Of the recent kid-friendly spooky animated features - Coraline, Monster House, Frankenweenie, Hotel Transylvania, and ParaNorman - Igor is very underrated. I would rate it only below Coraline. Sure, it's derivative of Burton, but it has its own odd, quirky groove. Why it bombed and is not viewed favorably is a bit of a puzzle - maybe it was too simple and at the same time too morbid (e.g. the suicidal rabbit).
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it's no Coraline, your right. And it is weird as hell but it is enjoyable. Much better then that gay movie paranorman
i told you not to stop the boat. Now lets go. Apocaylpse Now
I rate it above Frankenweenie and Hotel Transylvania. And it's funny how so many people hate ParaNorman just because ONE character (who wasn't even a main character) was gay.
And again, why do people always think Burton invented the genre? Like this kid: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1142977/board/nest/217821902. Steampunk, film noir, horror, and horror parodies, etc. existed long before he did. Even the Tim Burton "artstyle" (which is basically art deco/art noveau) is an old one, compare it with the Book of Nonsense (1846), Amphigorey (1972), and especially The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) for example.
I like SOME of Burton's movies (not all), but too many fanbois treat him like the god of goth or something. I do hope people realize that most of his movies are far from original, but based on earlier films and classic books (some of which he adapted terribly - like his Alice which, while visually stunning, was a huge disappointment).
Igor was a pleasant surprise with intelligent hilarious dialogue for adults, but still visually appealing enough for young kids. It's far from "simple". In comparison to this, Frankenweenie was a retextured Teletubbies, only enjoyable by toddlers.
Agreed about Burton. Other precursors include Der Struwwelpeter (1845) and Mad Monster Party (1967). Still, he did a lot to promote the merger of childish and creepy.
And you're right, Burton did not get Alice at all.