When Does The Corpse Bride Take Place?

I think her motives were a lot simpler. She wanted love. That’s how she was so easily swayed by Barkis, why she so quickly accepted a marriage to a neurotic stranger, why she’s so hurt when he sneaks off to be with Victoria. And her scene picking flower petals only emphasizes what she wants and can’t have. I also think the scene where she turns to butterflies is reflective of her ascending after letting go of the anger she felt for having been murdered and unloved. She doesn’t immediately turn to butterflies when he dies. Not until after she gives her blessing to Victor and Victoria. She lets go of what she couldn’t have. She lets go of the hatred and heartache. Her soul is finally at peace and she can move on.

I actually have a theory that Emily may have been pregnant when she died. In the scene when she is upset and laying in her coffin she’s picking flowers and says “Roses, for eternal love. Lilies for sweetness.” And when she gets to the 3rd bouquet of flowers she pauses for a brief moment and says “Baby’s breath” kind of dejectedly. I feel like this indicates that Emily definitely may have wanted a child before she died or might have already been pregnant with Lord Barkis’ child. Again this theory is very far fetched so it probably isn’t true but it’s interesting to think about.

I love that tim made the ending something else than we expected, it shows children that no matter how much they love something or someone they have to let go. It just isn’t the perfect ending and exactly that makes it so satisfying. Even while you’re perusal the movie, you probably started loving Emily too but in the end she was finally free, it kinda hurts but it’s also satisfying to see that she’s in a better place now.

We can conclude that victor and victoria must’ve been young (early twenties-maybe even teenagers) which means lord barkis must have been a similar age (he tried to marry emily and victoria who are both young) which means that emily’s death must have only happened a few years prior to victor and victoria’s marriage, since lord barkis would’ve aged! Victor and emily could’ve known each other before she died!

Just a quick thing, I wasn’t sure if you knew this or not, but Coraline and Paranorman are made by the same company/people but Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Frankenweenie, (etc.) Are Tim Burton movies and are different companies. I know that there are people who worked on Coraline that also worked on The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is why the art style is similar, but yeah I thought you should know, just in case that would change any theories you have

Theory: Emily is Victoria’s older sister. She was once a bright young beauty with a full and warm heart who was very loved by all who knew her. But, because of her parent’s strictness she was also a tad rebellious, learning the ways of piano playing and dancing against their wishes— after her tragic disappearance her parents decided they couldn’t let the past repeat itself, and so they were even stricter with Victoria… keeping the piano because even they didn’t have the heart to rid of the object that brought Emily so much joy when she was around (assuming they don’t know she died as her body was never found) but forbid Victoria from ever going near it. It would make sense, wouldn’t it? During the meeting scene between Victor and Victoria she mentioned that her parents never let her near the piano with the excuse that it was improper for a woman, and too “Passionate” as we all know Emily is a very Passionate woman.

Emily was trapped by feelings of guilt(taking her family’s heirlooms and money) unrequited love and anger. She was able to let go of those feelings when she realized she didn’t want Victor to die because of her. She then pulled Victoria out of harm’s way and saved Victor from Barkus. Her final act was to wish them a happy marriage. Seeing Barkus die may have given her satisfaction, but it was not part of her unfinished business.

I’m sorry, but I have to say it: Victor is NOT Jack Skellington. I have several points explaining why: 1. Just because they have long limbs and large eyes (or sockets in Jack’s case) doesn’t mean they are the same character. Tim Burton draws his characters in that style, and that is how the puppets are made, hence why lots of his claymation characters have similar body styles. Plus Jack’s fingers are far longer. 2. They have completely different personalities. Victor is shy, timid and quite nervous, speaking with a stammer. Jack is outgoing and confident, having the balls to both recreate a holiday and battle the Boogieman (and not kill him, that was Santa. Common mistake). 3. Jack has an American accent and Victor has a British one. Enough said. 4. Scraps and Zero may look slightly similar, but it’s just because of the heads. Zero head is both smaller than Scraps’ and has a longer, thinner muzzle, whilst Scraps has a larger head with a wider, shorter muzzle. Finally, regarding your last mention of this theory, Jack is not feared by the residents of Halloween Town. Oogie Boogie and his henchkids are feared (and hated). Jack is loved and adored, called scary because it is a compliment in a town where “life’s no fun without a good scare”. He’s feared in the real world, but that’s because he’s a moving skeleton. Sorry to try and shut down your mini-theory, but I see this theory a lot and as someone who knows they aren’t the same character, I try and shut them down. Yes, I know I’m a killjoy.

