Corpse Bride

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 (11/24/2005)

In my opinion, this is Burton’s most beautiful fairy tale since Edward Scissorhands. The dialogue contains dozens of wonderful allusions and allegories, the sets offer a beautifully conceived contrast between the greyness of the terrestrial world and the colorfulness of the afterlife. The film also has a nice romantic-poetic element and the characters are fascinatingly designed in line with their natures. Corpse Bride is little gem of a film and I definitely won’t hold the formulaicness of its subject matter against it. (11/17/2005)

I fully identify with Marigold's evaluation. From a formal point of view, it is one of the best animated films of the decade. Great visual concept and careful animation. This time it is not about finding new paths, but returning to narrative classics. With regard to its precise form, the overall impression is 90%. (05/07/2007)

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. (05/17/2009)

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. (04/01/2006)