| Corpse Bride | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | |
| Screenplay by | |
| Based on | Characters by
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Pete Kozachik |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | Danny Elfman |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 77 minutes[1] |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
| Budget | $40 million[3] |
| Box office | $118.1 million[4] |
Corpse Bride (also known asTim Burton's Corpse Bride) is a 2005stop-motion animatedGothicfantasymusical film directed byMike Johnson andTim Burton and written byJohn August,Caroline Thompson, andPamela Pettler. Set in an English village,Corpse Bride starsJohnny Depp as the voice of Victor, whileHelena Bonham Carter voices Emily, the title character. Aninternational co-production between the United States and United Kingdom, produced byTim Burton Productions andLaika Entertainment, and distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures,Corpse Bride is the first stop-motion feature film directed by Burton after previously producingThe Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) andJames and the Giant Peach (1996).
Corpse Bride drew inspiration from a 17th-century Jewish folktale, whichJoe Ranft introduced to Burton while they were finishingThe Nightmare Before Christmas. Work on the film started in November 2003 while Burton was wrapping upBig Fish. His next live-action feature,Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was produced simultaneously withCorpse Bride. Production of the stop-motion animation feature took place at3 Mills Studios in London. It was shot withCanon EOS-1D Mark IIdigital SLRs, rather than the35 mm film cameras used forThe Nightmare Before Christmas. Burton immediately brought regular collaborators Depp, Carter andDanny Elfman aboard.Corpse Bride is dedicated to executive producer Ranft, who died a month before the film's release.
Corpse Bride premiered at the62nd Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2005, and was released in theaters on September 23 in the U.S. and on October 13 in the U.K. to critical and commercial success. The film was nominated forBest Animated Feature at the78th Academy Awards.
In an English village in the 1800s, Victor Van Dort, the son ofnouveau riche fish merchants, and Victoria Everglot, the neglected daughter ofimpoverished aristocrats, prepare for theirarranged marriage, which will simultaneously raise thesocial class of the Van Dort family and restore the wealth of the Everglot family ("According to Plan"). Although the two are initially nervous, they become smitten and fall in love instantly when they meet; however, the nervous Victor ruins their wedding rehearsal by forgetting his vows, dropping the ring, and accidentally setting Lady Everglot's dress on fire.
Fleeing to a nearby forest, Victor successfully rehearses his vows with a tree and places his wedding ring on what appears to be an upturned root. However, the "root" is revealed to be the skeletal finger of a deceased woman named Emily, who, gowned in a wedding dress, rises from the grave and proclaims herself as Victor's new wife. She spirits them both away to theLand of the Dead, a colorful and whimsical realm in which the spirits of the deceased reside.
During his time with Emily, Victor learns that she was murdered years earlier on the night of her elopement by her fiancé, who stole the family jewels and gold she had brought ("Remains of the Day"). She reunites him with his long-dead dog Scraps, and they bond. However, desperate to return to Victoria, Victor tricks Emily into returning them to the Land of the Living by claiming he wants her to meet his parents.
Emily brings Victor to see Elder Gutknecht, the kindly ruler of the underworld, who grants them temporary passage. Victor reunites with Victoria and confesses his wish to marry her as soon as possible. Before they can share a kiss, Emily discovers them and drags Victor back to the Land of the Dead, feeling betrayed and hurt ("Tears to Shed"). Victoria tries to tell her parents and the village pastor of Victor's situation, but nobody believes her. Assuming Victor has left her, Victoria's parents decide to marry her against her will to Lord Barkis Bittern, a presumed-wealthy visitor who appeared at the wedding rehearsal.
After reconciling with Emily, Victor learns of Victoria's impending marriage to Barkis from his family's newly deceased coachman Mayhew. Upset over this news, he decides to marry Emily properly after overhearing Elder Gutknecht tell her that due to Victor still being alive while she is dead, her accidental marriage to Victor is nullified by default. He knows that this will require him to repeat his wedding vows with her in the Land of the Living and drink the poison 'the Wine of Ages' in order to join Emily in death.
The dead swiftly prepare for the ceremony and head "upstairs" ("The Wedding Song"). There, the village erupts into a temporary panic upon their arrival, until the living recognize their departed loved ones and joyously reunite with them. The chaos causes a panicked Barkis to expose his own poor financial standing and his intentions to marry Victoria only for her supposed wealth, leading her to reject him.