Victor loved Victoria from when he first met her. He wanted to leave Emily, but when he found out Victoria had married Lord Barkis- he realised he had nothing to live for anymore, and decided to die and marry Emily. Also, when Emily tells Victor she loves him, he doesn’t say it back. Victor and Victoria were supposed to be together from the beginning!! 🦋

The Theorizer there is also another big question on my mind from this movie. How would all of a sudden the dead in “purgatory” be able to come back to Earth during the wedding? You said in your article that Victor would have to have some paranormal ability to go to that place, but that doesn’t explain why the dead ones in purgatory are suddenly able to go to Earth for the wedding. Why would they just decide to go back during the wedding of all times? I might be missing something here and I apologize if I am (I haven’t seen this movie in a while but I remember most of it). During the part when the dead all come to Earth, a young boy reunites with his dead grandfather like it is nothing. I am honestly really confused. Could you maybe make a article about this? I’ll try to think of things to explain this as well.

What if Victor got his powers of controlling the dead by marring Emily (a living marring the dead) like the mystique of the 13th century that had visions of Jesus, giving them advance and getting married to the mystique, and from the visions and came powers of heeling and preaching. I don’t know if I’m explaining it correctly, but in my mind it makes sense. Sorry… o_o

I believe her unfinished business was deeper than marriage. She believed she needed to be married to be truly happy and was holding onto to that thought for long, until she finally accepted her death and her inner peace along side of letting Victor be with the women he loved, did she truly move on and became a spirit. She found what she really needed. It was just a cherry on top that the evil douche did too and karma balanced it out. I also noticed that marriage ties into it at the end when she allowed the other girl to marry Victor and full fill her original dream. That means something to I think.

There is also a theory that Emily is Victoria secret sister that she never knew about, because think about it, Lord Barkis took all her family’s riches, killed her and left her for dead, Victoria’s family was poor and wanted to marry off Victoria to a wealthy family or in this case Victor’s family who had a fish company.

Random ghost story: A family moved into a house and they often saw the ghost of a little boy running through the house, down the stairs and disappearing into a glass door. They later learned that a little boy who used to live there had died from an injury after running into that same door. So that family (they were Roman Catholic) said a rosary for his soul (he must’ve been in Pugatory). He appeared one last time to say thank you and was never seen haunting the house again.

As someone who has watched many different theory analysis articles, I do find the amount of research and effort put into a theory article very remarkable. But I usually take most article theories, but not all of them, with a grain of salt. As that’s all they truly are, when all’s said and done: theories. Educated guesses about situations and details in film, and other forms of media, that we concoct to try and make sense about pop culture, and the world around us.

Yes, I know this article was posted 4 years ago but I actually have a theory about Emily and the things she needed to complete before she went to the afterlife. When she was married to Lord Barkis, she thought he was a good and trustworthy man. But he only wanted her riches. So that explains when she died or got killed by Lord Barkis, he stole her necklace and any jewelry she had on. She didn’t went to the afterlife but instead to the land of the dead. She was probably waiting for him to come back and get her revenge on him. She waited and waited for him to come back but he never did. But when Victor came and entered her grave (Where she died) and made Emily wear the ring (He was actually practicing his vows). She was able to walk on the Land of the living but it was only temporary. In the scene where Emily and Victor were trying to enter the Land of the living, it seemed like there was no way (Or they just didn’t know) for them to get out of that place. So now that Emily is married to Victor (Partially), the final step is for him to drink the wine of poison which will finally make Emily ascend to the afterlife/Heaven. But I guess it’s possible for the nemesis of the bride to die by the wine. Since it was acceptable, she was finally able to ascend to Heaven. Now, the question is how she died. This isn’t an official theory of mine so it may needs some editing and fixing before it’s finally made to be a real theory. They probably ran away from the hometown of Emily. You may be confused with this so let me recap a scene from the movie.

I thought she just moved on? I also assumed that land of the dead was a more of some temporary temporal pocket for the local deceased for that specific area for those that weren’t ready to move on, or tied to their ancestral land or town. Most were locals and seemed within the same time span like a few generations of one another and similar clothing remnants, same culture, language etc. I didn’t really feel an indication of like purgatory as would be classically defined, but rather a ghostly plain were the spirits could console one another for life lost to soon, and return to land of living when their purpose to do so is known. I think Victor can go to that land of the dead cus it comes with being apart of completing Emily’s promise and being her groom as an unspoken rule…its just a trope. Im not sure its THEE land of the dead either, as again most of the ghoulies seemed like locals, related and kind of within the same time period as indicated by their clothing and understanding of one another, there’s no cavemen skellies running around there, lol. I think Victor was able to resurrect her cus his action filled the condition of her unfinished business, IDk, super good article though! Very entertaining and subed.

You’re not far off on that assumption. (about Purgatory) That was my first thought upon perusal it back in 2007. But as far as Victor goes, I think it’s pretty heavily implied in the movie that the only reason Victor can visit the Land of the Dead, is because of his relationship with Emily. She practically states out loud that whether he likes it or not, by the laws of the Dead, they are married, and thus, he’s entitled to visit his beloved in the LOTD any time he wants.

