A boy and his dog

No, NOT the Don Johnson film...

Frankenweenie

     I love ending the season on a light film and this seemed like the best option. This is the 2012 stop motion film from Tim Burton & Disney, not to be confused with the 1984 live action film...also from Tim Burton & Disney. I would like to note that Disney originally fired Tim for 'wasting $1 million' in making the 1984 version.

     Victor Frankenstein is a nerdy young man with a penchant for science and a dog, Sparky. Sparky is a really goood boooy! and also helps Victor make home movies. Victor also has few friends which is why he makes movies with his dog. On the encouragement of his father, he tries something called 'basesballs', whatever that is. This proves fatal for Sparky after running to fetch the ball he just hit out into traffic. Sparky is killed and he becomes a sad nerdy young man with a penchant for science. That might be considered growth.

     After witnessing his science teacher use galvanism on a dead frog, he's inspired to dig up his dead dog and try it out. He's successful and Sparky is back in action. However, in what I assume is a sub-conscience reluctance to play God, he hides his amazing feat...only to be ratted out by the only kid creepier and lonelier than him:

     His name is Edgar, and he blackmails Victor into helping him bring a fish back to life. While also successful, things run afoul when Edgar shows the reanimated ghost fish to competing science project nerds and suddenly EVERYBODY is lighting up dead animals like it was a High Times Magazine festival in Denver (I'm not sure if they actually do that, but you get the idea). Naturally, this has a downside: Because they did it slightly different, they all mutate and wacky high jinks ensue.

Since it's a Tim Burton film, you can guess the animation looks a lot like Nightmare Before Christmas and The Corpse Bride, though this is a much lighter film similar to Monster House. It's worth a watch and really...Sparky is the best.

And that's it!!! 31 in the books and about half of them should never had been made. Grabbers and Murder Party were the sleeper films with Sharkenstein coming in as the absolute worsts of the year. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go read a book or something....