A pair of Burton trailers

This year we will see two Tim Burton films, and both have recently released trailers.

First up is a big screen adaptation of the cult vampire soap opera Dark Shadows. The film stars Johnny Depp as the vampire Barnabas Collins who is awakened from a centuries-long slumber into the 1970s. He returns to his ancestral home to find his family under attack from the witch who cursed him long ago.

Both Depp and Burton have long sought to bring the show to movie theaters, and this film has been something of a passion project for them. One major question about the film concerned the tone. It’s been years since I’ve seen reruns of the original show on Sci-Fi Network (before that channel was re-branded Syfy), but I seem to remember the show taking itself quite seriously. It was full of melodrama and came across like a weird Mexican soap opera. Would they stick with the original tone of the show or alter it for a more mainstream audience?

So, it looks like they turned it into a comedy. Fine by me. Depp can act weird with the best of them, and Burton is still a quality director (I’ll give him a pass for the horrifying Alice in Wonderland).

This one is giving off a silly Adams Family vibe that I like. We won't have to wait long to see how campy this one gets; Dark Shadows hits on May 11, 2012.

The second Burton film of the year is a stop-motion feature called Frankenweenie. The story concerns a kid who re-animates his beloved wiener-dog. Sparky comes back to life, but, naturally, there are a number of consequences. I’m guessing many of them are funny.

It’s been since Corpse Bride in 2005 that Burton has done a stop-motion film. I find myself wishing he would change up his style at some point. I can’t decide if I like the fact that the imagery looks almost exactly like Corpse Bride and The Nighmare Before Christmas. It IS a distinct style, but I want to see more. I'm sure it will be a sweet and funny film since Burton's stop-motion films are pretty good. Expect this one out close to Halloween.

Are you excited to see two new Tim Burton features coming out in 2012? Let me know in the comments and follow me on Twitter!