Frankenweenie Review

“A dog is man’s best friend,” that was the case for a young boy named Victor. The day his dog, Sparky, ran into traffic and died, was the day that changed Victor’s life. Feeling sad and depressed, Victor came up with the idea to bring his best friend back to life by an experiment he learned in science. Victor succeeded in resurrecting his dog, however he didn’t succeed in keeping it a secret. When Victor’s friends and family discovered that Sparky was alive, chaos began as many other kids tried the same experiment on several deceased animals. Frankenweenie is based on Tim Burton’s original 30 minute short film from 1984, however I read the film was never released because it was too scary for kids.

Rating: 2 out of 5 buckets
Release Date: January 8, 2013
MPAA Rating: PG
Best Age Group: 10+
Sexual Content: None
Violent Content: Excessive and Disturbing
Crude or Profane Language: None
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
Will Kids Like It? No

See the trailer here!

Talking Points:

This is a dark creepy movie, though at times very heartwarming. When Victor’s dog dies, his mom tells him, “When you lose someone you love, you never really lose them. They just move into a very special place in you heart.” A great parent/child discussion.

The idea of bringing a pet back to life is a confusing concept for kids.

This film was in black and white, which made it even more disturbing.

Sexual Content: None

Violent Content: Excessive

• It’s disturbing when Victor resurrects Sparky. The dog is shocked, it reminded me of charging a car battery, though it was a cute dog with bolts screwed in his head.
• Kids found or dug up animals and brought them back to life. These animals became scary, destructive creatures.
• A turtle becomes a monster and crushes cars and smashes buildings.
• A rat becomes a large beast that claws people.
• A cat, holding a dead bat in his mouth, is transformed into a creepy flying creature that hisses at people.

Crude or Profane Language: None

Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild

• We see animals drinking from a keg of beer.
  

Will Kids Like It? No

• It wasn’t a suspenseful, scary movie..it was an old time horror film.

It’s Halloween season and your kids may want to see a scary, gory film; however with the subject matter of resurrecting your deceased, beloved pet, might not be the movie for your child. I recommend Hotel Transylvania, especially for younger kids who want to see a good Halloween flick.

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