Corpse Bride is based on a 17th-century Jewish folktale, which Joe Ranft introduced to Burton while they were finishing The Nightmare Before Christmas. Work on the film started in November 2003 when Burton was completing Big Fish (2003).
The original Corpse Bride story was inspired by a Jewish folktale called "The Finger," which tells the story of a man accidentally marrying the undead ghost of a murdered bride.
In the end, though the corpse bride's tragic plight is regarded with compassion and sympathy, the tale affirms that the dead have no claim upon the living; the young man is ultimately free to marry his living fiancée, while the corpse bride is laid to rest.
The story for "Corpse Bride" dates back to the 16th century and was originally recorded as part of a compendium of Jewish folk tales called "Shivchei Ha'ari." (Hebrew editions of the book are available to this day.)
Is Victor in Frankenweenie the same as Corpse Bride?
Corpse Bride's Victor and Frankenweenie's have pretty much the same character design, with pointy chins, really big eyes, thin noses, dark shadows around the eyes, and small mouths, but they aren't the same character.
Jack Skellington's appearance in James and the Giant Peach as Captain Jack suggests that he was a pirate before he died, explaining his chaotic actions in The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Is Corpse Bride a spin off of Nightmare Before Christmas?
Though both films are part of the dark fantasy genre Burton is known for, Corpse Bride is a divergence in style from his first animated feature, The Nightmare Before Christmas. The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride went through different creative processes.
Emily was a tall and very beautiful young woman who had a slim and graceful figure. It can be assumed that she was just as plain and dull like the rest of the living when she was alive. Bonejangles replies that Emily was a beauty known for miles around. As a corpse, she's still graceful.
The central irony is that the living world is cold, bitter, restrictive and self-interested, while the underworld is warm, colourful, frivolous and generous.
What happened to Victor at the end of Corpse Bride?
Victor apologizes to Emily for lying to her. Victor's recently deceased coachman appears in the afterlife and tells him about Victoria's impending wedding to Lord Barkis. Victor, feeling betrayed, decides to end his own life so he can properly marry Emily.
"With this hand I will lift your sorrows. Your cup will never empty, for I will be your wine. With this candle, I will light your way in darkness. With this ring, I ask you to be mine".
CORPSE BRIDE: Tim Burton's haunting, beautiful, and groovy gothic love story. Often overshadowed by it's festive cousin “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, Tim Burton doubles down on the victorian goth aesthetic in the best way possible, with an all star cast to boot.
tl;dnr: Emily is the maternal aunt of Victoria Everglot, the bethrothed / fiancé of Victor Van Dort. More specifically, Emily is - was? - the younger sister of Maudeline Everglot, Victoria's mother.
The original Bride, referred to by fans as the "Corpse Bride", is a ghostly character from the popular Disneyland attraction The Haunted Mansion. She is the original incarnation of the Bride character.
Although she is beautiful (at least for a corpse), Victor doesn't love her and just wants to get out of the marriage and back to the land of the living. But Emily won't have it. She was tragically murdered the night before her wedding, and desperately wants another chance at love with Victor.
Despite saying the wedding vows and placing the ring upon Emily's finger, Victor wasn't technically married to Victoria since she was dead and he was still alive. After discovering Victoria was already married to Lord Barkis, Victor agrees to die so he can be properly married to Emily.
Victor decides to apologize to Emily and becomes her friend by playing the piano with her. Even though Victor is in love with Victoria, he is heartbroken when he learns that she's marrying someone else, unaware that she was being forced into it by her parents and her fiancé is Lord Barkis Bittern.
Emily, the Corpse Bride, was murdered on her wedding day by her fiancé, who stole her family's fortune and left her for dead in the forest. The identity of Emily's murderer is revealed to be Lord Barkis, who was also attempting to marry Victoria, Victor's true love.
The reader also sees this with the corpse of Homer Barron, except she is the one who inflicts death upon him. She poisons him and keeps him locked away in her room; she did not want to lose the only other person she had ever loved, so she made his stay permanent.
Why did Emily turn into butterflies at the end of Corpse Bride?
Emily's transformation could also mean that she has finally fulfilled her purpose in the afterlife, and has made peace with the world around her. Emily'S transformation to a swarm of butterflies in the movie, Corpse Bride, symbolizes her transcendence to heaven and the attainment of peace, freedom, and love.
Jack Skellington has made nine cameos outside of The Nightmare Before Christmas, including in films like Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands. Jack Skellington's iconic face and figure can be spotted in various forms throughout other movies, showcasing Tim Burton's distinctive style and affinity for Halloween.
Though Corpse Bride is a departure from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas movie due to its usage of digital film and CGI, it's still a stunning film with an eye-catching style.
"It had to be stop-motion and it had to be black and white. It's hard to put into words, but for me it makes it more emotional," says Burton. "I felt so strongly about it that if the studio had said: 'We'll do the movie but it has to be in colour', I just wouldn't have done it. It was that important."
