Corpse Bride

Lore & Background

The film is set in an English village in the 1800s and follows Victor Van Dort, the son of nouveau riche fish merchants, who is arranged to marry Victoria Everglot, the neglected daughter of impoverished aristocrats. After a disastrous wedding rehearsal, Victor flees to a forest and accidentally places his wedding ring on the skeletal finger of a deceased woman named Emily, who rises from the grave and claims him as her husband. Emily spirits Victor to the Land of the Dead, a colorful realm where he learns she was murdered by her fiancé on the night of her elopement. Victor eventually returns to the Land of the Living, but Emily drags him back after discovering his plan to marry Victoria. Victor decides to marry Emily properly by drinking poison, but Emily stops him, recognizing that Victoria deserves a happy life. Emily later identifies her murderer as Lord Barkis Bittern, who is killed after drinking the poison meant for Victor. Emily releases Victor from his vow and dissolves into butterflies.

Reader's Guide

Corpse Bride is significant as Tim Burton's first directorial effort in stop-motion animation, following his earlier involvement as producer on The Nightmare Before Christmas. The film was produced simultaneously with Burton's live-action feature Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, with Johnny Depp voicing both Victor and Willy Wonka. The animation was shot using Canon EOS-1D Mark II digital SLRs instead of traditional 35 mm film cameras. The film premiered at the 62nd Venice International Film Festival on September 7, 2005, and was released theatrically on September 23, 2005, in the U.S. and October 13, 2005, in the U.K. It received critical and commercial success and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 78th Academy Awards. The soundtrack, composed by Danny Elfman, peaked at number 13 on the U.K. Soundtrack Albums Chart. The film is dedicated to executive producer Joe Ranft, who died a month before its release.

Did You Know?

• The film is based on a 19th-century Russian Jewish folk tale often called 'The Finger' or 'The Corpse Bride', which Joe Ranft introduced to Tim Burton while they were finishing The Nightmare Before Christmas.
• Production began in November 2003 while Burton was wrapping up his live-action film Big Fish.
• The film was shot with Canon EOS-1D Mark II digital SLRs, not 35 mm film cameras.
• The film is dedicated to story contributor Joe Ranft, who died a month before its release.