Corpse Bride (2005) Dir: Tim Burton & Mike Johnson
- Ridley Coote
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
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I love a good stop motion film, and this classic piece of animation from Tim Burton and Mike Johnson is just that. It's one of my favourites from Burton's iconic filmography, and a brilliant example of his very recognisable atypical gothic style. I had not seen it in a while though, prior this to this viewing, so I was keen on refreshing my memory of it.
I had quite forgotten that it was a musical, though I think that was more because of the time between my last two viewings than it was because of the quality of the music itself. The songs aren't my favourites from the musical genre, but they do have a bounce and a flow to them that is quite catchy. The lyrics are that familiar blend of dark, witty and silly that can be expected of Burton's musical films.
The film is just short of eighty minutes of gothic romance and comedy that is just so wonderful to watch. One thing I adore about it is that it goes to great lengths to make death a little less scary to its younger target audience. The world of the dead literally has more colour and more fun, which is rather comforting, in my opinion.
Johnny Depp gave an interesting performance in the film's leading role. It was, strangely, a performance that somehow felt both extremely like Depp and also not at all like Depp. That's not to say I didn't enjoy his voice acting, on the contrary, I thought he suited the character very well, but it definitely felt a little different to some of his various other performances. But perhaps that is just me over-analysing it.
Helena Bonham Carter has a highly recognisable voice, which she put to good work in the film's other major role. She very much felt the part, and her eternal big screen chemistry with co-star Depp once more proved fruitful, as their voice acting scenes intermingled very smoothly and naturally. They are one of those pairs of actors who just seem made to work with one another.
Emily Watson doesn't actually have too many lines, but she was able to make her character feel so warm and endearing that it didn't really matter. She was thoroughly likable. I kind of wish her character was in the film more, because she was, quite frankly, adorable. In any case, despite her comparative lack of dialogue, she was extremely memorable.
As far as the remainder of the cast goes, I enjoyed the various tones of Tracey Ullman, Albert Finney, Joanna Lumley, and Paul Whitehouse in the main supporting roles, whilst the likes of Richard E. Grant, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, and Jane Horrocks, all give enjoyable voice acting performances in their less substantial ones, particularly the legendary Lee.
Overall, I have always enjoyed this film, but I found particular pleasure in this most recent viewing. It's a marvellous piece of animation, which deserves the loyal online fanbase it has maintained over the last twenty years. I definitely think I'll revisit this one a little more consistently in the future - it was long overdue a revisit.
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