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Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

Play trailer Poster for Tim Burton's Corpse Bride PG Released Sep 23, 2005 1h 16m Kids & Family Fantasy Animation Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
84% Tomatometer 196 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Victor (Johnny Depp) and Victoria's (Emily Watson) families have arranged their marriage. Though they like each other, Victor is nervous about the ceremony. While he's in a forest practicing his lines for the wedding, a tree branch becomes a hand that drags him to the land of the dead. It belongs to Emily, who was murdered after eloping with her love and wants to marry Victor. Victor must get back aboveground before Victoria marries the villainous Barkis Bittern (Richard E. Grant).
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Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

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Critics Consensus

As can be expected from a Tim Burton movie, Corpse Bride is whimsically macabre, visually imaginative, and emotionally bittersweet.

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Critics Reviews

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J. R. Jones Chicago Reader This may be light family entertainment, but it’s also a pleasingly perverse celebration of Victorian morbidity. Jun 29, 2022 Full Review Dave Calhoun Time Out As fun as the film occasionally is, it just plays like a compilation of greatest hits. Aug 16, 2007 Full Review Kim Newman Empire Magazine If Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was Burton's big picture for 2005, this is his miniature. Rated: 4/5 Apr 1, 2006 Full Review Petrana Radulovic Polygon It is a romance first and foremost, dressed up with Halloween-y scares, spooky supernatural elements, and Tim Burton's usual Hot Topic aesthetic (I mean this in a very good way). Oct 20, 2021 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy A fine mix of rot and romance. Rated: 3/4 Sep 18, 2021 Full Review Charlotte Harrison Charlotte Sometimes Goes to the Movies The animation is exquisite, the songs captivating and the macabre story is told with just the right amount of sweet and spook. Nov 6, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Blu B All Time Classic. Crazy to think this came out in 2005. One of the worst years in cinema history and this gem stands above 95% of the live action garbage from that time. The story is wildly original, the characters are quirky, charming, and somehow despite most of them being monsters...are more human than most people. This really shows Tim Burton at his finest. Sharing with us a wildy dark and scary world with the most charming, human, and quirky characters imaginable. The Bride voiced by Carter is the standout and such a fasinating and complex character. Easily one of her highlights in a great career. At first I was creeped out by her and the more it went the more I became interested in her, sorry for her, and loved her. The animation is wildly creative and the stop motion choice works perfectly. This would not look anywhere as good hand drawn or CGI'd. Really reminds me Coraline for the same reasons. I love how the human world is dark, dull, gothic, and grey while the dead world is filled with life and color. The editing and pacing is excellent also. This merges a musical with a wild fantasy love triangle in the most bizarre way. The way it's able to make undead creatures so human and loving is masterful. Everything else is realy good. The songs aren't really catchy but the visuals are stunning during them. And the villian is good but I iwsh the motivations were a bit more besides I just want the money. The dialouge can be what I can only describe as quirky meandering sometimes also. Everyone should give this a try once. One of Burton's finest. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/10/25 Full Review Gareth v Elegantly morbid and visually enchanting, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride is a dark fairy tale brought to life with stunning stop-motion animation and Burton's gothic aesthetic. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/07/25 Full Review Stephen C Success in 1 hour and 16 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated PG for Brief Mild Language, Action and Some Scary Images!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $53,400,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy 20th anniversary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/22/25 Full Review Gabriela A Hello, my name is Ana Alzate. In this film, I want to say that it reflects unrequited love and how marriages in ancient times were arranged and how Tim Burton manages to find us again with a masterpiece that is this film. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/15/25 Full Review Audience Member It's one of my favorite movies because it features a different animation and drawing style. It has a strange plot, but that doesn't take away from the fact that it's good. In the movie, they tell us a phrase: "Emily, always the godmother, never the bride." It shows us that not all people are made for love or marriage. I recommend it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/15/25 Full Review Audience Member I loved it because it’s different — a little dark but very beautiful. The story of Victor and the Corpse Bride is sad, but also full of love and tenderness. The ending made me really sad because it didn’t turn out the way I expected, but it made me think about the true meaning of love and sacrifice. Linette De La Hoz Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/15/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

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Movie Info

Synopsis Victor (Johnny Depp) and Victoria's (Emily Watson) families have arranged their marriage. Though they like each other, Victor is nervous about the ceremony. While he's in a forest practicing his lines for the wedding, a tree branch becomes a hand that drags him to the land of the dead. It belongs to Emily, who was murdered after eloping with her love and wants to marry Victor. Victor must get back aboveground before Victoria marries the villainous Barkis Bittern (Richard E. Grant).
Director
Tim Burton, Mike Johnson
Producer
Allison Abbate, Tim Burton
Screenwriter
Pamela Pettler, Caroline Thompson
Distributor
Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Co
Warner Bros., Tim Burton Animation Co., Will Vinton Studios
Rating
PG (Brief Mild Language|Action|Some Scary Images)
Genre
Kids & Family, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Sep 23, 2005, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 21, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$53.4M
Runtime
1h 16m
Sound Mix
SDDS, Dolby SRD, DTS, Surround
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
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