First poster arrives for Frankenweenie

Frankenweenie , the new stop-motion animation from Tim Burton , has received a first official poster and it’s every bit as charmingly gothic as we had hoped.

The poster shows a tombstone bearing the moniker “Sparky”, but wait a minute… isn’t that Sparky the dog peeking out from behind it?

Well yes it is, because the film will tell the story of a pet pooch brought back from the dead by a scientifically minded little boy. Naturally, he’s not quite the same as when he left, but still, at least he’s back! Sort of…

We like the grimly humorous tone on display here, from the cross made of bones to the little doggy face carved onto the tombstone. If this can recapture the magic and malice of Burton-created classic The Nightmare Before Christmas , we could be in for a real treat.

Boasting voice work from the likes of Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara, Frankenweenie opens in the UK on 5 October 2012. Don’t tell the RSPCA.

George Wales

George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.