Frankenweenie (2012 film)

Frankenweenie
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTim Burton
Screenplay byJohn August
Based on
Frankenweenie
by
  • Lenny Ripps (screenplay)
  • Tim Burton (story)
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPeter Sorg
Edited by
Music byDanny Elfman
Production
companies
Distributed byWalt Disney Studios
Motion Pictures
Release dates
Running time
87 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$39 million[3]
Box office$81.5 million[3]

Frankenweenie is a 2012 American gothic 3D stop-motion animated science fiction horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by John August, and starring Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, and Winona Ryder.[4] A co-production between Walt Disney Pictures and Tim Burton Productions, it is a feature-length remake of Disney and Burton's 1984 short film of the same name, and is also both a parody of and homage to the 1931 film Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley's 1818 book Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The film follows a boy named Victor Frankenstein who uses the power of electricity to resurrect his dead Bull Terrier, Sparky, but his peers discover what he has done and reanimate their own deceased pets and other creatures, resulting in mayhem.

Frankenweenie came under development in December 2007, when Burton was asked to direct two 3D films for Disney, including a 2010 live-action adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. However, the development of a full-length stop motion dates as far back as November 2005, when scripts had been written by Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott. Filming for a stop-motion feature film began at 3 Mills Studios in July 2010. The tongue-in-cheek film contains numerous references to and parodies of elements of Frankenstein and past film versions of it, other literary classics, various horror and science-fiction films, and other films which Burton has directed or produced.

Frankenweenie, which was both the first black-and-white feature-length film and the first stop-motion film to be released in IMAX 3D,[5] premiered at Fantastic Fest on September 20, 2012, and was released in the United States on October 5, to generally positive reviews for its visuals and story and moderate box office returns, grossing $81.5 million worldwide against a $39 million budget. It won the Saturn Award for Best Animated Film, and was nominated for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, and an Annie Award for Best Animated Film, losing the first three to Brave, and the last one to Wreck-It Ralph.[6][7][8][9]

  1. ^ "Frankenweenie". American Film Institute. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  2. ^ "FRANKENWEENIE (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. August 15, 2012. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Frankenweenie (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on February 11, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
  4. ^ Wheeler, Jeremy. "Frankenweenie". Allmovie. Archived from the original on September 29, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2012.
  5. ^ Goldberg, Matt (March 6, 2012). "Disney to Release Tim Burton's Frankenweenie in IMAX 3D". Collider. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Oscar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Golden Globes 2013: full list of nominations". guardian.co.uk. London. December 13, 2012. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference BAFTA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Giardina, Carolyn; Zakarin, Jordan (December 3, 2012). "Disney Leads Annie Award Best Picture Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved March 20, 2013.