The Observer, September 23, 2005
Volume XXXVIII, Issue 4
Creepily cool Corpse Bride opens nationwide today
Who would have ever thought that a charming and swoon-worthy gentleman like Johnny Depp would wind up with a corpse for his bride? This isn't exactly Tim Burton's intention, but if you can picture such a fantastic scenario, then you might have the creative capacity necessary to appreciate his imaginative and fantastically surreal Claymation film, Corpse Bride. Oh the wonders of clay: who ever thought that vivid characters could be squeezed out from a smelly piece of mud? Tim Burton captivates his audience with his uncanny ability to energize and create true-to-life personality in an otherwise abstract, lifeless world of clay.
Set in nineteenth century Europe, Corpse Bride opens as a nouveau riche couple plans to commit their son, Victor (voiced by Johnny Depp), to marriage with the elegant Miss Victoria (Emily Watson), heir to parents of dwindling "old wealth." Victor, a naïve and quiet soul, bolts from his own wedding rehearsal and through the forest late at night while rehearsing his wedding vows, and unintentionally places his future bride's wedding ring on the finger of a corpse protruding from a snowbank, thus mistakenly wedding a dead woman. After being transported/dragged to the land of the dead against his will, Victor learns how his accident has serendipitously reversed a past misfortune of his deceased new wife, Emily (Helena Bonham Carter); who, I might add, is pretty hot, minus the protruding bones and removable eyeball.
Victor's long absence from the living creates a panic in Victoria's marriage-hungry parents, who by this point are ready to unload a despondent Victoria on anyone. Victor soon learns that his living sweetheart, has conceded to her parents' wishes to marry the seemingly noble Lord Barkis. Spoiler warning: read no further if you want to find out for yourself how this necrophilia-fest ends. In a heroic act, Emily relinquishes her ties to Victor (Yay Johnny Depp!!!), allowing Victor and Victoria to celebrate their love and marry and providing Emily, always a bridesmaid but never a bride, with closure and the eternal rest she so well deserves.
Now picture that lovely little story in clay and add a few random bursts into song, and you have Corpse Bride. I'm not sure why Burton chose to animate his story through clay imagery, but he did it well enough to get a positive response from the audience at Strosacker Tuesday night. Burton tenaciously on plays his creative energy on combinations of color, music, and tone to bring life (or death) to each scene. Corpse Bride makes its national big screen debut today. For a short 76 minutes of screen play, it is well worth your time and money.
