Synopsis

Victor Van Dort accidentally marries Emily, a deceased bride, while rehearsing his wedding vows in a forest. Drawn into the lively world of the dead, Victor must find a way back to his living fiancee, Victoria, while Emily hopes their unexpected union will bring her the happiness denied to her in life. The result is a gothic romance about love, loyalty, and letting go.

Factoids & Trivia

• The story was inspired by a Jewish folktale, adapted from an older tale in which a man places a wedding ring on what he believes is a stick protruding from the ground.

• Production began in November 2003 while Tim Burton was completing Big Fish. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was produced at the same time.

• The stop-motion animation was filmed at 3 Mills Studios in London. Unlike The Nightmare Before Christmas, it was shot digitally with Canon EOS-1D Mark II cameras.

• The 55-week shoot required 109,440 individually animated frames.

• The puppets stood roughly 10 to 11 inches tall. Their faces used intricate clockwork mechanisms rather than replaceable heads or mouths, allowing animators to create subtle expressions.

• Multiple copies of the main puppets were built so different scenes could be animated simultaneously. Fourteen Bride puppets and fourteen Victor puppets were produced.

• Danny Elfman wrote Bonejangles' musical number and eventually performed the character's singing voice himself. The recording sessions reportedly left him hoarse.

• The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature.

• Corpse Bride was dedicated to producer Joe Ranft, who died in a car accident about a month before the film's release.