McCurdy- Frankenweenie

Victor and Sparky in the 2011 Frankenweenie.

        Tim Burton's Frankenweenie tells the tale of a young boy who loves his trusty dog, Sparky, so much that he literally can't bear to live without him. After Sparky is fatally wounded by a car accident, Victor decides to bring him back to life. The 1984 and 2012 versions of Frankenweenie share basic plot elements, but there are major differences between the two. 

       The most obvious difference between the films is Burton's use of animation in the 2012 version. I believe this technique makes it much more Burtonian, since it allows for more creative expression. The characters in the film look strikingly similar to previous drawings we've seen of Burton's. The wide-eyed girl with the cat in Frankenweenie is nearly identical to Burton's illustration of Staring Girl in The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories. Overall, the freedom stop-motion allows give the movie an artistic flair that Burton fans are accustomed to. Since the people aren't actually real, the characters' figures and expressions can be extremely exaggerated. The 1984 version is more relateable because of the live cast, but the 2012 version reaches a higher level of poignancy than the older one for me. This could also be due to another big difference between the two films. The 2012 version is much longer and has a more detailed story line than the prior. Being only about half an hour, the 1984 version did not develop the story as extensively as the stop-motion. The science fair and resentful kids at Victor's school is not included at all in the 1984 version, making Victor's outsider-ness seem less prominent. His feelings of loss and loneliness affected me more deeply when the 2011 movie included emotionally charged scenes.

        The stop motion characteristic of the 2012 version also seems to match the overall story much better. I say this mainly because of the gothical fantasy feel this film has. Live people bringing a dog back to life could obviously not happen in the real world, so it is much more convincing when animated. Additionally, it just makes the film seem spookier and definitely more Burtonian.  There are multiple scenes that are basically identical in both versions, but to me they are better suited in for 2012 film. For example, whenever the dog's neck bolt's would spark, it just looked a little silly. He is brought back to life for the final time in the 1984 version, but the scene lacked seriousness because the sparks emitting from him looked unnatural and a little absurd. The fantastical aspects of Frankenweenie are better executed in the the newer version.

       Both films convey the importance of life and death, but I personally preferred the stop-motion version. I think it better the suited the plotline and brought to life the unique characters in the film. Tim Burton's aesthetic flair really added to the morbid attitude the movie is centered around as well. The concept of death was approached  in an offbeat and entertaining fashion, but the serious undertone is still present. Burton's strength in the art of stop-motion brings this story to life. 

McCurdy- Sweeney Todd

Judge Turpin and Sweeney Todd

       Benjamin Barker becomes a mass murderer as a result of tragic events from his past. He takes on the persona of Sweeney Todd, luring in customers that he plans to kill and bake into pies with the help of Mrs. Lovett. In attempting to avenge his wife's death and daughter's absence, he kills numerous individuals with absolutely no remorse. The good side of Benjamin Barker disappears and he is taken over by the shadow, Sweeney Todd. Strangely enough, although he has become a murderer, the audience still sympathizes with him; they realize that he has begun a new lifestyle because he was permanently hurt after being ripped apart from his family.
       Tim Burton illustrates the story in such a way that cannibalism doesn't seem so wrong. Victims being killed and baked into pies initially sounds macabre, but the audience becomes sympathetic to Sweeney due to his situation. He is trying to cope with the loss of the most important people in his life: his wife and Johanna. People need outlets for inner tensions, and Sweeney finds his in a very brutal form. The film does not hold back from showing the gruesomeness Sweeney Todd used on his victims.
       Sweeney Todd makes sense of cannibalism and does not make it seem like the horrible crime it is. In a way, it shows the lengths people would go to in order to survive. Urbanization was starting in London and Sweeney Todd portrays the unbelievable things people would take part in so they could be successful.Mrs. Lovett came up with the idea of baking people into pies as a result of her twisted morals and failing business.  She realized if she didn't have to pay for the main ingredient (meat), her business would begin to boom. London was growing and she needed to keep up. People would go to great extents such as this so they could have a thriving career and not fall behind as the city urbanized and grew.
       The film has a twisted theme, but Tim Burton and Sweeney make it seem justifiable. Sweeney takes on a new persona that brings his inner desires to the surface, just as many others wish they could do at times. The story may come off as grotesque at first, but the characters convey the importance of what they're doing and earn sympathy from the audience.

