It was nearly three decades ago that a young filmmaker wrote, directed and produced a darkly comical short film take on Mary Shelley’s legendary monster. Starring a bull terrier named Sparky, brought back from the dead by a suburban boy named Victor Frankenstein, the 30 minute short was so unusual that it didn’t see an official release for years. Today, that filmmaker is a household name and his gothic charm a quintessential element of more than a dozen full-length features. That’s why Tim Burton fans should be very pleased to know that in 2012, Frankenweenie is getting reanimated in more ways than one.
Set for release on October 5, 2012, the Frankenweenie feature expands on the short and makes use of black and white stop-motion 3D photography, similar to Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride and his 1982 short, “Vincent.”
Earlier this year, ComingSoon.net’s ShockTillYouDrop.com had the privilege to visit the film’s elaborate production stages at the London-based 3 Mills Studios and, in the months to come, they’ll be taking you behind the scenes for conversations with the men and women responsible for bringing Sparky (back) to life, including Burton himself. Click here or on the image below for the first update in which they share a bit about the expanded storyline and exactly what goes into tackling stop-motion puppetry on such a massive scale.
