Fantastic Fest will host the world premiere of Disney's Frankenweenie on September 20 as the opening night film for the festival in Austin, Texas, according to a report from Variety [1].
"Tim Burton stands as a titan of modern genre cinema," said festival co-counder and creative director Tim League. "To world premiere the feature adaptation of his early beloved short is a huge honor for me personally and for the festival in general."
Burton's story centers on a boy who unexpectedly loses his beloved dog and harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life -- with just a few minor adjustments.
The stop-motion animated film was shot in black and white and rendered in 3D. The voice cast includes Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron, Conchata Ferrell and Winona Ryder.
Frankenweenie is directed by Burton, produced by Burton and Allison Abbate from a screenplay by John August, based on an original idea by Burton. Disney will release Frankenweenie domestically on October 5.
Fantastic Fest, which runs through September 27, bills itself as the largest genre film festival in the U.S., specializing in horror, fantasy, sci-fi, action and "just plain fantastic" movies. Past screenings have included There Will Be Blood, Red, Apocalypto, Zombieland and The Human Centipede 2.
Links:
[1] http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118056118