Victor (Tahan) is a lonely boy whose best pal is his dog Sparky. And when Sparky dies suddenly, he begins to pay extra attention to his science teacher (Landau), planning a reanimation experiment that, shockingly, works. Victor manages to hide this from his parents (O'Hara and Short) and the nice girl (Ryder) next door, but his friend Edgar (Shaffer) can't keep a secret. Soon several other students (Capron, Liao and Short again) are working on experiments of their own.

The stop-motion action is shot like a classic monster movie: in black and white with a strong sense of light and shadow and a witty attention to detail. Constant nods to the genre keep us chuckling, from the zapped hairdo of the neighbour's poodle to Gremlin-like sea-monkeys and a Godzilla-like snapping tortoise. There are also name-checks of authors, filmmakers and actors in every corner of the screen, including a vintage Christopher Lee Dracula movie playing on a television. But more than referring to other films, Burton is building his own universe and telling his own story.

The film has a beautiful home-made look to it, more along the lines of the early Wallace & Gromit films than the much slicker Coraline. These figures exist in real space, with crisp detail and extremely expressive faces. Each character is packed with personality thanks both to the model-makers and the voice artists. Victor's creepy blonde classmate (O'Hara again) is especially memorable, as she and her fluffy cat Mr Whiskers constantly freak everyone out then dive right into the action.

As a monster thriller, there are some genuinely creepy touches, especially as the creatures converge on the town's Dutch Day celebration, leading to a classic confrontation of angry townsfolk, scared kids and unexpected heroes. This sequence feels perhaps a bit too quick and tidy, but it's also both hilarious and freaky. And like the whole film, so infused with wit and heart that it can't help but win us over.

themes, some grisliness

9.Oct.12