Corpse Bride
(Tim Burton, 2005)
I don't remember when I last watched this movie, but it's been quite awhile (also, holy shit this movie is 19 years old?!). I vaguely remembered liking it quite a bit but never quite loving it, but didn't really remember what about it I had liked.
Now that my memory is refreshed, there really isn't anything about this movie that I didn't like. You've got that signature Tim Burton style coupled with the music gifts of Danny Elfman (and while Elfman's songs for this aren't as memorable as his contributions to
The Nightmare Before Christmas, they're still pretty great). Add to that a wonderful voice cast (including the usual suspects Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, but also Emily Watson, Tracey Uhlman, Joanna Lumley, Albert Finney, and Christopher Lee) and a whimsical - if macabre - story and the result is a really fun time.
But what really stood out to me was the juxtaposition of the land of the living and the land of the dead. The land of the living is rigid, cold, and miserable, lacking in both color and life, while the land of the dead is free, colorful, and full of life - like one big party where everyone can be their authentic selves.
Now I don't know if my enjoyment of this movie was heightened by it following a lot of musicals that I didn't like quite so much, but regardless this one is sure to rank high on my ballot.