By John C.

Fan Expo is here once again in Toronto, and it’s the only time of year when you can walk by the South building of the Metro Convention Centre and see Lou Ferrigno standing a few metres away from you doing interviews, getting ready to cut the red ribbon and officially open the event.  You can watch our video of all those festivities right here.

This is exactly the experience that we had on Thursday morning while waiting to be brought in for an advanced VIP walk through of Disney’s beautiful The Art of Frankenweenie exhibit, which should be a big draw for audiences making their way through the convention.  A massive celebration of science fiction, horror, comic books and video games, Fan Expo opened to the public this afternoon and runs until Sunday.  Taking visitors through the entire filmmaking process that went into the black and white stop motion film, The Art of Frankenweenie allows us to view the actual sets and models that were used in the filmmaking process.

Those who view the exhibit, which is currently on the only Canadian stop of its international tour, are guaranteed to question their own patience and creative process as they look into the world that was meticulously crafted and marvel at the fact that the film was all created by moving these models one frame at a time, producing about two seconds of footage per day.  The detailing around the sets and on the clothes of the characters is just breathtaking, and the plexiglass display cases give us an opportunity to get right up close to the world of the film.  The exhibit starts with an exact recreation of director Tim Burton’s actual desk.  You can even look through the window of the classroom set and have your picture taken, and control the lighting of the immensely detailed attic where the main character Victor brings his beloved dog Sparky back to life.

Although Frankenweenie pays homage to the classic horror movies that Tim Burton grew up with and this exhibit fits right in with the many displays at Fan Expo, we were assured time and again that it is also a heartwarming Disney film about “a boy and his dog.”  It looks great on every level, so watch out for our reviews of the hugely anticipated film when it opens in theatres on October 5th.  Please see below for all of our pictures from the awesome exhibit, most of which were taken by our writer and photographer Erin.  Get more information on Fan Expo and purchase tickets right here.  Enjoy!