Day 13: It’s Alive!
October 13, 2022
Dear Disney,
The 80’s was a wild time. I love Disney in the 80’s. Trying new things. Allowing young creative minds to do weird ideas. For the 13th day of Disney Halloween, I would like to bring back a show that I did not understand as a kid, but that has been the gateway for many a beloved project since, the 1984 short film, “Frankenweenie".”
“Frankenweenie” is the story of a boy and the love he has for his dog. It’s rather touching in a weird. Tim Burton-esque sort of way. The film opens with Victor Frankenstein, played by Barret Oliver of The Never-ending Story fame (coincidently also released in 1984, this was a big year for Barret) a boy of 10-12 years old, making a movie together with his dog Sparky, a bull-pit terrier. After finishing the movie, Barret and his dog were in the front of their house playing when Sparky his hit and killed by a car. After learning about electricity and how it could muscle contract, Victor creates an elaborate machine to harness the electric power and re-animate his dog. The plan was a success, and Sparky was returned to life. Obviously, the re-animation of a corpse did not appeal to his neighbors who chased Sparky and Victor into a miniature golf course. Victor and Sparky hide in the golf course windmill. A neighbor, using a lighter to see into the windmill, drops the lighter, setting the windmill ablaze. Victor falls and gets hurt. Sparky rescues Victor and everyone accepts the re-animated dog into the neighborhood. The last scene shows Sparky and a french poodle, whose haircut is reminiscent of The Bride of Frankestein. Sparks shoot out of Sparky’s tale, showing that he is attracted to the poodle, and the sparks spell out “The End.”
I will be honest, this short is weird. Very weird. The Disney Company thought so as well as after the completion of this film, Disney fired Tim Burton as an animator. Probably for the best, without this film, basically cementing Tim Burton’s style into the zeitgeist, we would not have The Nightmare Before Christmas. I think Burton needed Disney to hone his skills as a movie maker. Burton also needed Disney to cut him loose.
I still don’t really like this short, for personal reasons. The shots are fine. The allusions are fine. The acting by Barret is great. Susan Duvall’s portrayal of Victor’s mom is great and accepting. It’s a fine short, I just do not have the nostalgia needed to make this interesting to me. I saw this the first time on one of the Disney Channel’s free weekends that they would have in the early 90’s and I just wasn’t old enough to get it or care. Now, I do get it. I do care, but there are better representations of this, such as the 2012 stop-motion re-make of this short into a feature length film by the same name "Frankenweenie.”
Speaking of which, I believe I will be watching next.
Sincerely,
Jim Dear
