Frankenweenie

WHIRS and HUMS. The screen flickers.

Splices pop through the gate.

And then, today's feature film:

MONSTERS FROM BEYOND!

The title card is made from cut cardboard, and very

blurry.

MOM (O.S.)

Victor, I don't know that it's...

VICTOR (O.S.)

Mom, you have to wear the glasses.

MOM (O.S.)

Oh! Yes of course.

Thick frames slide past. Now we're looking at the title

card in real 3D.

done.

It's very homemade, but charmingly

The next card:

STARRING SPARKY:

DAD:

In 3D honey.

Reveal that we are...

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY

Victor's MOM and DAD share the couch with SPARKY THE DOG,

30-odd pounds of canine goodness. They're watching the

homemade movie through vintage 3D glasses.

Behind them run two projectors, manned by the filmmaker

himself, VICTOR. He's more mad scientist than film

auteur -- he built this twin projector system himself.

MOM:

So that’s where my candlestick

went.

DAD:

Oh, isn’t that your grandmother’s

table cloth.

MOM:

That looks great!

January 2012

Final Shooting Script_2012_01_18_v2 2

BACK TO THE SCREEN

The pterodactyl swoops across town. People run in fear

and panic. The monster attacks!

DAD:

Oh that is so...Woah! I just felt

I was attacked.

MOM:

Oh. That’s scary.

Troops and tanks spring into action.

DAD:

Send in the marines!

ARMY FIGURE:

Over here men. This way.

To no avail.

MOM:

Oh! Watch out!

DAD:

Whoah!

ENTER SPARKYSAURUS

MOM:

Sparky!

DAD:

Sparky that’s you!

Sparky barks as he sees himself in the movie.

MOM:

Oh!

DAD:

You tell em’ Sparky.

Sparky defeats the monster and the troops and townsfolk

rejoice.

DAD:

Bravo!

Suddenly, one of the projectors JAMS on a splice. The

film melts, then the tail WHIPS AROUND, getting snared in

the second projector's reel. The two machines SMASH

TOGETHER in a shower of sparks.

MOM:

Oh! Oh!

January 2012

Final Shooting Script_2012_01_18_v2 3

DAD:

Um. Maybe just unplug it.

Sparky YANKS the power cord from the wall. The bulb

dims. The spinning stops.

Darkness for a moment, then Victor flicks on the light

switch.

MOM:

Well it certainly was exciting!

DAD:

Yeah, it was a big finish. Well

done son.

VICTOR:

I can fix this. C'mon boy!

CUT TO:

INT. HOUSE / STAIRWELL - DAY

Victor lugs the two projector upstairs. Sparky follows

behind.

DAD (O.S.)

All that time he spends up there.

A boy his age needs to be outside

with his friends.

MOM (O.S.)

I don't know that Victor has

friends, dear. Other than Sparky.

INT. BEDROOM HALLWAY - DAY

Victor walks up the stairs into the attic. Sparky is

right behind.

DAD (O.S.)

That's my point! I don't want him

to turn out, y’know, weird.

MOM (O.S)

There's nothing wrong with Victor.

He’s just in his own world.

MUSIC RISES as we finally enter...

January 2012

Final Shooting Script_2012_01_18_v2 4

INT. ATTIC WORKSHOP - DAY

MAIN TITLES begin, as Victor carries the projector up

into his attic workshop. Sparky follows at his feet and

they pass various inventions and movie set pieces that

cram every corner of this sloped-roof wonderland.

Victor disassembles the projectors, nimbly swapping

pieces in and out.

Sparky happily trots on a little treadmill Victor

designed. He stops to scratch himself and slides out of

frame. He bounds back a second later and tries to get

Victor to play with him by licking his face.

Victor

Easy boy.

Victor finishes his tinkering and splices the broken

film. Satisfied, he snaps the reel back on the projector

and starts to roll it again.

On the reel of the projector we

DISSOLVE TO:

EXT. TOWN - MORNING

Tight on the wheel of the paper boy’s bicycle we pull out

to reveal the suburban paradise of New Holland. It's a

sea of cookie-cutter houses on cul-de-sac'd streets named

after trees.

The town comes complete with its own ersatz Dutch

windmill, which lazily turns on the hillside above.

A BIKE-RIDING PAPERBOY delivers the morning news.

EXT. VICTOR'S HOUSE / STREET - MORNING

Sparky runs out the front door and grabs the newspaper

for Dad. Dad kisses Mom goodbye.

DAD:

See you later, sweetie.

MOM:

Have a good day!

Dad heads to his car.

Sparky picks up the newspaper in his mouth, then trots

back to the house, where Victor is waiting.

January 2012

Final Shooting Script_2012_01_18_v2 5

MOM:

Victor! Come on honey your going

to be late. Go put Sparky in the

backyard.

VICTOR:

Come on Sparky!

Victor takes Sparky around to the side of the house. He

throws a ball for Sparky which lands on the edge of his

neighbours meticulous garden lawn.

VICTOR:

Good morning, Mr. Burgemeister!

Next-door neighbor BURGEMEISTER is trimming his box

hedge. The Mayor of New Holland, Burgemeister is

slightly OCD and largely insufferable.

BURGEMEISTER:

Your dog has been sniffing around

my Dutch Dazzlers. The other day

I caught him peeing on my

flamingo.

VICTOR:

I'll keep an eye on him.

BURGEMEISTER:

You better.

VICTOR:

Yes sir.

Victor continues to walk to the backyard.

VICTOR:

Go on Sparky. That’s right. Good

boy.

Sparky trots after Victor. Victor puts him in the back

yard and waves good bye.

VICTOR:

See you later!

Burgemeister picks up his own newspaper and unfolds it to

read the front page.

INSERT NEWSPAPER: The headline reads “MAYOR

BURGERMEISTER TO KICK OFF DUTCH DAYS.” A photo shows

Mayor Burgemeister complete with sash and hat.

Burgemeister is pleased with the photo.

WIDER:
A girl Victor’s age tries to sneak out of the

house behind Burgemeister.

January 2012

Final Shooting Script_2012_01_18_v2 6

This is ELSA VAN HELSING. She’s a raven-haired fourth-

grader with the soul of a poet.

With eyes in the back of his head...

BURGEMEISTER:

Where do you think you’re going?

She freezes.

ELSA:

School.

He turns to face her.

BURGEMEISTER:

Is that so. What about that dog of

yours?

ELSA:

She’s not in the house and she’s

away from your tulips.

BURGEMEISTER:

I want you to remember something,

while your parents are away I am

in charge here.

ELSA:

Yes, Uncle Bob.

BURGEMEISTER:

Dutch Day is coming up and I don’t

need any trouble. How’s your song

coming?

ELSA:

Okay.

BURGEMEISTER:

Keep at it. Dutch day is a big day

for me.

ELSA:

Yes sir.

He’s finished. Has nothing more to say.

Elsa walks away, happy to be out of that conversation.

Burgemeister goes back to admiring his photo in the

newspaper.

January 2012

Final Shooting Script_2012_01_18_v2 7

INT. CLASSROOM - DAY

MR. RZYKRUSKI stands at the blackboard, where he's

written his name. He has a thick, impossible-to-place

accent, somewhere between a Russian spy and Dracula.

MR. RZYKRUSKI

Good morning children. I am Mr.

Rzykruski. I will be your new

science teacher. Apparently, Mr.

Holcum had an incident.

Edgar interjects:

E:

He got hit by lightning.

This is news to Mr. Rzykruski. The rest of the class,

including Victor and every child we've met so far,

already knew.

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