Victoria witnesses Victor and Emily's wedding as Victor completes his vows and prepares to drink the poison, only for Emily to stop him when she realizes she is denying Victoria her chance to live happily with him. Just as Emily reunites Victor and Victoria, Barkis arrives to kidnap Victoria; Emily recognizes Barkis as both her previous fiancé and murderer. Victor duels with Barkis to protect Victoria, and Emily intervenes to save Victor's life.
Accepting defeat, Barkis mockinglytoasts Emily for dying unwed and unwittingly drinks the poison, causing him to die. This allows the dead – who cannot interfere in the affairs of the living – to take retribution against him for his crimes. Emily, now freed from her torment, releases Victor of his vow to marry her and returns his ring, so he can marry Victoria. As she steps into the moonlight, she dissolves into a swarm of butterflies that fly into the sky as Victor and Victoria watch and embrace.
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The film is based on a 17th-centuryJewish folktale, whichJoe Ranft introduced toTim Burton while they were finishingThe Nightmare Before Christmas.[6] The film began production in November 2003, while Burton was wrapping upBig Fish. His next live-action feature,Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was produced simultaneously withCorpse Bride.[7] Co-directorMike Johnson spoke about how they took a more organic approach to directing the film, saying: "In a co-directing situation, one director usually handles one sequence while the other handles another. Our approach was more organic. Tim knew where he wanted the film to go as far as the emotional tone and story points to hit. My job was to work with the crew on a daily basis and get the footage as close as possible to how I thought he wanted it."[7]
In a 2005, interview withAbout.com, Burton spoke about the differences between directingCorpse Bride andThe Nightmare Before Christmas, despiteNightmare having been directed byHenry Selick with Burton serving in a producer role, saying: "The difference on that was that one I had designed completely. It was a very completed package in my mind. I felt like it was there. I felt more comfortable with it. With this, it was a bit more organic. It was based on an old folk tale. We kept kind of changing it but, you know, I had a great co-director with Mike Johnson. I feel like we complemented each other quite well. It was just a different movie, a different process."[8] He also spoke about castingJohnny Depp as Victor, saying: "It was weird because we were doing both at the same time. He wasWilly Wonka by day and Victor by night so it might have been a little schizophrenic for him. But he's great. It's the first animated movie he's done and he's always into a challenge. We just treat it like fun and a creative process. Again, that's the joy of working with him. He's kind of up for anything. He just always adds something to it. The amazing thing is all the actors never worked [together]. They were never in a room together, so they were all doing their voices, except forAlbert [Finney] andJoanna [Lumley] did a few scenes together, everybody else was separate. They were all kind of working in a vacuum, which was interesting. That's the thing that I felt ended up so beautifully, that their performances really meshed together. So he was very canny, as they all were, about trying to find the right tone and making it work while not being in the same room with each other."[8]
| Tim Burton's Corpse Bride | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Film score by | ||||
| Released | September 20, 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 2005 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios in London, England | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack | |||
| Length | 59:42 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Producer | Danny Elfman | |||
| Danny Elfman chronology | ||||
| ||||
The soundtrack was composed byDanny Elfman with the help ofJohn August and released on September 20, 2005.[9] It contains all of the music from the film including score music and four songs with lyrics sung by voice actors.[9] In the United Kingdom, the album peaked at number 13 on the Soundtrack Albums Chart on 30 October 2005,[10] spending a total of five weeks on that chart.
All tracks are written by Danny Elfman and John August. All scores composed by Elfman.
