Frankenweenie (1984)

Frankenweenie is a 1984 featurette directed by Tim Burton and co-written by Burton with Leonard Ripps. It is both a parody and homage to the 1931 film Frankenstein based on Mary Shelley's novel of the same name. Burton later directed a feature-length stop-motion animated remake, released in 2012.

Plot
Victor Frankenstein (played by Barret Oliver) is a young boy who creates movies starring his dog, Sparky (a Bull Terrier, whose name is a reference to the use of electricity in the film). After Sparky is hit by a car and killed, Victor learns at school about electrical impulses in muscles and is inspired to bring his pet back to life. He creates elaborate machines which bring down a bolt of lightning that revives the dog. Victor is pleased, but when the Frankensteins decide to introduce the revitalized Sparky to his neighbors, they become angry and terrified.

Good Qualities

 * 1) Great acting.
 * 2) The way how it pays homage and parodies Frankenstein is amazing.
 * 3) The idea of a kid’s dog who gets killed but is later brought back to life is amazing.
 * 4) Good visual effects for a very old movie.
 * 5) The plot is very good, although it could be done better.
 * 6) The scene where Victor brings Sparky back to life was very well done with good visual effects.
 * 7) The ending was nice.
 * 8) The intro does a good job giving you the feeling of what kind of movie this is.
 * 9) Good twist and turns.
 * 10) Although scary, it does get toned down so it can be suitable for families.

The Only Bad Quality

 * 1) The plot, while decent, can be confusing, although it was done better in the remake.