CORPSE BRIDE

by Jane Louise Boursaw

Rated PG for some scary images and action, and brief mild language. 78 min. Directed by Tim Burton and Mike Johnson. Released in theaters Sept. 23, 2005.

A murder, ghoulish corpse, spooky underworld, bereft bride...yup, sounds like a Tim Burton film. Only HE could take such a macabre story (based on a 19 th century Russian folk tale) and turn it into a kid’s movie. But if you look beyond the surface, you’ll find a gentle tale of romance, optimism, and holding fast to your dreams when all seems lost.

Set in a 19th-century European village, Victor (voiced by Johnny Depp) runs away from his wedding rehearsal, unsure if he’s truly the man for his bride-to-be, Victoria (Emily Watson). Victor stops to rest in the woods and as a joke, puts his wedding ring on a finger-shaped stick in the ground and recites his vows. But the stick turns out to be the rotted finger of a murdered girl (Helena Bonham-Carter), who returns as a living corpse and insists that SHE is now Victor's lawfully wedded wife.

Victor is whisked away to the Land of the Dead (which proves to quite lively compared to his strict Victorian upbringing). Will he find his way back to the land of the living? And will he ever be able to marry Victoria?

PRE-SCHOOLER (ages 2-5):  The themes and scary images will likely be too spooky for tots. If it’s a Halloween feel you’re after, pop in “Winnie the Pooh’s Boo to You, Too” or “Clifford’s Big Halloween,” two gentle movies that teach life lessons, loyalty and love. (And I bet even your older kids – and you! – will get a kick out of  ‘em, too!)

GRADE-SCHOOLER (ages 6-10): If your children aren’t scared by dark images or afterlife themes, they’ll probably be ok with this movie, especially kids 8 and up. As with Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” this movie is filled with wonderful songs, an intriguing storyline, and a beautiful ending, which I won’t give away.

TWEEN/TEEN (ages 11+): As with adults, I think there are certain kids who “get” Tim Burton’s movies and others who don’t. Although there are some gross things in this movie (a maggot who lives inside the corpse bride’s head which, oddly, I got used to it as the movie went on), this story is so original and the characters so fleshed-out (so to speak!) that you overlook the less beautiful things about the afterlife. This movie is definitely worth checking out, even if you’re NOT a Tim Burton fan (which I admit I was not up until now).

Jane's Reel Rating System:

One Reel – Pathetic. Even The Force can’t save it.

Two Reels – Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.

Three Reels – Thought-provoking. Something to talk about.

Four Reels – Wow! The stuff dreams are made of.

E-chat with me at jane@reellifewithjane.com - I LOVE to talk about movies!

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