Before Pee-Wee or Batman, Edward Scissorhands or Ed Wood, there was Frankenweenie, the 1984 live-action short that would introduce many to the warped innocence of director Tim Burton. After almost three decades, he’s returning to the story of a young boy who brings his beloved dead pet back to life in a full-length 3D animated feature set to release in October.
For those wondering what the film will look like, a new poster just came out and the design smacks of old school Burton. The titular dog is pictured peering out from behind a tombstone, and his look reminds me of Family Dog, an animated TV series the director worked on in 1993. The style of his other animated features Nightmare Before Christmas or The Corpse Bride can also be found throughout, giving me hope that this original work heralds Burton breaking from his tired track record of taking classic weird movies and regurgitating them into annoying remakes (Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Alice in Wonderland). See below via the official Facebook page:
Written and directed by Burton, the film features the voice talents of Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and Martin Short and a script from John August.
Does the poster make you want to see Frankenweenie more?