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[San Diego Comic-Con '12] ‘Frankenweenie’ Convention Trailer Gives “Homage” To Classic Horror!

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Posted by MrDisgusting on July 12, 2012 @ 6:00pm
Category: Movies / Trailers

Walt Disney Pictures is going Frankenweenie crazy at the San Diego Comic-Con having just released even more awesomeness. In Tim Burton’s latest animated feature in a young Victor conducts a science experiment to bring his beloved dog Sparky back to life, only to face unintended, sometimes monstrous, consequences. Fitting in with today’s poster premiere, the new convention trailer gives “homage” to some classic horror tropes. Watch it below! Why step through 100,000 people when we bring you the Comic-Con straight to your home?

The voice cast includes four actors who worked with Burton on previous films: Winona Ryder (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands), Catherine O’Hara (Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas), Martin Short (Mars Attacks!) and Martin Landau (Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow), while Charlie Tahan and Atticus Shaffer were later added. Over 200 puppets and sets were created for the film, and that several of the character names—Victor, Elsa Van Helsing, Edgar “E” Gore and Mr. Burgermeister— were inspired by classic horror films.

“A heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous.”

A stop-motion animated film, Frankenweenie was filmed in black and white and rendered in 3D, which will elevate the classic style to a whole new experience.

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[San Diego Comic-Con '12] The Art Of ‘Frankenweenie’ Exhibition

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Posted by EvanDickson on July 12, 2012 @ 2:13am
Category: Movies / Images

Earlier this evening at the San Diego Comic-Con I attended “The Art Of Frankenweenie Exhibition”. Hosted by Disney, this was an in-depth look at the materials that acclaimed director Tim Burton used for his latest stop-motion animated feature film. The exhibition premiered in Barcelona before making its U.S. debut today. When the tour is complete it will have visited seven countries including Spain, France, England, Japan, Mexico, Canada and the U.S.A.

Producer Allison Abbate was onhand at the gallery and guided me through the pieces. We’re not just talking sketches (which were of course present), but actual sets used in the stop-motion rendering for the film. And whether or not you’re growing tired of Burton’s signature themes, there’s no denying his talent as a visual artist. Seeing his work rendered in three dimensional, intricately detailed miniatures (amongst backgrounds that provide them with depth) is pretty captivating.

Abbate explained to me that principal photography – which is always lengthy on these types of films – took about two and a half years. She also spoke about how personal the project is for Burton. Not only is it based on his very first short, but it deals with the grief he felt when losing his first pet. The classroom scene in particular (as seen below) contains a number of references to Burton’s influences with some of he children representing the “Frankenstein” and “Igor” iconography quite accurately. And every director has his signature. Concerning the kitchen scene depicted she remarked, “and of course this is the Tim Burton take on domesticity that we all know so well.”

Frankenweenie was filmed in black and white and rendered in 3D. The talented voice cast includes Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron, Conchata Ferrell and Winona Ryder. Directed by Burton from a screenplay by John August, the film hits U.S. theaters on October 5th, 2012.

Head inside for an in depth look at the exhibition. READ MORE