Frankenweenie: Martin Short Just Wants To Hang Out With Tim Burton
Martin Short has been entertaining audiences for the past 40 years. As an actor, he's come up with dozens of characters and memorable voices that showcase his wide range of comedic timing and charms. Jiminy Glick anyone? What about flamboyant Franck Eggelhoffer from Father of the Bride? Surely almost anything from his SNL days? In the new movie Frankenweenie, Short lends his special vocal touch to three very different characters (Mr. Frankenstein, Mr. Burgemeister and Nassor).
When Victor, a sweet but introverted kid, loses his dog Sparky in a car accident, he uses science and a lot of heart to bring his best friend back to life. As Victor struggles to keep the reincarnated bull terrier away from his supportive parents (Mr. & Mrs. Frankenstein) and neighborhood bully (Mr. Burgemeister), the secret of how he brought Sparky back to life is revealed and his classmates selfishly begin to resurrect a handful of deceased pets. However, without the unconditional love that Victor used in his experiment, the pets come back as monsters and wreck havoc onto their unsuspecting town.
Having already collaborated with Tim Burton on 1996's Mars Attacks, there were two very particular reasons Short didn't hesitate when Burton came calling with the script for Frankenweenie two years ago. "A lot of people work for different reasons," begins Short. "Commerce is valid reason or people work as much as they can to escape something. But in Tim's case, he's a wildly original artist and you know that Tim isn't going to do anything for commerce," he says. "He's going to do something because there is a deep, creative reason to do it."
The second reason was a direct result of his time well spent in the business. "When you're not trying to pay the rent or make people love you," Short laughs. "It's really kind of about the hang." When Short describes his relationship with the legendary director, it's easy to feel him peeling back layers of respect and collaboration in between every word. "As an actor, the process (of working with Tim) is amazingly rewarding. For the first session, he wants to see how you see it. If he starts laughing then you know you're on the right track - not necessarily laughing because of something you said - but cause of how it's fitting into how he saw it." Adds Short, "Sometimes with very creative people who are the boss, they have the right to be in whatever mood they choose to be in and it's not always appropriate. Tim however is always laughing, having fun and happy to see you."
Despite joking that he's always had a great face for animation, Short appears to be a bottomless pit when it comes to finding inspiration for creating character voices. "The great thing about voice acting is that tape is cheap. I have lots of voices in me, (so it's) trial and error," he explains. "You have to make a choice whenever you do anything and sometimes its just luck and you stumble upon it." While dedicating a fair share of time in the recording booth the past few years (his last 3 roles were all voice work), Short’s found a level of comfort in an arena that can be intimidating for some.
“I think people freak when they hear their own voice. You think you sound like something and then you hear yourself and you’re like ‘what?!’ When you’re in the booth, you are hearing everything - your lungs, swallowing sounds - and it’s so focused," he shares. "But when you’re recording, everything is in that moment."
Frankenweenie is in theaters NOW!
When Victor, a sweet but introverted kid, loses his dog Sparky in a car accident, he uses science and a lot of heart to bring his best friend back to life. As Victor struggles to keep the reincarnated bull terrier away from his supportive parents (Mr. & Mrs. Frankenstein) and neighborhood bully (Mr. Burgemeister), the secret of how he brought Sparky back to life is revealed and his classmates selfishly begin to resurrect a handful of deceased pets. However, without the unconditional love that Victor used in his experiment, the pets come back as monsters and wreck havoc onto their unsuspecting town.
Having already collaborated with Tim Burton on 1996's Mars Attacks, there were two very particular reasons Short didn't hesitate when Burton came calling with the script for Frankenweenie two years ago. "A lot of people work for different reasons," begins Short. "Commerce is valid reason or people work as much as they can to escape something. But in Tim's case, he's a wildly original artist and you know that Tim isn't going to do anything for commerce," he says. "He's going to do something because there is a deep, creative reason to do it."
The second reason was a direct result of his time well spent in the business. "When you're not trying to pay the rent or make people love you," Short laughs. "It's really kind of about the hang." When Short describes his relationship with the legendary director, it's easy to feel him peeling back layers of respect and collaboration in between every word. "As an actor, the process (of working with Tim) is amazingly rewarding. For the first session, he wants to see how you see it. If he starts laughing then you know you're on the right track - not necessarily laughing because of something you said - but cause of how it's fitting into how he saw it." Adds Short, "Sometimes with very creative people who are the boss, they have the right to be in whatever mood they choose to be in and it's not always appropriate. Tim however is always laughing, having fun and happy to see you."
Despite joking that he's always had a great face for animation, Short appears to be a bottomless pit when it comes to finding inspiration for creating character voices. "The great thing about voice acting is that tape is cheap. I have lots of voices in me, (so it's) trial and error," he explains. "You have to make a choice whenever you do anything and sometimes its just luck and you stumble upon it." While dedicating a fair share of time in the recording booth the past few years (his last 3 roles were all voice work), Short’s found a level of comfort in an arena that can be intimidating for some.
“I think people freak when they hear their own voice. You think you sound like something and then you hear yourself and you’re like ‘what?!’ When you’re in the booth, you are hearing everything - your lungs, swallowing sounds - and it’s so focused," he shares. "But when you’re recording, everything is in that moment."
Frankenweenie is in theaters NOW!
Feed Source:
Gofobo Staff
Author:
Tristen Gacoscos
Date:
Array on
movie: Frankenweenie 2012
actor: Martin Short