In classic Tim Burton fashion “Frankenweenie” manages to give a mixture of happiness, sadness, humor and an unmistakable brand of demented horror.

The story is about a young scientist named Victor Frankenstein whose father makes him learn to play baseball. In his first game he hits a homerun, and his dog Sparky runs through the street to fetch it, where he’s hit by a car and killed. The young scientist decides to raise his dead pal through a science class inspired experiment.

Soon Victor’s classmates visit with their diseased pets. The experiments go haywire and Victor and Sparky are blamed for what happens. Apparently too much of a good thing can bring unintended consequences.

There is little chance that Frankenstein and his monster will ever stop getting “reanimated” in some way or another, but Burton’s films always give a fresh, new and slightly disturbing take on any story.