Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
Young Vincent Malloy dreams of being just like Vincent Price and loses himself in macabre daydreams that annoy his mother.
Tim Burton's debut short is a strikingly original piece of gothic stop-motion animation rendered in stark black-and-white expressionist imagery that clearly draws on German Expressionism and Universal horror aesthetics but filters them through a wholly unique, unmistakable Burtonesque vision. The Dr. Seuss-style rhyming narration by Vincent Price himself is a masterstroke of casting and tone. Cinematography earns a 4 for its extraordinary visual invention — the shadowy angles, elongated figures, and expressive lighting are remarkable for a student film. Novelty is similarly high: nothing else looks or feels quite like this. The plot is slight by necessity (it's a short), and the ending, while darkly poetic, is more of a mood conclusion than a dramatically earned one. Acting/voice work is above average but limited in scope.