Tim Burton's Corpse Bride was first released in the fall of 2005, which means that it is 20 years old! To celebrate this anniversary, we're looking at some of our favorite moments from the film. It really is a work of spooky genius and should be recognized.
Whether you love Corpse Bride for the music, the characters, or the incredible details in each puppet and set, there will be a moment on this list for you! So, prepare for a trip down to the land of the dead and reminisce with us about some of the highlights of this stop-motion adventure.
Victor and Victoria meet
As far as arranged marriages go, Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp) and Victoria Everglott (Emily Watson) are fortunate enough to get along from the start. Even though Victor is a wreck of nerves, his first conversation with Victoria while at the piano convinces him that this marriage will be a good thing. And Victoria, who worried she and her future husband wouldn't like each other at all, finds Victor endearing.
Victoria is able to open up and be vulnerable with Victor after hearing him play the piano. You can almost see both of them considering their married life including Victor teaching Victoria to play. Though it isn't love quite yet, Victor and Victoria both feel hope towards this new relationship.
Emily rising
The entire scene of Victor placing the wedding ring on what he thinks is just a branch, and Emily (Helena Bonham Carter) emerging from the ground, is perfection. It has just the right amount of ethereal creepiness to send shivers down your spine. We can completely relate to Victor's fear as the corpse in front of him flips her veil out of her face and says, "I do."
Victor flees the woods, and his undead bride, making it to the bridge. He's so close to the safety of the church when suddenly Emily is right behind him. She comes towards him and leans in close, whispering, "You may kiss the bride." Then, they both disappear in a murder of crows. What a way to get the audience's attention!
"The Remains of the Day"
Corpse Bride has a soundtrack full of ear worms, and that's not even counting Emily's maggot. "The Remains of the Day" is the liveliest of the songs, an intentional irony as we are introduced to the land of the dead. Bonejangles (Danny Elfman) sings and scats Emily's back story in a way that has every skeleton up and dancing along.
This song is crucial to the plot, telling the story of how Emily became the corpse bride. It has some important foreshadowing as well, if you pay attention to the silhouettes on the wall. Without "Remains of the Day," the film would fall apart, so it's great that it's so catchy.
Scraps
How Emily already had a wedding present prepared for Victor is unknown, but it could be that Victor was unconscious for longer than it seems after he fainted upon seeing Emily. What we do know is that Emily gives incredibly personal and thoughtful gifts. She reunited Victor with his childhood dog, Scraps, who may be a skeleton now, but he still adores his human.
The way that Victor is treated by his parents suggests that Emily's gift is the first time in his life that someone has put that much thought into what he would want. And who wouldn't grab the chance to see their beloved pet one more time?
Victor and Emily's duet
The piano duet between Victor and Emily is another beautiful piece in the soundtrack. They've just fought because Victor lied and also said some pretty harsh things like, "It was a mistake. I would never marry you." Even if it's reasonable to state that most of us would also refrain from marrying a corpse, he could have phrased it better!
Victor wants to apologize and finds Emily playing a mournful tune on the piano. He joins her and what started as slow and melancholy becomes passionate and bright. Emily even disconnects her hand from her arm to reach across Victor for some high notes. This scene shows a stark difference between enthusiastic Emily and the stifled Victoria, but it also shows that Victor has come to truly care for Emily.
The dead walk the earth
After Victor decides to properly marry Emily, he must return to the land of the living to die. So, the whole undead population prepares a grand wedding and they take a trip "upstairs" to support Victor and Emily. The living are understandably terrified but what happens next is full of funny and wholesome moments between the living and the dead.
A little living boy is the first to reach out to one of the dead as he recognizes his grandfather and hugs him. An elderly woman reunites with her late husband. And when Pastor Galswells (Christopher Lee) screams at the undead horde, trying to protect the holy sanctity of the church, one of the zombies just says, "Keep it down. We're in a church." I guess the good pastor just needed to be reminded to "judge not, lest ye be judged."
"New arrival"
It is always satisfying to see the true villain reap his rewards, and the villain of Corpse Bride is especially deserving. After being revealed as the former fiancé who killed Emily, Lord Barkis (Richard E. Grant) continues to gloat about getting away with it. He has now married Victoria and rubs it in Victor's face. He's unbearably cruel to our three main leads, but the dead are not allowed to interfere, so all the wedding guests must hold themselves back.
In his arrogance, Lord Barkis downs the cup of marital wine to mock Emily about never getting married. But that cup held the wine of ages, a poison that would kill Victor so that he could be with Emily eternally. Lord Barkis dies quickly and the dead wedding guests, no longer held back by the rules of the living, swarm him. They drag him screaming back to the land of the dead with the head of the welcoming committee stating ominously, "New arrival..."
Emily is free
Once things have settled down and Lord Barkis is gone, Emily steps away from Victor and Victoria, ready to move on. Victor stops her because he wants to keep his promise to marry her, but Emily won't hear of it. She tells him that he set her free.
Emily's soul is released and she transforms into a swarm of butterflies that fly off into the moonlight. Which is a beautiful and fitting ending, unlike the Jewish folktale that Corpse Bride is based on. I think we would all prefer turning into butterflies instead of wailing horribly while our bones disintegrate. Emily deserved a happy ending after all she had been through, so it's great to see Tim Burton's change to the story.
Corpse Bride is a Halloween-time masterpiece, with stunning visuals and stop-motion effects. The music and the story weave together an exquisitely bittersweet tale of life, love, and death. Even after 20 years, Tim Burton's creation continues to resonate with us and helps us look forward to the afterlife. After all, "we all end up the remains of the day."
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