Frankenstein Jr.

     Most of the topics I planned to write about have already been presented on this blog, so I figured I would write about my introduction to the Frankenstein story .When I was a kid, my mother worked at my school as the head of our daycare. She was usually in control of what we watched during movie time. My mom seemed to like the more off-beat childrens movies. We watched weird movies from the 80s, that probably creeped out some of my peers. But I loved my mom and I owe to her my love for the Never Ending Story.  Another movie I was introduced to by her is called Frankenweenie.

ARF!

         Frankenweenie is really a parody of the 1931 film version of Frankenstein, which is one of the most famous adaptions of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein. I find it a very funny and oddly sweet movie. It is only half an hour, and you can watch the whole thing on youtube. This movie was produced by Disney and directed by Tim Burton. Disney then fired Tim Burton, finding the movie too scary and a waste of the companies money. Years later,mainly because of a cult following, Disney decided to let Tim Burton remake the movie as a clay animation in the style of Nightmare before christmas. Look for it in theatres next October.

             The story is set in a suburban town, somewhere quiet with palm trees. A young boy named Victor Frankenstein loses his beloved dog Sparky when it is his by a car. He is introduced to the idea of reanimation through electricity and obsessively studies it. He succeeds in reviving his dead dog. Though Sparky is scarred and ugly, Victor loves him, unlike in the actual novel. His whole family embraces Sparky, but the neighbors are frightened by him. Victor and his father discuss the neighbors feeling scared and threatened by the Frankenweenie. His father tells Victor that they just don't understand, and perhaps they should meet him. This effort results in an angry mob.

            This short film is a movie for children, and so much of the topic matter touched in Mary Shelleys Frankenstein is left out.  But I think this film is a great introduction to two of the major issues in the original novel. Parents watching this with their kid ( as long as the child is not scared ) can really have some good discussions. Me and my mother did. Was it okay for Victor to bring Sparky back to life? Is it okay for anyone to bring anything back to life? What bad things could happen after bringing something back to life?

         You could also talk about the reaction to Sparky from the neighbors. They immediately hated Sparky because of his looks. They made no attempt to befriend him, they only chased him away. Kids often need to be reminded not to judge others based on their looks.  We as an audience know that Sparky is friendly, just like we knew the creature had good intent. Parents could also ask their child if maybe sometimes it is good to judge things based on looks, however.  Maybe if something looks dangerous it is because it is.

      Overall, I think this  adaption for kids of Frankenstein brings some really good material. Children may delight in the spookiness of the film, as well as form a little bit of moral and ethical opinions. This movie is not for every child out there, nor is it for every parent. If I can get my hands on this when I am an adult, I would like to show this to my children. I watched it for the first time when I was four, and I turned out fine. Right?



   
        Im both nervous and excited for the remake of one of my childhood favourite short films, but im hoping that as a feature length film it can only be improved on.