“Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride” (2005) isn’t as celebrated as the stop-motion films Burton produced and/or directed before and since (more on those later), but it deserves to be rediscovered.
Burton’s imagination and dedication to the art of stop-motion animation storytelling, this time courtesy of co-director Mike Johnson, are always worth savoring.
Victor (Johnny Depp) is sweet but spineless, engaged to Victoria, a lovely woman (Emily Watson) who agrees to the arranged marriage. While Victor and Victoria immediately find themselves twitterpated with one another, their shyness and the pressure from their domineering parents literally scare Victor off.
While hiding in the woods and practicing his wedding vows, Victor accidentally proposes to a corpse (Helena Bonham Carter) who comes to life, yanks Victor into the world of the dead and adds further complication to his already stressful scenario.
“Corpse Bride” has become the “other” Burton stop-motion animated film, as it has songs that aren’t as catchy as the ones in “The Nightmare Before Christmas” (1993), the undisputed classic. Nor does it boast characters as endearing and moments anywhere near as moving as in “Frankenweenie” (2011), the true masterpiece of Burton’s stop-motion theatrical films.
How Tim Burton came up with the idea for Corpse Bride
The director joined us at BFI IMAX to introduce a 20th anniversary screening of the film. Watch the full intro on our YouTube channel. pic.twitter.com/RwbfLHtMgc
— BFI (@BFI) October 31, 2025
Utilizing washed-out colors in the “real” world, “Corpse Bride” depicts the world of the afterlife as though it were a merry night in a pub. Burton has taken us into such a world before but, whereas “Beetlejuice” (1988) fleshed out the concept fully, this one skims the surface.
The songs by Danny Elfman are exposition heavy and not up to anything belted out by Jack Skellington, though the title song is cool. Still, I wanted this to be more of a consistent musical. Perhaps “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” a great but relentless, exhausting film, set the bar too high, but I wasn’t able to keep the songs playing in my head on the drive home.
Burton’s best films are character-driven, while his worst are gimmick-driven or stuck to IP fidelity. “Corpse Bride” is too short and simple to fly as high as his best films, but the finest moments are rooted in character and explore the central love triangle.
Depp, Watson and Bonham Carter connect with the warmth and idiosyncrasies of their characters but the film is stolen by Richard A. Grant, playing Lord Barkiss, a real scoundrel who competes with Victor over Victoria.
“Big Fish” (2003) is probably Burton’s finest love story, but “Corpse Bride,” even though it is a lesser film than his other stop-motion classics, is Burton’s most enjoyably twisted and odd romance since his “Batman Returns” (1992).
Victor and Victoria are adorable, as they genuinely love each other in a world of arranged marriages and partnering for social protection. As always, Burton is celebrating outsiders and dreamers who come across as oddballs in a world of conformity.
Speaking of odd, a great supporting character is a maggot who lives in the Corpse Bride’s skull (with Peter Lorre’s voice, no less) and the character is the best of the underworld figures. Otherwise, the undead supporting characters are interchangeable.
Hard to believe that, just 15 years removed from his debut of “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” (1985), longtime fans felt a collective Burton fatigue. I admit to feeling that way with “Planet of the Apes” (2001), which avoided gothic visuals but felt trapped by the blockbuster expectations placed on its director.
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was released the same year as “Corpse Bride” and, while I enjoyed that one a great deal, it is today recalled by most as an unloved blockbuster.
The animation in “Corpse Bride” is always amazing. While the dead world here lacks the varying topography and visual humor of “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” Burton’s twisted sense of humor is always visible. Despite the abrupt manner of that final scene, the love story goes as far as it should.
If “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a December staple and “Frankenweenie” is a must for every Halloween party, then Burton’s underrated “Corpse Bride” is an unorthodox but solid pick for your next Valentine’s Day movie night.