By Dina Ginzburg

The Tim Burton Exhibit gave fans an inside look into the mind of a brilliant director. Taking a cue from the exhibit's success, The Art of FRANKENWEENIE has travelled across the globe and has landed in Toronto for this weekend’s FanExpo.

Set up in its own corner of the FanExpo marketplace, The Art of FRANKENWEENIE includes the sets, props, puppets and production materials that were used to make Tim Burton’s latest stop-motion film. FRANKEWEENIE tells the story of a boy, Victor, who brings his dead dog back to life with unexpected consequences!

On “Tim Burton’s Desk” you can see his original sketches for the movie, puppets in different stages of production, various props, costumes and even a real pair of the director's eye glasses.

According to Greg Mason, Vice President of Marketing for Walt Disney Studios Canada, the reaction to this exhibit has been similar in all the places it’s been. Tim Burton is a globally loved director, thanks to his very specific style and attention to detail. It’s these details that fans love to get a closer look at, says Mason.

If you take your time walking around the exhibit, you will see details aplenty! Even the school book props have been handwritten. You can see the gel used in the puppet’s hair to style it. Every fiber is visible in this up-close experience.

For those who’ve always wanted to be in a Tim Burton movie, you can stand in the window of the classroom set to have your picture taken with a small camera. The end result is a photograph of you appearing to be outdoors, looking into the room. This picture is then uploaded to the Disney Canada Facebook page. You can also play with 10 switches to make different lights go on and off in the “Victor’s Attic” set. Talk about an interactive experience!

FRANKENWEENIE opens in theatres on October 5 and The Art of FRANKENWEENIE will remain at the FanExpo in Toronto until it closes for the year on the August 26. Be sure to check out both if you can! 

BONUS: When walking through the exhibit, you will notice that some of the props, sets and puppets have colour in them. This may seem useless, seeing as the film is in black and white, but in practice some elements have to be in colour to achieve the proper depth and perception. In the end, this prevents the movie from looking flat and boring when the footage is made black and white and 3D!