As of October 14, 2025, Corpse Bride is sitting in the top 10 of the viewer count (via FlixPatrol). In a surprising turn of events, 20 years after the Johnny Depp-starrer was released, it seems to be making noise among audiences, which puts it among the top spot holders on HBO Max.
During an interview with Blackfilm.com, Depp talked about how well his children received the movie:
That was another amazing experience. Lilly Rose was sort of ready for this kind of thing and loved it. My boy, three years old, the attention span is quite short. He wants to go break something, run. He sat on my lap for the entire film and was glued, just riveted. Loved it, reacted well to the music, quoting lines.
This sudden surge of popularity may be attributed to Depp’s resurgence in Hollywood and the love of his fans and the populace after his public divorce case with ex-wife Amber Heard. At the same time, this film reminds us of the forgotten art of Stop-Motion animation, only made better with Tim Burton in the director’s chair.
Tim Burton and Johnny Depp’s Collaborations Always Lead to Cult Classics
When it comes to the partnership of Johnny Depp and iconic filmmaker Tim Burton, there’s not much to say, but a lot to experience. Together, the actor-director duo have made some of the most iconic films of the industry, many of which have gone on to become cult classics.
Starting their partnership with Edward Scissorhands, this macabre drama film was one of those projects that put the star on Hollywood’s radar. But at one point, it might not have been the case if Tom Cruise hadn’t asked a “stupid” question when he was presented with the role of the protagonist.
After films like Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow, their next big hit was none other than the iconic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where Depp played the role of Willy Wonka. To prepare for his role, he had to take inspiration from unusual places, which ended up scaring him during the process.
This success was followed by Corpse Bride, which was one of the first animated films that the filmmaker lent his talents to. And later, we saw him in yet another cult classic horror/musical titled Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, which was received extremely well due to its use of gothic horror for a film in the musical genre.
Therefore, with many more films together, both Depp and Burton established themselves as a successful duo in the film industry.
Why Stop-Motion Films Like Corpse Bride Aren’t Made Anymore
As stated earlier, Corpse Bride was made at a time when the use of Stop-Motion animation was almost reaching its peak, and the days of CGI were going to take over. Thus, one of the factors for this film’s resurgence is its novelty for using a now-forgotten animation style, along with the story, making it one of the best dark fantasy films to date.
One of the reasons why we rarely see a Stop-Motion film is that the process is incredibly time-consuming. In some cases, one second of footage may take 24 different movements of the models, which might take several dozen minutes to hit right. And for a feature-length movie, production can last two to three years, just for animation.
At the same time, the production of such animation styles was incredibly expensive to develop. When each frame requires the replacement of surrounding environment models, 3D-printed faces and limbs, painted, and repeated thousands of times, it’s no wonder the economy and ease in CGI seemed more appealing to the industry.
Here is a closer look at all the films made by Tim Burton that feature Johnny Depp.
Are you a fan of Stop-Motion animations? Tell us in the comments below.
