Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

Directed by: Tim Burton and Mike Johnson.

Starring the voices of: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Paul Whitehouse, Joanna Lumley, Deep Roy.

What a glorious day for a wedding… well it will be if it all goes to plan.

The Everglot family are on the verge of bankruptcy and so have planned for their daughter, Victoria (Emily Watson), to marry the son of the Van Dort family, Victor, to right the financial struggle. The couple to be wed only meet at the wedding rehearsal – a day before the wedding.

At the rehearsal Victor (Johnny Depp) can’t remember his vows and so is cast out to learn them before the wedding. He finds himself in the woods late at night reciting his vows. He finally gets them correct and places the ring on what seems to be an eerie hand shaped twig and from the hallowed ground rises the Corpse Bride, Emily (Voiced by Helena Bonham Carter).

The pair of them are whisked away to the underworld where Emily now resides. Victor, desperate to get back to his wife to be, tries to trick his corpse bride into going back up to the surface. It works but Emily twigs onto his plan and takes victor back to the land of the dead.

Another wedding is planned as Victor had disappeared, to Lord Barkis Bittern. He fears he is too late to marry Victoria and so announces that he will make the marriage to Emily official and ‘on the surface’ and so the dead are reunited with their living partners… Granddads with their grandchildren and widows with their husbands. Victoria discovers that Lord Barkis married her for their money and is furious to discover they have none. The wedding between Emily and Victor doesn’t happen and Victoria is reunited with her husband to be. Lord Barkis is ‘disposed of and – as cliché as it may seem… the newlyweds live happily ever after.

This film is an excellent example of Stop-Motion animation something that Tim Burton has explored before with The Nightmare Before Christmas. A dark and quirky atmosphere is to be expected in this story as it explores the interaction between light and dark.

I particulary enjoyed the little jokes planted in the story. With characters such as the ‘Head’ Waiter and Bonejangles to keep ypu giggling I’d give this film 10/10.

mojoses 28/10/2007