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Main Title" (Score) | Elfman | 2:05 |
| 2. | "According to Plan" | Albert Finney,Joanna Lumley,Tracey Ullman,Paul Whitehouse | 3:44 |
| 3. | "Victor's Piano Solo" (Score) | Elfman | 1:17 |
| 4. | "Into the Forest" (Score) | Elfman | 4:34 |
| 5. | "Remains of the Day" | Elfman,Jane Horrocks, Paul Baker,Alison Jiear,Gary Martin | 3:26 |
| 6. | "Casting a Spell" (Score) | Elfman | 1:25 |
| 7. | "Moon Dance" (Score) | Elfman | 1:27 |
| 8. | "Victor's Deception" (Score) | Elfman | 3:59 |
| 9. | "Tears to Shed" | Helena Bonham Carter, Horrocks,Enn Reitel | 2:45 |
| 10. | "Victoria's Escape" (Score) | Elfman | 2:30 |
| 11. | "The Piano Duet" (Score) | Elfman | 1:53 |
| 12. | "New Arrival" (Score) | Elfman | 0:41 |
| 13. | "Victoria's Wedding" (Score) | Elfman | 3:14 |
| 14. | "The Wedding Song" | Elfman, Horrocks, Baker, Jiear, Martin | 3:00 |
| 15. | "The Party Arrives" (Score) | Elfman | 3:20 |
| 16. | "Victor's Wedding" (Score) | Elfman | 2:08 |
| 17. | "Barkis's Bummer" (Score) | Elfman | 2:07 |
| 18. | "The Finale" (Score) | Elfman | 2:35 |
| 19. | "End Credits" (Part 1) (Score) | Elfman | 1:49 |
| 20. | "End Credits" (Part 2) (Score) | Elfman | 2:32 |
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21. | "Ball & Socket Lounge Music #1" (Band Version) (Score) | Elfman | 2:15 |
| 22. | "Remains of the Day" (Combo Lounge Version) (Score) | Elfman | 3:06 |
| 23. | "Ball & Socket Lounge Music #2" (Score) | Elfman | 1:10 |
| 24. | "Ball & Socket Lounge Music #1" (Combo Version) (Score) | Elfman | 2:14 |
| Total length: | 59:42 | ||
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC)[11] | 13 |
Corpse Bride had its world premiere at the62nd Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2005. The film was released on September 23, 2005, in United States and on October 13, 2005, in the United Kingdom.[12]
Corpse Bride was released on DVD on January 31, 2006,[13] and on Blu-ray on September 26, 2006.[14] The film was filmed in 1.85:1 widescreen. Most copies present the film in 1.85:1 widescreen and some copies present the film in 1.33:1 fullscreen As of August 16, 2009[update], the film has sold 2,093,156 DVDs and 40,411 Blu-ray Discs totaling a gross of $33,087,513 and $604,940 respectively. As of November 25, 2020[update], the total gross for domestic video sales is $42,700,692 in the U.S.[15] As of 2024, over five hundred thousand copies were printed. The film was released on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on September 23, 2025.
Corpse Bride grossed $53.4 million in North America, and $64.7 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $118.1 million.[4]
In North America, the film opened at number two in its first weekend, with $19.1 million behindFlightplan.[16] In its second weekend, the film dropped to number three, grossing an additional $10 million.[17] In its third weekend, the film dropped to number six, grossing $6.5 million.[17] In its fourth weekend, the film dropped to number nine, grossing $3.6 million.[17]
The biggest market in other territories being France, United Kingdom, and Japan, where the film grossed $8.9 million, $8.6 million and $7.1 million respectively.[18]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 84% based on 197 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "As can be expected from a Tim Burton movie,Corpse Bride is whimsicallymacabre, visually imaginative, and emotionally bittersweet."[19]Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 based on top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated a score of 83 based on 35 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[20] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[21]
Justin Chang ofVariety gave the film a positive review, saying, "This macabre musical about a young bridegroom who mistakenly weds a girl from beyond the grave is an endearinglyschizoidFrankenstein of a movie, by turns relentlessly high-spirited and darkly poignant."[22] Kirk Honeycutt ofThe Hollywood Reporter gave the film a positive review, calling it "A wondrous flight of fancy, a stop-motion-animated treat brimming with imaginative characters, evocative sets, sly humor, inspired songs and a genuine whimsy that seldom finds its way into today's movies."[23]
Michael Atkinson ofThe Village Voice gave the film a positive review, saying, "The variety of its cadaverous style is never less than inspired; never has the human skull's natural grin been redeployed so exhaustively for yuks."[24]Owen Gleiberman ofEntertainment Weekly gave the film a B, saying, "As an achievement in macabre visual wizardry, Tim Burton'sCorpse Bride has to be reckoned some sort of marvel."[25]
Manohla Dargis ofThe New York Times gave the film four out of five stars, saying, "Cinema's reinvigorated fixation with the living dead suggests that we are in the grip of an impossible longing, or perhaps it's just another movie cycle running its course. Whatever the case, there is something heartening about Mr. Burton's love for bones and rot here, if only because it suggests, despite some recent evidence, that he is not yet ready to abandon his own dark kingdom."[26] Moira MacDonald ofThe Seattle Times gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying, "What makesCorpse Bride sing, ultimately, is the breadth of imagination that it demonstrates; creating a cluttered, textured and mysteriously beautiful world that we're loathe to leave at the end."[27]
