# Tim Burton's "The Corpse Bride" (no spoilers in OP) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 26, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420 "2005-09-26T02:00:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/1 "2005-09-26T02:00:53Z")
Since no one else seems to have started a thread on this movie, I thought I might open one up for discussion. First, let’s get the inevitable comparison out of the way: No, it’s not as good as “Nightmare Before Christmas”. Not even in the same league. That was a genuine classic, but this is only an evening’s entertainment. So the good: Tim Burton’s visuals and Danny Elfman’s score. You know that they both excel in those areas at least. Some of the visual symbolism is a bit heavy-handed, but it’s forgiveable. And the songs are fantastic as you would expect. The bad: The script is standard Hollywood dreck, right down to the “surprise” villain. The dialog is a bit corny at times, and the jokes often feel forced. In the end, it may or may not be worth seeing in the theater, but it’s definitely worth watching at some point. Don’t expect anything too great and you won’t be disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/2 "2005-09-26T02:19:11Z")
I thought the songs and the score were awful. The only good thing about the songs were that they were utterly forgettable. The score was just a rip off the Nightmare score. The puppet design and sets were cool. I imagine that there will be a lot of corpse brides at Halloween and the Uber Geeks will use the wedding vows but I was really disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/3 "2005-09-26T02:27:27Z")
I took my nephew to go see this at a sneak preview two weeks ago. I’m glad I saw it for free. Helena Bonham Carter’s usual character quirks didn’t come through for me. I think I might have enjoyed it more if the corpse bride looked like her. The one big skeleton song and dance production was about the only thing good musically. The plot twists aren’t anything the average twelve year old wouldn’t see coming a mile away. But my nephew (8) enjoyed it a lot, so I suppose it was pretty good in that regard. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/4 "2005-09-26T02:41:05Z")
Funny, I thought it was better than Nightmare. ---
**Author:** ![MilTan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@MilTan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MilTan)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/5 "2005-09-26T02:56:31Z")
It’s been a while since I’ve seen _Nightmare_, but I think I enjoyed _Corpse Bride_ more, too… ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/6 "2005-09-26T03:27:54Z")
Mmm, another vote for _Nightmare._ The skeleton musical sequence in _Bride_ was great though, bordering on 3-D. I agree that the script was weak and a bit short, it all just seemed to whiz by. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/7 "2005-09-26T03:40:42Z")
As I always do, I stayed through the end credits, hoping for a surprise. No such luck, but I saw the words “In memory of Rolf (Last name I can not remember)”, only it had a real name. Anyone remeber the name, or knows what who he was? ---
**Author:** ![Baine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Baine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baine)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/8 "2005-09-26T05:16:26Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > As I always do, I stayed through the end credits, hoping for a surprise. No such luck, but I saw the words “In memory of Rolf (Last name I can not remember)”, only it had a real name. > > Anyone remeber the name, or knows what who he was? If I remember correctly it was Joe Ranft, who was a producer of this film and has been involved in several other animated films. He died last month in a car accident. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/9 "2005-09-26T06:59:54Z")
Just got back from it. I thought it looked beautiful. Actually better than Nightmare… The songs were pointless and Elfman is tiresome (his scores are all basically self-parody now) The story was quaint and thoroughly watchable. I really wanted to be surprised and find out Lord Bacus was actually once a good guy and NOT responsible for the Corpse Brides death but became a villain after she died. The only good surprise was the when the dead came to the surface and reunited with loved ones. I didn’t expect that. ---
**Author:** ![Millit\_the\_Frail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Millit\_the\_Frail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millit_the_Frail)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/10 "2005-09-26T11:14:37Z")
> [@MilTan](#): > > It’s been a while since I’ve seen _Nightmare_, but I think I enjoyed _Corpse Bride_ more, too… Echoed. It was a good bit of entertainment. Corpse brides at Halloween = awesome. I’m putting that on my short list of possibilities, especially since I was married just recently and my friends would get a kick out of it. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/11 "2005-09-26T13:37:06Z")
I just saw it yesterday. For my money, **Corpse Bride** is better – simpler story, more fluid storytelling. I was never a really big fan of Nightmare, myself. The animation was incredibly fluid, and, even though I’ve seen shots of the models and things, I can’t help but think that there was CGI help in this. Compare how jerky most dimensional animation looks compared this this (including the upcoming Wallace and Grommit film, or Nightmare). There’s a credit at the end for “Gomo”, which I assum must be the descendent of early 1980s “Go Motion”, where computers were used to blue dimensional animation to remove “strobing”, but I think it was used pretty heavily here. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/12 "2005-09-26T13:39:31Z")
I did like the brand of piano they play at Victoria’s house. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/13 "2005-09-26T13:41:33Z")
The [IMDB trivia page](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121164/trivia) says that Apple Final Cut Pro was used for the editing, so yeah, there was some help in the animation. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/14 "2005-09-26T15:07:22Z")
> [@](#): > > I did like the brand of piano they play at Victoria’s house. A fitting tribute. And the Town Crier was very George Pal inspired. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/15 "2005-09-27T16:21:43Z")
[spoiler]“Grampa!” \<- Best part of the entire movie. We went to see the movie and 80% of the theatre was filled with poser punk high school kids. When the “Frankly, dear, I don’t give a damn!” line came up, basically my friends and I were the only ones laughing. Quite a shame - everyone should get that line! [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/16 "2005-09-28T06:37:11Z")
Positive - Great music - Amazing visuals Negative - Very weak story - Not one memorable character. No Jack Skelington, Mayor, Mad Scientist, Lock/Stock/Barrel, Oogie, Boogie, nothing. The parents were about the closest to memorable \* For a love story, it was kinda weird. Victor: I love you! No, I love you! Oh wait, I really love you! Corpse Bride: I love you! No wait, I’ll disappear and let everyone live happily ever after. For those of us that didn’t get it, what was the make of piano and the meaning? ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2005, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/17 "2005-09-28T06:57:17Z")
> [@Bill H.](#): > > For those of us that didn’t get it, what was the make of piano and the meaning? The Piano bears the brand name of “Harry Hausens.” a tribute to the great stop-motion animator [Ray Harryhausen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Harryhausen) ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2005, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/18 "2005-10-08T22:54:47Z")
I just saw it today and was pleasantly surprised. I liked the musical numbers in this one, though I didn’t care much for the ones in **Chocolate Factory** ; loved the contrasts between the worlds of the living and the dead; thought the animation techniques were superb; enjoyed the voice actors. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2005, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/19 "2005-10-09T01:03:09Z")
> [@ultrafilter](#): > > The bad: The script is standard Hollywood dreck, right down to the “surprise” villain. I’m pretty sure you weren’t supposed to be surprised. I liked the story a lot, but I was disappointed by the style - the humor never really fit, and wasn’t funny (although they made a couple of twists on saying with “death” in them that were pretty clever). There were points that I felt like Tim Burton was trying to remind me it was a Tim Burton movie. They also didn’t seem to know what to do with the ending - although it was cool that, for once, there was a love triangle in a movie where you could like all three characters. They did rush that - the movie was only an hour and fifteen, how could it not be? The last couple of shots were quite nice, though. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420/20 "2005-10-09T01:58:48Z")
All visuals, no script. A great disappointment. About the ending:If the Bride dissolves because her death is now fulfilled, or complete, or whatever, then what are we to make of all the other dead? Are they also waiting for some completion to their stories? Or was this just Beauty and the Beast with skeletons? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tim-burtons-the-corpse-bride-no-spoilers-in-op/323420.md?page=2)