McCurdy- Big Fish

Edward Bloom in Big Fish

Edward Bloom meets very interesting characters as he goes through life, but they do not necessarily have the same positive outlook on life as he. He generally has a very sunny disposition throughout Big Fish, and he tries to spread this to others when interacting with them. He is happy and wants everyone else to be. However, many of the people he meets are very different from him. Interestingly enough though, the grotesque characters he encounters are drawn to him, and vice versa. They seem to find joy in being with each other, regardless of their differences. For example, when Edward meets the people of Spectre, they try to force him to stay in their idealistic, cookie-cutter society. He treats them with kindness, even though he realizes their differences. Even when he decides to leave the town, he remains on good terms with them and does not reject them because of contrasting opinions. They feel the same way toward him as well, because they respect his sunny personality and respectful tone.
The giant Edward meets would generally scare people, but he is drawn to him and understands that he is a genuinely sweet person on the inside. The giant and Edward both trust each other, putting their differences aside. The giant believes Edward will stray from him when they are journeying together, but Edward assures him that he won't and gives him his backpack as a symbol of trust. They have mutual respect for each other and accept them for who they are.
Making these connections between contrasting personalities is very important to Tim Burton, seeing as he has been doing it his entire life. Burton went through life meeting various people he was drawn to and created somewhat of a family out of them. He realizes that just because people have differences does not mean they can't get along. In fact, varying personalities can often come together and create a beautiful friendship. This is highlighted in Big Fish, especially when it comes to Edward Bloom's relationships with others. They both accept themselves for who they really are. 

McCurdy- Sleepy Hollow

Johnny Depp in Sleepy Hollow.

       In comparison to Washington Irving's original story, Burton's film adaptation is very different.  The entire narrative is  transformed, and it basically is a new story. However, Burton noted that it was important to him to keep the atmosphere of the story the same as well as the historic character names. Both of those things gave a certain feel to the story that he did not want taken away. Regardless, the plot is completely different and Burton adds many more elements that definitely make it more appealing to Hollywood audiences.

       An important element he creates is Ichabod Crane's parental backstory. The audience learns that his mother died when he was a young child and his father was a stern religious man. Because of this, the audience develops a sense of poignancy toward the character and can relate to his early struggles. It also explains his dependency on science and reason. In Washington Irving's story, his parents were not even mentioned and he did not have trouble straying away from the ideals of scientific thought. The flashbacks in Burton's film help the audience understand why Ichabod has become the man he is.

       Also in Burton's version, Ichabod does not suddenly disappear at the end. Instead, he saves the day by returning the skull to the Headless Horseman. Additionally, he continues falling in love with Katrina, which was not expanded on in the original story. The ending resolution and addition of romance makes the story more likeable to audiences, since  people generally enjoy happy endings and evil being defeated. 

       Another contrast between the two stories is the addition of Ichabod Crane's accomplice, the young boy. Since his parents have died, he asks Crane if he can join in figuring out the mystery of the Headless Horseman. He helps him along the way and adds to the plot.

       Burton's version enhances the story in a way, but really it is completely different so it's hard to compare which one is  "better." He uses the original legend in the story, the character names, and the familiar atmosphere, but the entire narrative has been changed. He does much more with Irving's story, making it very different from the original Sleepy Hollow. 

McCurdy- Planet of the Apes

Planet of the Apes

      Science versus primitivism is addressed in Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes. The land Mark Wahlberg's character comes upon is inhabited with apes, but they are not as technologically advanced as the earth he came from. Though they seem just as intelligent as the humans he is used to, the society has not advanced as much as it could. This science versus primitivism creates a duality of the two species and Burton illustrates this duality throughout his film.
      Mark Wahlberg came to the new land in a spacecraft, but when he finally reaches the wrecked ship again, the apes do not know what to think. They have never seen such a thing before, since they rely on simple horses to transport them around. They are also disturbed when Wahlberg's character pulls out firearms. They are afraid of the deadly weapon and destroy it as to not allow him the upperhand against all of the apes in the territory. The apes are generally very weary of all technology Davidson presents, since they have never seen such things before. They rely on the land and natural resources and have not advanced into such a state of technological advance and industrialism. Their mindsets are also not as open as the humans. In many ways, they are timid. For example, Ari is terrified of water and just the sight of it makes her scream.
    Even more scientific bounds are displayed to the apes when Davidson finds his crewmates' wrecked ship with limited video footage of what had occurred before the plane crash. The apes don't have such technology and were astounded. However, Davidson too was shocked, but for different reasons. The apes told him that the ship had been wrecked for thousands of years, but he remembers the crash as if it were just three days ago.
      Primitivism and science are repeatedly conflicting in this film, but together they create a duality. It is similar to the duality created by the species of both humans and apes existing together in this story.

