September 7, 2005 (Venice)
September 23, 2005 (United States)
October 13, 2005 (United Kingdom)
Corpse Bride (also known as Tim Burton's Corpse Bride) is a 2005 gothic stop-motion animated musical fantasy film directed by Mike Johnson (in his directorial debut) and Tim Burton from a screenplay by John August, Caroline Thompson, and Pamela Pettler, based on characters created by Burton and Carlos Grangel. The plot is set in a fictional Victorian era village in England. Johnny Depp leads the cast as the voice of Victor, while Helena Bonham Carter voices Emily, the titular bride. An international co-production between the United States and United Kingdom, produced by Tim Burton Productions and Laika Entertainment, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Corpse Bride is the first stop-motion feature film directed by Burton after previously producing The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and James and the Giant Peach (1996).
Corpse Bride drew inspirations of a 17th-century Jewish folktale, which Joe Ranft introduced to Burton while they were finishing The Nightmare Before Christmas. Work on the film started in November 2003 when Burton was completing Big Fish (2003). He continued with production on his next live-action feature, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which was produced simultaneously with the film. Production of the stop-motion animation feature took place at 3 Mills Studios in East London. It was shot with Canon EOS-1D Mark II digital SLRs, rather than the 35 mm film cameras used for Burton's previous stop-motion film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Burton immediately brought regular collaborators Depp and Danny Elfman aboard. The film was dedicated to executive producer Ranft, who died in a car crash during the film's production.
Corpse Bride premiered at the 62nd Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2005, and was released in theaters on September 23, 2005, in the United States and on October 13, 2005, in the United Kingdom to critical and commercial success. The film was nominated for Best Animated Feature in 78th Academy Awards, making it one of the first two stop-motion films to be nominated within that category.
Storyline
In an English village in the 1800s, Victor Van Dort, the son of nouveau riche fish merchants, and Victoria Everglot, the neglected daughter of impoverished aristocrats, prepare for their arranged marriage, which will simultaneously raise the social 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 the Land 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 mockingly toasts 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.
Sound Effects Used
- Hollywoodedge, Axe Chops Wood Single FS021802
- Hollywoodedge, Bird Crow Caws CloseP PE020401
- Hollywoodedge, Lightning 08 CloseG SIG012601
- Hollywoodedge, Owl Great Horned Hoot AT083001
- Hollywoodedge, Punch Body Hit 2 Thud PE100901
- Hollywoodedge, Screams 2 Woman Singl PE133601 (Heard once in a +6 pitch during the song "Remains of the Day"; used as a scream for a shadow of Emily.)
- Hollywoodedge, Screams 3 Woman Singl PE133701
- Hollywoodedge, Sword Shing Long Clan PE245201
- Hollywoodedge, Sword Shing With Sword PE103301
- Hollywoodedge, Sword Shing With Sword PE103401
- Hollywoodedge, Sword Shing With Sword PE103501
- Hollywoodedge, Sword Shing With Sword PE103601
- SKYWALKER, ANIMAL - HORSE AND CARRIAGE TROT BY ON CEMENT, WAGON
- SKYWALKER, ANIMAL - HORSE GALLOPING IN WATER
- SKYWALKER BODYFALL SOUNDS
- SKYWALKER, CRUNCH - BODY BREAKING CRUNCHES WITH BLOOD SPILLING
- SKYWALKER, CRUNCH - CRUNCHING CHOKE
- SKYWALKER, FOOTSTEP - FOOTSTEPS ON DIRT
- SKYWALKER, FOOTSTEP - FOOTSTEPS ON LEAVES
- SKYWALKER, FOOTSTEP - FOOTSTEPS ON SNOW
- SKYWALKER, FOOTSTEP - MIRAGE'S FOOTSTEPS
- SKYWALKER GLASS, SMASH - LARGE WINDOW CRASH 02
- SKYWALKER, HORN - RC CAR HONKING
- SKYWALKER, HUMAN - NECK, CRACKING
- SKYWALKER, MOVEMENT - SKELETON MOVEMENTS
- SKYWALKER, MUSIC - DOLBY SYNTH SAMPLE
- SKYWALKER RAINING SOUNDS
- SKYWALKER, SQUISH - B.O.B. SQUISHING
- SKYWALKER, SQUISH - BIG SQUISH
- SKYWALKER, SQUISH - HEIMLICH'S SQUISHING
- SKYWALKER, SWORD - SHING
- SKYWALKER, THUNDER - LOUD CRACKLING IN A DARK NIGHT
- SKYWALKER, WIND - HEAVY WIND WHISTLING
- SKYWALKER, WIND SOUNDS
- Sound Ideas, BIRD, CROW - COMMON CROW: CALLS, ANIMAL
- Sound Ideas, CAVERN - LARGE, WET EERIE CAVE: WIND AND BATS, AMBIENCE
- Sound Ideas, FOOTSTEPS, CONCRETE - FEMALE HEELS: WALK
- Sound Ideas, HORSE - 3 WHINNIES, 3 SNORTS, C.U, ANIMAL (1st whinny)
- Sound Ideas, HUMAN, EATING - APPLE: MEDIUM BITE, FOOD
- Sound Ideas, RAIN, THUNDER - THUNDER, LOUD CLAPS, WEATHER
- Sound Ideas, ROCKS, HIT - SINGLE & MULTIPLE, AVALANCHE
- Sound Ideas, THUNDER - THUNDER CLAP AND RUMBLE, WEATHER 01 (Series 6000)