Grief, death, and resurrection aren't exactly standard themes in children's films — but when it comes to Tim Burton movies, we've come to expect the unconventional. Frankenweenie, Burton's well-reviewed stop-motion movie, which hits theaters Friday, is rated PG — but its macabre storyline, which centers on a boy who revives his dead dog a la Frankenstein, has led some parents to worry that the movie may be unsettling for younger viewers. (Watch a trailer below.) Of course, Burton is no stranger to claymation creepies, having produced The Nightmare Before Christmas and directed Corpse Bride. But does the new film take Burton's taste for the twisted too far?
It's too sweet too be scary: The release of the gentle, genial Frankenweenie alongside fellow spooky kids movies like ParaNorman and Hotel Transylvania has made this "the best scary season kids have had in recent memory," says Elizabeth Weitzman at the New York Daily News. And while Burton's tone is somewhat dark, "there are no gratuitous scares or elbow-nudging ironies." Frankenweenie may look a little creepy, but families who give it a chance will find that it's "packed with visual delights for all ages."
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