3 Reasons Why Kids Shouldn't Watch Frankenweenie Alone

DISCLAIMER: This isn't a hate entry. I loved the movie. I just don't think kids should watch it without parental guidance. That's all.

When I first heard about this Frankenweenie movie, I laughed to myself. Without seeing the movie poster and reading the synopsis, I automatically assumed it was a movie about someone trying to resurrect a dead weenie (and yeah, that didn't sound right). Of course I just had to watch it when I found out it was directed by one of my film heroes, Tim Burton. I simply fell in love with him after The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. So yeah, I gave it a shot.

And so, here are the 3 Reasons Why Kids Shouldn't Watch Frankenweenie Alone.

1. The characters don't look like your everyday Disney princes and princesses. In other words, everyone in the movie looks downright weird. Of course we always expect Disney movies to be about rainbows, butterflies and magical unicorns but this one's different. Just like Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas, everything and everyone looks like they've been pulled out of their coffins buried for at least 10 years and the movie is in black-and-white. I mean, if I were a ten-year-old, I'd be so freaked out in the first 20 minutes of the movie. Well, I guess it also depends on the kind of kid watching but I still think they shouldn't watch by themselves. Better safe than sorry.
2. What the main character Victor did in the movie, you wouldn't want your kid to do. So Victor loses his dog Sparky to a reckless driver in the middle of his first baseball game. One day in Science class, his Science teacher Mr. Rzykruski shows the class how the nervous system stays intact even after death by passing an electric current through a dead frog's body. Victor had an idea then and was determined to bring his beloved pet back to life. Long story short, Victor succeeded and Sparky was with him once again. Let's face it. Kids nowadays easily believe what they see and I'm sure one out of ten kids will try to revive a dead animal like Victor did after watching the movie. What parent wants that?
3. Lastly, the movie is full of lessons that need to be relayed from parent to child. Aside from the obvious "don't try to resurrect your dead dog because it's dangerous and impossible" lesson, Frankenweenie teaches not only kids but all of us that love works out everything. This is actually the scene where Victor asked Mr. Rzykruski why his experiment only worked the first time. His teacher asked him, "The first time, did you love your experiment?" and Victor said yes. Victor then realized that things don't work out when done for the wrong reasons. Well, this is just one of the lessons that can be taken from the movie among many others that parents should explain to their kids. That way, movie watching isn't just about leisure and quality family bonding time but also learning.

Overall, I think the movie is brilliant. It's just different and that's what I love about Tim Burton's works. It's an escape from all the mainstream crap flooding the media these days. Amazing job to the cast as well.

More reviews to come, movie junkies!

Have a great Saturday!