Liam Lacey ofThe Globe and Mail gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "Ghoulishness and innocence walk hand-in-hand in Tim Burton'sCorpse Bride, a movie that digs intoHollywood's past to resurrect the antique art of stop-motion animation and create a fabulous bauble of a movie."[23] Jack Mathews of theNew York Daily News gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying, "Stop-motion animation may be the hardest and most tedious job in Hollywood, but the makers of Tim Burton'sCorpse Bride deserve a couple of years inTahiti celebrating their effort."[23]
Lisa Rose of theNewark Star-Ledger gave the film three out of five stars, saying, "Corpse Bride offers unclassifiable enchantment."[23]James Berardinelli ofReelViews gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "As animated films go, this is easily the best of a weak year."[28] Peter Howell of theToronto Star gave the film four out of four stars, saying, "If hisThe Nightmare Before Christmas from a dozen years back was a treat for the eyes and mind, Tim Burton'sCorpse Bride goes double or nothing by being a delight for the ears and also the heart."[23] Joe Williams of theSt. Louis Post-Dispatch gave the film a B+, saying, "Beneath the bone pile of allusions,Corpse Bride is a darkly enchanting fable in its own right."[23]
Andrew Sarris ofThe New York Observer gave the film a negative review, saying, "Corpse Bride turns out to be a ponderous mixture of puppetry and animation that is far too technologically complex and laborious for this hopelesslyLuddite reviewer."[23]Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars, calling it "A sweet and visually lovely tale of love lost."[29] Roger Moore of theOrlando Sentinel gave the film four out of five stars, saying, "The sweetness, the visual flourishes and inspired pieces of casting carry theCorpse Bride, if not all the way down the primrose path, then at least across the threshold."[30] Robert K. Elder of theChicago Tribune gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying, "IfNightmare Before Christmas was ajazzy pop number,Corpse Bride is awaltz—an elegant, deadly funny bit of macabre matrimony."[31]
Kenneth Turan of theLos Angeles Times gave the film two out of five stars, saying, "The film does have a fairy-tale aspect, but, like many of its characters, it is more dead and buried than fully alive."[23]Claudia Puig ofUSA Today gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying, "Corpse Bride is an unexpectedly touching celebration of love told in a quirky and inventive style."[32]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone gave the film three and a half stars out of five, saying, "In the guise of a family film, Burton evokes a darkly erotic obsession that recallsEdgar Allan Poe andHitchcock'sVertigo. It would be a test for any filmmaker, and Burton aces it."[23]
Steven Rea ofThe Philadelphia Inquirer gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying, "Tim Burton'sCorpse Bride is easily the best stop-motion animatednecrophiliac musical romantic comedy of all time. It is also just simply, wonderful: a morbid, merry tale of true love that dazzles the eyes and delights the soul."[23] Michael Booth ofThe Denver Post gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying, "Corpse Bride will win your heart, if it doesn't rip it out of your chest first."[33] Terry Lawson of theDetroit Free Press gave the film three out of four stars, saying, "There's a happyHalloween in store even for children who aren't allowed to trick or treat, and it's courtesy of Tim Burton's animatedCorpse Bride."[23]
Bruce Westbrook ofThe Houston Chronicle gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying, "Amazingly fluid and drop-dead gorgeous, Tim Burton'sCorpse Bride is the best-looking, stop-motion animation film ever."[34] Rene Rodriguez of theMiami Herald gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying, "Corpse Bride suffers from the same problem that has plagued Burton's recent live-action films: for all its formidable razzle-dazzle, it doesn't engage the heart."[23] Colin Covert of theStar Tribune gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying, "This vibrantly imaginative mix of horror and humor puts the f-u-n in funeral."[23]
Corpse Bride was nominated for the78th Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.[35]
The film won theNational Board of Review for Best Animated Feature in 2005 and theAnnie Awards Ub Iwerks Award for Technical Achievement in 2006, where it was also nominated for Best Animated Feature, Best Character Design, and Best Direction.
The film was named winner of the Best European Feature Film category at the British Animation Awards in 2006.[36][37]
In 2008, theAmerican Film Institute nominated this film for itsTop 10 Animation Films list.[38]
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