Corpse Bride

The great theme of a wedding ring put on the wrong (dead) finger is perfect for Tim Burton. The visual stylization, which contrasts the mundane reality of cold English society with the exuberantly colorful impact of the world of the dead, is done to perfection. The film as a whole exudes stylish unconventionality, in which the afterlife is actually a party full of amazing musical creations, and in which all the classic "fairy tale" storytelling techniques are made fun of (I want to avoid the term "parodied") via many light-hearted catchphrases and everyone's behavior. On the other hand, the film also gives off a rather heavy-handed impression in many respects. How many times does a skeleton have to drop something before it stops being funny? Where does the film, interspersed with singing numbers, end and where does the musical begin? And most importantly, how good of an idea is it to subordinate all content to form? Before I was halfway through, I had a hunch about where the film was going. I certainly don't want to condemn the qualities of Corpse Bride in any way - on the contrary - it is a very pleasant bit of variety in the animation world. Yet I can’t give it a perfect review because I have to compare it to The Nightmare Before Christmas in terms of animation and runtime. Yet The Nightmare Before Christmas is musically richer, funnier, even more unconventional, and mainly a lot more entertaining. This makes Corpse Bride look a bit dead when the two films are compared. (2006-04-01)

Corpse Bride is an excellent movie, which is imbued from the very first shots with the typical Burton atmosphere and with his strange humor. It has momentum, gorgeous execution, wonderful voice casting, and a great soundtrack from Danny Elfman. But it's unfortunate in that it came after the brilliant Nightmare Before Christmas, and apart from the maturity of the animation, it can't compete with it in any way. Everything that is here at a very high level was one step better in Nightmare (it is especially noticeable in the songs). I also can't shake the impression that this is another in a line of movies based on Burton's tried-and-true (and thankfully still working) recipe for "his" kind of movie. Maybe it’s time for a bit of a change, Tim. ♫ OST score: 4/5 (2005-11-24)

A beautifully portrayed fascination with death, to which Burton himself confesses as one of the great themes of his work. Corpse Bride is a decadent fairy tale that seems to have been born out of the Baudelaire aesthetic of filth, blessed with typical Burton affection and empathy. The result is an artistically extraordinarily mature film, for which a huge piece of work is done by the famous music of Danny Elfman, excellent actors who give the characters their souls and, of course, the fitting legendary story that Burton interpreted in his own way. It may be a little unfair to forget about Mike Johnson, but Corpse Bride is Burton's companion beyond the grave, breathing from every detail, from every precise verbal and visual gag, from the picturesqueness of places, from the typical neighborhood of the world of rationality and irrationality, on the edge of which the hero finds his true self. It's a poetic, riveting, beautiful film. It has no weak spots, unless one accepts the slightly conventional ending. (2005-11-28)

I can't help it, but the first time I liked it more. The second time, it's just a good Burton, but it doesn't have such good music as in the case of "Nightmare Before Christmas," even though it was made by the same person, and in the end, it doesn't have such a strong underlying story. However, his world still works, just like the beautiful contrasts between our world and the realm of the dead. (2015-03-12)

Expecting a would-be "normal and ordinary cartoon" from Tim Burton is almost impossible. But that's what makes Burton's films what they are. A reasonable dose of wit, a magical world, a magical atmosphere, and Burton's usual actors lending their voices to the main characters. I haven't seen something so beautiful and magical in a long time. (2009-05-17)