Abbate admits there was more at stake because Frankenweenie was so personal. You didn't want to disappoint Burton or begrudge the vision that had been in his brain for 30 years. Plus there was always the constant refrain: "That's not the way it was."

Assistant Art Director, Barry Jones, set dressing the Classroom set. Photo by: Leah Gallo.

"As an American living amongst English people, you really have to distill the essence of what it was like living in Burbank in the '70s," Abbate explains. "Once you can find that way in for the artists and the puppet makers and prop makers, it's helpful to clarify it for audiences, too. Everyone brings that little bit of their experience to it.  And we would allow the artists to do that as well. That's why some of the props are personal. Tim creates this place and allows you to bring your own stuff to it as well."

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Bill Desowitz is former senior editor of AWN and VFXWorld, the owner of Immersed in Movies (www.billdesowitz.com), a columnist for Thompson on Hollywood at Indiewire and author of James Bond Unmasked (www.jamesbondunmasked.com), which chronicles the 50-year evolution of 007 on screen, featuring interviews with all six actors.