Review of "Corpse Bride" by

I don't know why this excellent animated film from the demented mind of director Tim Burton seems to have been forgotten during Oscar season. The title is enough to scare you away, but trust me, this is well worth viewing and owning. The story is not too deep but that is true of most animated films. A very nice young man from a wealthy family is about to be married off in an arraigned marriage. He has never met the bride to be which is par for the course in those days. By accident they do happen to meet and it is instant love. As they get to the wedding the groom cannot get out the vows he is supposed to say and the angry family of the bride calls the festivities off. In despair the young man wanders through the cemetery. There he practices saying the words and gets them right. Now he finds that he has married a corpse by saying the words. The sad bride has been left at the altar in life but now she is married and pleased about it. Don’t despair

It all turns out in the end but you are in for a delightful time watching this film. Corpse Bride is not as good as the predecessor, "The Nightmare Before Christmas", but the scenes are very reminiscent of that animated gem, including a fine musical score by composer Danny Elfman - Burton's collaborator in "Nightmare."

This DVD release has a really fine addition of extras to wander through. You get interviews of the cast, the animators, and the director. What is really interesting is the methods they are used by the artists with this stop-motion animation are truly fascinating to learn about.