Yes, Jamie Foxx really can play the piano.

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride masterfully employs stop-motion animation to brilliant effect. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter both voice their characters well in this film. The first third of this movie was a little slow but it REALLY picks up halfway through and it turns out to be a pretty entertaining movie.

There are several scenes toward the end of the film (which I dare not spoil) that are absolutely hilarious and really added to my enjoyment of the film. The last third of the film is so amusing that it comes close to offsetting my disappointment at the film's slight length and lack of memorable songs which wasn’t the case with the tuneful The Nightmare Before Christmas. Corpse Bride bears a striking resemblance to this previous Burton-produced masterpiece (which Mike Johnson worked on as an animator).

This movie, though flawed, is literally a visual triumph- a beautiful piece of work that is, at times, charming and quite fun.

B

A

Love it. As people said, the animation is incredible. And I really don't have much problem with the story. One of the faster 80 minutes I've ever spent.

B+


In a rather weak for animation, this movie stands out as a gem to me. After the fairly disappointing Wallace & Gromit, I wasn't expecting too much from this one, but it delivered on almost all levels. It is certainly not a film for the little kids, but I had a blast watching this one. It must be the one single most creative movie of 2005 and that despite the fact that its running time is below 80 minutes. Some of the ideas used in this one were just so...beautifully weird and incredible...unique. I'm at a loss for words descirbing the style of this one. The stop motion effects were done perfectly. The first skeleton number in the world of the dead was astonishing and kept me captivated. The movie is atim Burton's flick through and through. It is the essence of Tim Burton and his better movie of 2005 (even though I enjoyed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as well).

I did not have much problems with the story, frankly. I actually thought it was very well-rounded. I actually felt for some of the characters (and felt despise for others). The love story was well-developed, in my opinion as was the character of Victor. Johnny Depp does a nice job here and was definitely the right pick. After about half of the movie is over, it slows down a bit and stops being the amazing fun ride it is in the beginning, but it really pcks up in the final ten minutes again. Danny Elman's score is one of last yeat's three very best. The songs were not great, just okay, but the score made up for that.

I can imagine that my grade will increase after multiple viewings. Definitely a superb effort.

I was underwhelmed.

Great visuals, obviously (if we had an Animation category for the MPA, I'd vote it), but the film itself was a little weak. Not a stand out film, but ironically, it's one of the better animated films (actually, probably the best) of last year.

C+

B+

Had a bit of problems with the story, it was too short and there wasn't much development or character time really anywhere. But the visuals are some of the best in film history. It really is quite stunning. The story and lesser fun and songs takes it a big step down from Nightmare, but overall it's a fun enough ride that doesn't dwindle too much for my tastes. I had quite low expectations going into it, so I was pleasantly surprised.

It had some good visuals... I particularly liked how they made the land of the living so colorless and drab, and the land of the dead so colorful and vibrant - it was a nice switch. As for the story, it was just ok... it didn't really grip me, and I never totally got sucked into the characters as much as I would have liked. I'm going with a B-.

The imagery is beautifull, and the story is just good enough to pass.

B

well done movie, The animation was fantastic, the story was good

Very enjoyable and fun to watch. I have yet to see Hoodwinked and Wallace and Gromit, but so far IMO Corpse Bride is the Best animated movie of 2005

B+

I thought it was a fun watch but really just lacked any sort of clever hook.

B

Not as good as The Nightmare Before Cristmas, but still a great watch

B+

Cool animation and some flashy visuals, but the story is far too short and shallow, and the songs aren't really catchy. Though parts are clever and witty, the overall story is ridden with cliché and the characters aren't fleshed out nearly enough. Contains every bit of Burton's trademark style, but that just isn't enough to endear itself to me. A disappointing watch.

Watching this made me wish Helena Bonham Carter did more than voice work and bit parts in Tim Burton movies. Maybe her devotion to Burton will pay off and she'll be great in Sweeney Todd.

I liked it, but just not as much as the 'other' gothic British animated movie from 2005 - Curse Of The Were Rabbit. Loved the animation and I'm surprised how they managed to strike a balance between all the creepy weird fun and an actual romance.

My grade: B+.

It doesn't reach NBC's level of greatness, but it's still worth an A. It gets better with repeated views, which is a strong merit.

A

Still can't believe this lost to Wallace and Grommit.

It was OK. Not even close to as good as Nightmare Before Christmas.

**1/2