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.