Frankenweenie

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Frankenweenie

PG

Released Oct 5, 2012

1h 27m

Kids & Family

Fantasy

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

222 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Young Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) is a science nerd and outsider at school, but he does have one good friend: his dog, Sparky. But then, tragedy strikes, and Sparky shuffles off this mortal coil. Victor is heartbroken, but his science teacher (Martin Landau) gives him an idea of how to jolt old Sparky back to life. The experiment is successful, and all goes well, until Victor's fellow students steal his secret and use it to resurrect other dead animals -- with monstrous consequences.

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Critics Consensus

Frankenweenie is an energetic stop-motion horror movie spoof with lovingly crafted visuals and a heartfelt, oddball story.

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Mar Diestro-Dópido

Sight & Sound

Admittedly less eccentric and more classic in style than some of Burton's acclaimed earlier works, Frankenweenie is still chock-full of the filmmaker's old dark magic.

Jul 12, 2018

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

... Frankenweenie beautifully merges the old with the new as it also celebrates filmmaking both literally and fictionally with its relatable protagonist.

Rated: B+

Sep 7, 2017

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Tom Charity

CNN.com

Tim Burton's most enjoyable movie in a long time.

Jan 7, 2013

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

The stop-motion animation looks especially crisp in the film’s black-and-white world.

Rated: 3/4

Feb 15, 2023

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Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

[Tim] Burton mixes in a love of horror movies with an innocently ghoulish sense of humor and harmless gross-out gags, capturing that childhood fascination with monster movies and the macabre.

Jan 7, 2023

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Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

Burton has set aside his usual, increasingly cloying commercial drives to tell a story that means something to him.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 23, 2022

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Krystal W

My son enjoyed this movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/26/21

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Cade H.

This has become a movie that I watch almost every October, as the story entire mood and aesthetic of the film encapsulate the vibe of Halloween very well. Frankenweenie sets its self apart from other animated family movies due to its unique black and white, old timey effect used throughout the film, on top of its interesting assortment of characters and concepts. It pays homage to the first Frankenstein movie in a satirical yet tasteful way through its playful adaptation of the original’s plot. While the movie can be a bit boring at points, it’s also the black and white coloration that I find so endearing which might sway viewers away from enjoying the film. But overall it’s a film everyone should watch at least once during the Halloween season.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/29/25

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Conor P

One of the best tim burton movies ever

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/22/25

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Audience Member

I think this was a great adaptation and I would love to see Tim Burton direct a new live action frankiweenie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/26/24

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Student: Jake M

Frankenweenie is great, this is one of my most favorite Halloween movies ever seen and was created very successfully! I give it a great review on this. In my middle school, it was shown to be chosen for a movie night but lost out to Coraline. I really hated to watch this movie every event before Halloween. I give this movie a 10 out of 10.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/28/24

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Michael V

The electrifying dog is back from beyond the grave Frankenweenie is a 2012 American gothic 3D stop-motion animated science fiction horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton 🐶 Although sometimes a little inconsistent, this is an still enjoyable movie that is well crafted… It’s very good! 😀 I’d definitely recommend it 👍🏼 When a car hits young Victor's pet dog Sparky, Victor decides to bring him back to life the only way he knows how. But when the bolt-necked "monster" wreaks havoc and terror in the hearts of Victor's neighbors, he has to convince them that Sparky's still the good, loyal friend he was.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/27/24

Full Review

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Synopsis

Young Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) is a science nerd and outsider at school, but he does have one good friend: his dog, Sparky. But then, tragedy strikes, and Sparky shuffles off this mortal coil. Victor is heartbroken, but his science teacher (Martin Landau) gives him an idea of how to jolt old Sparky back to life. The experiment is successful, and all goes well, until Victor's fellow students steal his secret and use it to resurrect other dead animals -- with monstrous consequences.

Director: Tim Burton
Producer: Tim Burton, Allison Abbate
Screenwriter: John August
Distributor: Walt Disney
Production Co: Walt Disney Studios
Rating: PG (Scary Images|Action|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Kids & Family, Fantasy, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 5, 2012, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 8, 2014
Runtime: 1h 27m
Sound Mix: Datasat, Dolby Digital

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