Corpse Bride
March 2006 Reviewed by: Rad Bennett Format: DVD	(all ratings out of 5): Overall Enjoyment Picture Quality Packaged Extras Sound Quality

Further viewing of Tim Burton’s quirky film makes it more endearing and occasions great respect. It is a gem, a miniature masterpiece worthy to be put alongside any fairytale classic ever written or filmed. Only a cracked-sensibility genius like Burton could have made it. Only he could make skeletons, maggots, detached arms and legs, and the situation of a live dude marrying a dead bride so utterly charming. He has also found a way to create cartoon personifications of real actors using their voices and images to play off their individual quirks.

In a 19th-century village that looks distinctly European, Victor (voiced by Johnny Depp) is about to wed Victoria in an arranged marriage of convenience. Victor’s parents were once nouveau riche and hope to obtain Victoria’s wealth. Victoria’s parents are old-line aristocracy who have gone broke and hope to get some cash out of the arrangement. Neither family knows the impoverished state of the other. Victor and Victoria do fall in love, but at the wedding rehearsal, Victor proves so klutzy (in the endearing Johnny Depp manner) that the rehearsal is called off until he can learn his vows. He goes out in the woods to do this, unfortunately near the grave of a young woman who died because she was forsaken at the altar. When Victor gets the vows right, the corpse bride rises from the earth and says, "I do." Victor is whisked off to the underworld and must find a way to get back to the upper side and straighten things out.

The corpse bride (voiced by Helena Bonham Carter) proves a sympathetic character. Poor dear, she was jilted and just wants a man. She has a broken heart of gold. Victor is appealing, as is Victoria. The parents are buffo caricatures. The characters in the underworld are amiable, affable, and downright goofy at times. In fact, the dead give life to the short film. The real world is dark and unpleasant, painted in muted colors that are close to black and white. The underworld is colorful, bright, and happy. All of the elements of both combine to make this a charming film. In other hands, it could have been morbid.

Burton’s vision is achieved using stop-motion animation. The characters are not CGI but three-dimensional puppets, albeit very sophisticated ones. I have nothing but praise for some of the CGI effects that have been achieved in combination with live action, but 100% CGI still looks flat and lifeless to me. The puppets here, filmed on constructed sets, have the look of real life. Burton obviously believes in this method of animation, going so far as to pay honor to one of its pioneers by putting a "Harryhausen" manufacturer’s plaque on the piano in the scene where Victor and Victoria meet (and there’s another movie in-joke for you, too).

The DVD quality is astonishing. The picture is as sharp as a tack. That Harryhausen nameplate can be easily seen, as can every other tiny detail. The sound is very natural, with good frequency and dynamic range. The surrounds are not always active but when they are used, they add a lot to what is going on up front. The extras consist of a number of featurettes devoted to different aspects of production. One of the most effective gives us a variation of split screen to show the live actors recording their voice parts next to the finished scene. It is amazing how alike they look! There is a music-only track, something I haven’t seen on a DVD in quite a while; and though it is welcome, it is curious that just the instrumental parts are included, and not the vocals for Danny Elfman’s jocular songs.

• Go Back