Frankenweenie Family Movie Review

frankenweenie movie review rating guide for parents and families

MPAA Rating
PG

for thematic elements, scary images and action

Genre
Animation, Comedy

Director
Tim Burton

Starring
Charlie Tahan, Winona Ryder, Martin Landau, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short

Studio
Buena Vista, Walt Disney Pictures

Release Date/In Theaters
10/5/2012

Movie Summary

Another Spooky movie from Tim Burton, Frankenweenie is about a boy creates this own Frankenstein. But in this "tail", the monster is the boy's, Victor's, beloved dog, Sparky. Victor is happy to have Sparky back however a secret always gets out, creating a stir in the town.

Movie Review for Parents

-by Ginger

Just in time for another holiday season, moviegoers will enter another strange and bizarre world direct from the mind of Tim Burton. This parental guide to the movies will give you a glimpse of Tim Burton’s twist on the classic by Mary Shelley. Yes, just in time for Halloween…. it’s Frankenweenie.

Frankenweenie is the creation that stems from the love of a young boy and his dog. When Victor’s beloved dog dies, like every boy who experiences this tragic childhood loss, Victor will do anything to get him back. Victor decides to bring Sparky back to life, only just like the classic by Mary Shelley, things do not go as planned. Victor’s version of the new and improved Sparky is somewhat of a monster.

The concept of the movie and the imagery may be a little too frightening for the youngest members of the family. The Frankenweenie movie was written for children that are of the age where they begin to ask to go to their first haunted house. Age eight and up will enjoy this family movie, but those who are younger may find it too much for them. This movie was designed as a first horror flick.

When Frankenweenie first comes to life the scene is directly like something from Frankenstein. The film technique mimicked the old black and white version of Frankenstein. The new version of Sparky may seem grotesque with stitches and patches everywhere. Parents have to be aware that the character of Victor is not entirely positive. Victor is an outcast and so is his dog. Victor is encouraged by his father to go out and play games. He takes part in a baseball game for his first social outing, after being an introvert all of his life. It is during this first social experience that Sparky gets killed. Victor sinks into a deep depression and becomes despondent, which is the motivator for creating Frankenweenie. Victor does not model healthy reactions to loss. Parents need to be aware of this theme and how the law may affect their children.

The chaos only begins with Sparky’s revival. After the secret gets out that Victor can bring the dead back to life other children began bringing their pets to him to revive. It becomes a twisted version resembling Stephen King’s Pet Cemetery. All of these revived animals create havoc in the town… especially when a T. Rex is brought back to life. The Frankenweenie movie was rated PG for scary elements and themes, but a PG-13 would not be appropriate for the movie because the movie is written for a younger audience, but not too young. Thankfully, they left the rude humor and inappropriate language out of this one. This family movie review thinks that Frankenweenie is good spooky Halloween fun.