McCurdy- Mars Attacks!

Aliens from Mars Attacks!

       Mars Attacks! parodies America in general, but especially satirizes sacred institutions, such as the military and government. The government is basically helpless when he aliens invade. This is very comical, but it also illustrates that we should not always be so entrusting of our own government that is said to always be protecting us. Every individual should also be able to take care of themselves. This is also true for the military in the movie. The aliens immediately terminate them without hesitance. Their armaments easily overpower that of the American soldiers. 

      A scene that displays the corruption of government is when Martin Short's character picks up a woman from the street, who turns out to be a martian girl that wreaks havoc in the White House. He picked up the girl for his own personal gain, but she ended up killing the president. Burton is showing that people cannot always trust the officials of sacred institutions. They may just end up failing at their job... or suddenly getting zapped by alien intruders.  

     Also, the military is proved untrustworthy when the aliens first depart from their space shuttle. The entire military is waiting outside in preparation for them. They release a dove as a sign of peace, but the aliens shoot it down immediately.  Then, chaos erupts and the aliens continue to shoot at all of soldiers surrounding them. They even kill the head of the military who represented protection for the people. Just like the government, the military in this movie cannot be held in high regards. Even though they are supposed to protect the people against the alien attacks, they are miserably failing. People have to take care of themselves.

     Interestingly enough, the people who don't rely on these institutions for guidance end up surviving. Two examples of this are Taffy and Richie. Taffy consistently rolls her eyes at her presidential father's decisions and Richie ignores what his trailer-park parents say altogether. They both disregard the chaos people are partaking in and focus on what is good for them. The fact that Tim Burton allows these people to survive shows that he too scoffs at "sacred" institutions. 

McCurdy Ed Wood

Johnny Depp as Ed Wood. 

       It is obvious after viewing Ed Wood that Tim Burton can easily connect with this so called "worst director of all time." They have many things in common and that seems to be why Burton was moved to make this film in the first place. Though Wood was notorious for creating this awful flicks, Burton was drawn moreso to the reasons behind the film making. In Burton's biopic, Ed Wood Finally receives some deserved credit as a director. He pays homage to him in a way, allowing Wood to be redeemed to much of the ignorant public eye.

       One way in which he credits Wood's film making is illustrating Ed's drive to create films that he thought would be great, not out of arrogance or for the money. Time after time in Burton's film, Ed Wood can be seen passionately involved with the his own film process, mouthing script lines as actors are reciting them and enthusiastically exclaiming that the scene was perfect after just one shot. Wood also created a group of actors that appeared in his films who were originally outcasts. Though this individuals may not be the greatest of actors, they stuck together through every film with him and continued on no matter the poor reputation or lack of money. They were bound together by their outsider qualities and Ed Wood believed in them when no one else did. In particular, the public believed Bela Lugosi to be past his prime, but Wood recognized his talent and thought he deserved recognition on screen. Finally, Ed Wood went to great lengths to raise funds for his films, even when times got rough (which was... most of the time). He believed in his movies for what they were and wanted to get them produced and out to audiences. Many directors do not have the patience and drive to raise funds for their films time after time, especially when people remark on how awful they turn out to be. 

       Burton uses scenes from Ed Wood's films in his own to continue paying his homage. The inclusion of these scenes also gives the audience a better feel for what Wood was creating and gives more insight to what emotion and creativity he was trying to display in them. Ed Wood's directing style was misunderstood at the time, but Burton appreciates his honest drive and in many ways redeems him as a director through this film.