(October 17, 2012) — Since the days when I would be easily amused by Barbie dolls and Kim Possible, I have never said no to a classic Tim Burton flick — particularly from his stop motion collection. There’s a beauty in absorbing the claymationed, wide-eyed characters in constructed worlds that keeps me coming back, because when sitting down to watch one of his movies, one is embodied into a creepy and melancholy yet still cheerful Burton creation. With the recent release of Frankenweenie , a remake of Tim Burton’s 1984 human version of the same title made in stop motion, I am reminded of my appreciation for his films. Take a look at pieces such as Nightmare Before Christmas , Corpse Bride , James and the Giant Peach and Edward Scissorhands — Ed wasn’t made in stop motion, but it’s a classic. Each of these films make my head tilt a bit to the side because of their oddities. In an interview in 2005 about Corpse Bride , he said, “There’s just something visceral about moving a puppet frame by frame. There’s a magical quality about it. Maybe you can get smoother animation with computers, but there’s a dimension and emotional quality to this kind of animation that fits these characters and this story.” Agreed, Tim. Each character’s gesture has such a strange flow, but the abnormality of it is what makes the visuals so alluring. Burton’s movies are so unique due to the innocence of their protagonists; the characters mean no harm, but are viewed by the antagonists as vile or dangerous. Burton himself is a genre, and that’s what represents the genre of Burton films: innocence. Light-hearted and whimsical but with a gothic feel. Edward Scissorhand’s title character is viewed as a monster when in actuality he’s just a calm mute who would is too afraid to kill a fly. The aspect considered “wrong” of Emily from Corpse Bride was just that she was dead; she’s a nice, dead lady. It’s refreshing when a Tim Burton film is released in theaters because each stands out amongst the cheesy romantic comedies, plotless action shows and witless child cartoons. I’m not saying that other screenwriters, directors and producers should change their approaches to be more similar to that of Burton’s stories — come on, that change alone would spoil the breath of fresh air obtained by watching a Burton flick. However, we should be offered more than just the cookie-cutter storyline of typical, mainstream Hollywood films.