Animated Short ‘Frankenstein vs. The Wolfman’ is Slow but Effective

A number of years back Daredevil Films delivered Frankenstein vs. The Wolfman, an interesting little animated short that will certainly work for those with a deep love for old school Universal monsters, but may not be so successful among those who need fast-paced visuals and story. And as for that story, it isn’t ground-breaking, but it works well in this format.

A trio of trouble-making children find themselves in the middle of a werewolf’s stomping grounds, and they just about become a meal, but one mysterious monster, crafted in part by the hands of the mad Dr. Frankenstein, decides to intervene and save the scoundrels. What follows is pretty much given away in the title of the film.

As noted, the animation moves a little slowly, but there are a few extremely smart decisions and clean visuals to be found in the 20-minute flick. One moment, which is absolutely gorgeous, sees light from a torch illuminate the monster’s face in a surprisingly eerie shot. It looks good, and there are a few moments – all similar in nature – that work to elevate this animated flick beyond plenty of its peers.

Colin Clarke fits comfortably in the director’s seat here, and we get some solid voice acting from a crew that includes Grace Carreno, Tom Zack and Charles Reeder. It’s not a film full of marquee names, but it’s obvious that some serious work and talent were dumped in the production. That’s very respectable.

I wouldn’t have minded seeing the tempo of the film sped up, and the slow pace costs the picture a little bit on the final rating, but I still stand firmly behind the picture, as well as my decision to issue a recommendation. The movie makes for a fair way to pass a few minutes.

Rating: 3.5/5

Here’s the movie: