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Victoria (Emily Watson) is Victor's real-life bride

For those of us ages 8 and above, the movie is charming and funny with a snappy sense of comedic timing that is at times similar to that of VeggieTales—sometimes corny, sometimes brilliant. There's the ultra-efficient butler at the film's start, the town crier representing the overzealous media of the day, and a handful of scary movie clichés that suckerpunch the viewer with silly cartoonish resolutions. And like Nightmare, there's an adorable but unconventional scene-stealing dog—in this case, Scraps is a skeletal pup that gives new meaning to "roll over" and "play dead."

Despite the title character's absence of heart, Corpse Bride is ultimately a love story. It's refreshing to have a love triangle that doesn't spoon feed the audience into rooting for one match over the other. Granted, one of Victor's potential brides is living and the other is not, but he still has options and the film sweetly makes a case for both—Emily's dreams have been denied, but while marrying her could in a sense restore them, it would also shatter those of Victoria. And though the film doesn't show much respect for the church through the overly grumpy Pastor, it does have respect for the institution of marriage, focusing on the importance of keeping vows "till death do us part" while insisting on performing the marriage ceremonies within the sacred walls of the church.

While the story is inventive, it would have helped to, ahem, flesh it out more. At a mere 78 minutes, characters and plotlines are sufficiently developed, but it could have been so much deeper and meaningful with another 15 minutes of color and clarification. It's the difference between an entertaining film experience and a genuine cinematic classic (like Pixar's films). You can't help but wonder what treatment the script might have received if this were an inherently less complicated, CGI-effects driven live-action production.

Tickling the ivories always impresses the ladies—dead or alive

Of course, there's far more to this film than story. The voice actors all do a fine job, but Carter stands out in the title role, offering an appropriate array of emotions that make her scary, sympathetic, and sweet. Also impressive are the songs and score by Burton's composer of choice, Danny Elfman, who offers some of his best work to date with clever Dr. Seuss-styled wordplay and a myriad of folk songs, operetta, and jazz.

But the real star of the film is the animation, a tedious process that was clearly a labor of love. It's amazing that Burton and his team could devise such a gloomy, monochromatic, gothic world that would make Edgar Allen Poe or Lemony Snicket proud, yet infuse it with moments of striking beauty—flashes of color, the occasional butterfly, and the Corpse Bride herself. Some movements involve a "jerkiness" in the stop-motion process that's almost nostalgic and endearing, but others are so fluid that you wonder how it could have possibly done with figurines. Nuances involving liquid and wind are impressive, and the scene involving a piano duet is particularly stunning in its accurate recreation of finger technique.

Not all Christians are going to appreciate this film, unable to separate fantasy from reality. A general rule of thumb: If you tend to boycott all things related to Halloween, you might think twice about this film. But make no mistake, stop-motion is a form of animation, and unless the forthcoming Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit is more impressive, this movie is the frontrunner to win the 2006 Academy Award for Best Animated Film. Sweet, funny, clever, occasionally creepy, and sometimes poignant—there's plenty of life in this Corpse Bride.

1. Discuss this film's depiction of the afterlife. Do you think it's a serious belief, or is it more of a fantasy or fairy tale? Does the film suggest a heaven and hell?
   
   

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