When I was growing up, The Corpse Bride was one of my favorite movies to watch in the fall. It’s one of those movies where you can cuddle up on the couch with a warm blanket, bake some cookies, drink a warm drink, and sit back and relax. I’m personally a big fan of stop motion film and this is a film I make sure to watch every year.
This movie follows two main characters; Victor (Johnny Depp) and Emily (Helena Bonham Carter). Victor accidently proposes to to Emily in the woods after fleeing his own wedding rehearsal with Victoria. Both characters Victoria and Victor who are getting married have very harsh family lives, and their marriage was arranged by their parents, who do not listen to their wishes. The movie goes on to follow Victor and Emily in the world of the dead, and we watch Victor come to terms with his situation and get to know Emily and her world.
One thing I really enjoy about this movie is the soundtrack. The instrumentals make you experience the scenes in a different light because you become moved by the sound instead of by speech. Being able to reach your audiences emotions through more than words is a powerful thing that I believe the creators of this movie accomplished during this film. The setting of the film is dark and gloomy, as most of Tim Burtons films are, which I love. The character designs are hauntingly beautiful. I love gloomy, dark, and horror type stuff so as I would watch this film during anytime of the year, but my favorite time to watch it is during the fall when the season matches the spookiness of the movie.
I personally like that Emily supports Victor’s relationship with Victoria, and it sends and important message that you can always be kind to people even if things do not end up the way you expected them too. Emily as a character is inspiring to me because she grew as a person from when she first met Victor. She slowly understands that he has a separate life he wanted to live and she learns to accept that. The ending, however, is just gorgeous. The corpse turning into these beautiful, dreamy blue butterflies was magical as we can envision her soul freeing itself from the dark, dreary underworld and moving on to a better place where she can rest peacefully.
This is one movie that I think everyone should watch at least once in their life. It has a good story with compelling characters that make you feel their struggles. If you love a good Tim Burton film, especially around Halloween, definitely check this film out.