Vincent (1982)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Tim Burton

Writer:

Tim Burton (written by)

Release Date:

1 October 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Short | Animation | Family | Fantasy

Plot:

Young Vincent Malloy dreams of being just like Vincent Price and loses himself in macabre daydreams which annoys his mother. |

Plot Keywords:

Macabre | Cult Cartoon | One Word Title | Raven Poem | Young Boy

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Vincent Price

...

Narrator (voice)

Runtime:

6 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Spain:13 | USA:G | UK:U

Company:

Walt Disney Productions

Trivia:

An early form of Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) can be seen in the upper-left corner of the screen at 4:45.

Quotes:

Narrator: Vincent Malloy is seven years old, / He's always polite and does what he's told. / For a boy his age he's considerate and nice, / But he wants to be just like Vincent Price. / He doesn't mind living with his sister, dog and cat, / Though he'd rather share a home with spiders and bats...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Shadows of the Bat: The Cinematic Saga of the Dark Knight - The Road to Gotham City (2005) (V)

Wonderful debut!

Back in the early days of his career, director Tim Burton was working as an animator at Walt Disney Studios when he decided that it was not exactly what he wanted in life. Unhappy with his work as his designs were always rejected (mostly due to its bizarre and atypical design), he chose to make his own animated film and the result was this modest short about a boy named Vincent. This wonderful six-minute short was then the first demonstration of Burton's artistic style and the beginning of his career as a director.

"Vincent" is the story of a little boy named Vincent Malloy, who rather than playing with the rest of the boys, he spends his time dreaming he is just like his hero, Vincent Price. While he is very well-mannered and noble, his constant macabre daydreaming worries his mother, as Vincent's great imagination combined with his obsession with Price's films make him believe he is living a tortured life of hideous experiments and lost love.

The story (written in verse) is narrated by Vincent Price himself, and is filed with references to the movies Price made (particularly the adaptations of Poe's stories he did with Roger Corman) that obviously had a strong influence over Tim Burton's young imagination. The poem is very well-written and while simple, it's insanely funny and cleverly original. Price's narration is simply perfect and it's obvious that he is enjoying the whole thing.

Visually is very impressive, and considering that it was done with a small crew and a very low-budget it's definitely a superb job. The stop-motion animation is very fluid and the cinematography and overall design works magnificently and showcases Burton's preference for German's expressionist films of the silent era. Many elements of his style are found here, and it's not difficult to see that the roots of many of his films can be traced back to "Vincent".

Fans of Tim Burton and/or Vincent Price will found a treasure in this wonderful short film that is a testament of Burton's admiration for his idol, Vincent Price. This amazing debut is at the same time a fitting homage to Tim Burton's cinema heroes and the beginning of his transition into one himself. Very recommended. 9/10