Tim Burton’sCorpse Brideset a Warner Bros. record 19 years ago that I desperately hope ends afterBeetlejuice Beetlejuice.Corpse Bridewas a stop-motion musical released in 2005 by Warner Bros. Picturesand follows the story of a Victorian groom called Victor and his unwanted relationship with acorpse bride called Emily. With an 84% Fresh Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes,Corpse Bride’sstar-studded voice castwas highly praised for their performances.Corpse Bridemarks Johnny Depp’s fifth movie collaboration with Tim Burton, and the director’s second stop-motion animated fantasy musical following 1993’sThe Nightmare Before Christmas.
WhileCorpse Brideis spectacular due to its interesting songsand story, its Popcornmeter falls behind 2024’sBeetlejuicesequel, aptly titledBeetlejuice Beetlejuice. With a 36-year gap between the firstBeetlejuicemovie and its sequel, it came as a surprise thatBeetlejuice Beetlejuicedid so well.Beetlejuice Beetlejuicemaintained the same feel as the original movie, including its use of stop-motion and practical effects, causing rave reviews which are only a few percent lower thanBeetlejuice’s 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. Therefore, following its success, I hope thatBeetlejuice Beetlejuicewill help to breakCorpse Bride’s19-year-long Warner Bros. record.
Corpse Bride Is Still Warner Bros' Only Full Feature Stop-Motion Animated Movie
The LEGO Movie Was Not Actually Stop-Motion
Corpse Bridestillholds the record for being Warner Bros.’ only feature length stop-motion movie in the last 19 years.Warner Bros. is one of Hollywood’s top movie distributing companies, yet they have had a disappointing lapse in the stop-motion genrefor nearly two decades. While Warner Bros’The LEGO Moviesappeared to be stop-motion, according toThe LEGO Groupthemselves, they were actually made using “computer-generated animation of real LEGO® elements, achieved in a photoreal stop-motion style.” A full stop-motionThe LEGO Moviewould have taken too long to make – 10 years by LEGO’s calculations – which was simply not viable.
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Therefore,2005’sCorpse Bridemarks the endingof an era as it remains the last stop-motion movie made by Warner Bros. This is extremely disappointing, as a lot of the crew forCorpse Bridereturned for Tim Burton’s 3D stop-motion movie,Frankenweenie,in 2012, which did worse at the box office under Walt Disney Studios, despite being the first black-and-white feature-length movie.Tim Burton has released a lot of successful movies under Warner Bros. but only one has been a full-feature stop-motion movie, which seems a waste consideringCorpse Bride’ssuccess. However,Beetlejuice Beetlejuicemay help to rectify this.
Tim Burton & Warner Bros' Beetlejuice 2 Success Adds Hope For Another Stop-Motion Animated Movie
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Use Of Stop-Motion Is Exciting
Tim Burton’sBeetlejuice Beetlejuicesuccess under Warner Bros. gives me hope for another stop-motion animated movie with the company.Beetlejuicewas originally distributed by Warner Bros. in 1988 and has since become a cult classic. The Tim Burton horror comedy was praised for its use of practical effects and stop-motion blend with real life, and its sequel is no different.Beetlejuice Beetlejuicebroke box office recordsin its opening weekend and continued the use of stop-motion in the franchise, meaningBeetlejuice’ssequel features the first Tim Burton stop-motion sequence by Warner Bros. sinceCorpse Bride’srelease19 years beforehand.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
77% Tomatometer
Furthermore,Beetlejuice Beetlejuiceseemed to beCorpse Bride’s replacement.Corpse Bride’s fans wanted a live-action adaptation, with fancasts circulating about who would play Victor, Victoria, and Emily.There are a lot of similarities betweenCorpse BrideandBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, such as the blue-green sickly hues, the juxtaposing colorful afterlife, and Monica Bellucci’s Delores as a quite literal “corpse bride.” WithBeetlejuice Beetlejuicebreaking records, despite its 36-year gap from the original movie, I have hope that its success may spawn more Tim Burton stop-motion movies with Warner Bros. and hopefully endCorpse Bride’sdisappointing record.
Tim Burton Making Another Stop-Motion Movie Would Be A Great Continuation Of His Comeback
There Has Been A Distinct Lack Of Tim Burton Stop-Motions Recently
Tim Burton making another stop-motion movie would be the perfect continuation to his comeback as it would enable updated stop-motion technology.The last stop-motion movie that Tim Burton was involved in was 2012’sFrankenweenie, in which he made history by shooting it in black-and-white, and before that, he mainstreamed stop-motion withThe Nightmare Before Christmas. WhenTim Burton revived his trademark stop-motion animationinBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, it made myself and many other Tim Burton fans excited to see more of the lesser-used technique, especially with the possibility of updated technology and innovative methods developed sinceFrankenweeniewas released.
Reviving his old school aesthetics and unique filmmaking approach could inspire Tim Burton to make more stop-motion movies.
Reviving his old-school aesthetics and unique filmmaking approach could inspire Tim Burton to make more stop-motion movies, especially as he citedWednesdayfor inspiring aBeetlejuicesequel.Tim Burton’s moviesand productions have often become classics due to their macabre and dark stories, as he tackles these themes in an entertaining way.If Tim Burton were to do another stop-motion with Warner Bros., it would add to his animated portfolio and no doubt spell successfollowingBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, especially as the company has had previous success in that format withCorpse Bride.
Corpse Bride
Cast
Directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton, Corpse Bride is a stop-motion fantasy-horror musical released in 2005. Set in the Victorian Era in England, a groom named Victor accidentally weds Emily, a skeletal woman, while practicing his vows alone in a forest. Whisked away to the Land of the Dead, Victor attempts to help Emily with the circumstances surrounding her fate while trying to escape his new temporary undead home.
