persona warrants an introduction just as contrived.
More so than in his recent big-budget films, Burton toes the fine line of PG-appropriateness. And for the first time in a while, his visuals seem inspired — pale puppets with hollow eyes inhabit peachy suburban landscapes, all on black-and-white film, for old time’s sake.
And so, as silly as it sometimes gets, “Frankenweenie” never ceases to charm as something straight from Burton’s black heart.
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