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It's a commonly held misconception that Tim Burton directed The Nightmare Before Christmas. He didn't - Henry Selick did, who recently made Coraline. But it's obvious where the confusion arises, not least because Nightmare's complete title is Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. Moreover, he is credited as originating the story and characters for that film, and it's undeniable that Burton's fingerprints are visible in every twisted Gothic frame of the film. Corpse Bride - full title Tim Burton's Corpse Bride - is a clear attempt to craft a companion piece to the earlier effort, and this time Burton himself does occupy the director's chair (in fact, he shares it with Mike Johnson). The similarities are immediately apparent: stop-motion animation, morbid subject matter, stick-thin characters, and Danny Elfman's musical stylings are just a few attributes common to both.
Unfortunately, though, Corpse Bride misses the mark. Despite its critical acclaim, Nightmare is an acquired taste but even its fans will find less to please them here. The setup is fairly novel - a recently engaged man finds himself inadvertently married to an undead woman - but it never develops the initial premise further; what there is feels thinly stretched to pad out a (barely) feature-length narrative. At a scant 76 minutes (74 with PAL speedup) - exactly the same length as Nightmare - you'd expect a brisk pace but that never quite materialises other than in a couple of shortlived lively passages, such as when protagonist Victor (Johnny Depp) first arrives in the underworld and finds a much more colourful and energetic place than the living world he just left. Fans of the classic LucasArts adventure game Grim Fandango will find echoes in the design of the dead society, with its jazz-inflected rhythms and cheerful outlook on death.
While Victor is a bit of a wimpy lead, several of the characters around him are much more interesting, including the corpse bride herself, Emily (voiced by Mrs. Tim Burton, Helena Bonham Carter), who actually is well-meaning and endearing (and the talking maggot that resides in her skull provides a few chuckles). Also some of the minor characters who show up for mere seconds are full of personality in their design. The film just never capitalises on its potential; both the living and dead worlds are underdeveloped and underfed, and Elfman's score is instantly forgettable, including only four songs - which for a film that seemingly intends to be a musical is just not enough. There's nothing offensively bad about Corpse Bride, but perhaps the sense of indifference it leaves you with is the worst crime of all.
The extras
A selection that appears to have a lot of meat when reading the DVD cover, but like the film, is completely lacking in substance. There are seven individual featurettes covering the design to the voice acting, but all are brief: the longest is 5 minutes. There is also a stills gallery, the trailer, and a music-only soundtrack option - which, given the score is nothing to write home about, is unearned.
The summary
Corpse Bride, sadly, is Tim Burton on autopilot - sure, it's got all the expected traits, but is hollow, inconsequential, and forgettable.
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