Fantastic Fest 2012
New leash on life: Tim Burton's Frankenweenie to premiere at 2012 Fantastic Fest
What's more heart-warming than a story about a boy and his dog... and how that dog dies, so the boy decides to reanimate him and act like nothing ever happened?
Frankenweenie is Tim Burton's lates venture into 3-D stop-motion animation, and Austinites will be able to see it before it hits theatres this October.
The Alamo Drafthouse announced Friday that the re-imagined story of Mary Shelley's favorite zombie doctor will be the opening night premiere of the 2012 Fantastic Fest held at the South Lamar Alamo.
The black and white animated film, which recasts the immortality parable with a wide-eyed, heartbroken boy scientist, is the perfect choice for the Drafthouse's insanely popular horror/sci-fi/action festival.
Burton has always maintained a smart multi-genre appeal with his films, and his dark legion of followers are loyal and loud. But surely everyone can relate to this familiar story of loss and will appreciate Burton's imaginative take on it.
Leave it up to Tim Burton to make the classic Frankenstein horror fresh and somehow... adorable? Filmed completely in black and white, the 3-D movie, based on Burton's 1984 shortof the same name, captures the classic horror movie ambiance but provides the tenderness of an animated Disney feature and the black humor of Burton's earlier films.
Fantastic Fest, running Sep 20 - 27 this year, is always finding ways to top itself year after year. Boasting past world premieres of films like There Will Be Blood, Zombieland and The Human Centipede 2, this is one of the most important festivals in the country for fans of the genre.
Remember also that Fantastic Fest is also notorious for its surprise special guests. This is the opening night of the festival, so — scissored fingers crossed — this might be fans' opportunity to hear from the genius macabre director in person.
And what about seeing some of the amazing voice talent like Catherine O'Hara, Martin Landau, Martin Short and Winona Ryder? Any way you crack it, this premiere has the potential to be epic.
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The world premiere of Frankenweenie happens Sep 20, the opening night of Fantastic Fest, which runs until Sep 27 at the Alamo South Lamar. Tickets can be purchased to individual screenings, but your best bet to guarantee a seat is to splurge on a badge.