I tried to base it all on the real memories of that place.'' "The project opened up things not only about my dog, but the kids at school and how weird they all seemed. "This is the first movie where everything is based on a memory," says Burton. The fictional New Holland is an animated stand-in for Burbank (and the nearby Solvang, famous for its windmills). The project, 18 months in the making because of the painstakingly slow animation process, is his most personal screen story to date. There were easy connections to make in the themes of these films."Īs an adult, Burton first tapped into the Frankenweenie concept with a 1984 short film (starring Shelley Duvall and Daniel Stern), which he says was rejected by Disney as a featurette ("they didn't like it or whatever, it wasn't released").īut as stop-motion animation technology improved, Burton was inspired again to tell the tale in 3-D form. It was an emotional thing through these movies," says Burton. "It wasn't like I really wanted to bring (Pepe) back to life. Multiple viewings of horror movies helped him through that time, especially ones that featured creatures that were brought back to life - like Frankenstein. So much of life is complicated, convoluted. "And the emotions are just very simple and present. "It's traumatic because it's this pure little thing," says Burton. The loss of Pepe when he was 10 hit him hard. Even the therapeutic band on his right wrist is black ("Don't ask me about that, it's just too embarrassing," he insists).īut Burton says he's a true animal fan ("I love all animals. The Corpse Bride director is a vision of dark from head-to-toe, right down to the black sunglasses he wears indoors, and the black collar of his jacket that points toward his shock of mad-scientist hair. Sitting amidst the Italian Renaissance Revival architectural splendor of the Casa Del Mar hotel, Burton does not emote animal lover. "But there was always the specter of that hanging over it." He ended up living many years in spite of that," says Burton. "They said the dog was not going to live very long. There was this strong connection."Īdding to the dog's hold on his young heartstrings, Pepe also suffered from canine distemper for much of his life. "The funny thing about dogs is that they are so simple - you leave, come back 10 seconds later and it's like they haven't seen you in a year," Burton says with a laugh. The untimely demise of the pointy-nosed canine crushes the boy.įor Burton, 54, the beloved childhood pet was his mongrel Pepe, who came into his suburban Burbank, Calif., home when he was 3 years old. In Frankenweenie, this pure love is apparent between the spunky dog Sparky and young, socially-awkward Victor Frankenstein, who would rather make super-8 movies starring his pet than play sports - much to the chagrin of his loving-but-concerned parents. It's the first time you experience those kinds of feelings. "That was the impulse for the whole thing, remembering the dog," says Burton. The black-and-white, stop-motion animated film pays frequent lighthearted tribute to classic horror movies, but the love story between a boy and his dog is the very heart of the movie. The rise of Frankenweenie (opening Friday) marks Burton's deeply personal depiction of a boy who brings his deceased dog back to life. Most kids can relate to the devastating loss of a childhood pet.īut for a young Tim Burton, the death of his beloved dog was the spark behind a tale so powerful that the adult director felt compelled to resurrect it decades later.
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