Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

Director: Mike Johnson and Tim Burton
Year Released: 2005
Rating: 3.0

Beautifully macabre film from icon of gloom Tim Burton about a melancholy young man (voiced by Johnny Depp) and his unexpected marriage to a female corpse (Helena Bonham Carter) who was buried in the forest ... which poses a significant obstacle to his 'planned' marriage to a human. It's hard to put into words admiration for the craft alone - if you don't go for black humor you at least have to admire the time and effort that went into the design of the figures - but I'd also like to applaud the excellent voice over work by not only the leads but the supporting players as well (Albert Finney and Jane Horrocks and the whole lot), not to mention the inspired songs scattered throughout. It's a shame Burton's live-action films don't have the success rate of his animated works, although success or failure, at least his movies are visually distinctive.