Emily’s unfinished business on earth wasn’t sending Lord Barkis to the land of the dead, but to be trully loved for who she is. Victor at the end really loved her and wanted to sucrifice himself for her. His love set her free not the death of Lord Barkis. It’s a movie very sentimental and real. About broken dreams, hope and freedom.

I always assumed the names victor/victoria was due to the victorian era. Which the movie seems to take place in. Theres also the plot of the entire movie, given that the point if the two marrying was to gain status/keeping up the expensive lifestyle, the general attitudes of both sets of parents as well.

OK I have a theory So…this theory connects with the movies,frankenwennie, Corpse bride and nightmare before christmas… In the movie frankenwennie there is a kid called victor and he has a dog that gets run over by a car and victor brings the dog back to life and then victor and the dog has a happy life and then in copse bride the main character is called victor as an adult and when he goes to the undead world he gets a box of bones and they form into a dog which could be the dog from frankenwennie,and then in nightmare before Christmas jack skeleton could be victor when he died and the dog zero could be his dog right from the beginning…this pretty much a time line of victors life 🤔🤔

So here’s my theory on Victor. Frankinweenie was basically about a dog raised back from the dead by a young boy NAMED VICTOR who owned this dog and he unfortunately died. Young Victor in an attempt to bring his friend back made Frankinweenie. Now old what happens to Frankinweenie at the end but I can only assume he died again. In Corpse Bride this Victor is oddly similar to the Victor from Frankinweenie. This Victor somehow brought Emily out of purgatory….sounds like a Frankenstein thing to me. In this he talks with Emily about Scraps his dead dog whom she gives to him as a gift. He speaks about how his mother never approved of Scraps but doesn’t explain in detail why. He doesn’t say anything about her hating dogs which leads me to believe she didn’t approve of Scraps because he was a zombified Frankinweenie. Now here’s where I have a bit of trouble with my theory. That both Victors are the same guy who eventually become Jack Skellington. How he suddenly has the alias Jack Skellington I don’t know. I have no idea why he’d change the dog’s name from Frankinweenie to Scraps to Zero…. However I can see how it’s a timeline being made in reverse. Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas resembles a perfect mix of Emily and Victoria and perhaps that’s why Jack falls for her so. Also Sally is a Frankenstein type scarecrow rag doll girl. Perhaps she is Emily’s subconscious as she always longs to be free and have freedom while admiring a very passionate and confident Jack Skellington.

I personally think when you die, your soul leaves your body, your body is just a shell your soul lives in. So when a baby is born crying, it most likely means they remember their death and are afraid. Which is why they cried a lot. But you don’t as much when your grown up because you forget about it.

One major thing tou either forgot or didn’t look up is that purgatory is not a place where everyone gets dumped each person gets their own personal purgatory until you resolve your business. So therefore the land of the dead would have just been that the land of the dead. There is another theory that better explains it though. Its called the purgatorial loop. Its where you aren’t actually in purgatory but you’ve been forced into a loop like purgatory causes. It can happen to the living or dead. It mostly happens when someone screws the pooch so bad they repress it immediately but that bad feeling they have is so strong it puts them in a loop of that event until they work through the feelings.

“frankenweinee” is Victor as a boy when his dog was alive. “corpse bride” is Victor as a teen after he couldn’t bring his dog back to life as electricity was his only option “nightmare before Christmas ” was Victor as a adult after his bride and his dog were dead so he killed himself as he went mad and threatened the lifeless hence why he’s the king..just a heads up 🙂

I’m pleased that Victor ended up with Victoria. Not that Victor’s selfish, but Emily deserved someone who truly loved her. Victor isn’t entitled or a bad person at all, but he agrees to marry her out of sympathy. He simply felt bad when he saw how hurt she was. He may have been willing to die for her, but he wasn’t in love with her. If Emily had stayed in her state, she should’ve found someone who truly loved her. If I was Emily, I also would’ve stopped this marriage. I wouldn’t be able to marry someone who cares deeply about me but doesn’t love me like a real partner, knowing they already love someone else. Emily realized this wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted a man who loved her with all his heart, who would do anything for her but she understood this was a man who cared about her enough to marry her, but wasn’t someone who loved her as a wife.

When i was a kid, i was sad that Victor didnt get with Emily. But perusal it now, I didnt want him to be with Emily. He clearly liked Victoria and she liked him too. And he didnt even wanted to be with Emily atfirst. He only chose to marry her because he saw that Victoria married that lord barkis instead. At the start Emily was just forcing marriage onto him, when you can clearly tell he didnt want it.

I heard from another youtuber that Emily might be Victoria’s Sister. In the beginning of the movie where victor and Victoria meet she said to him “Mother said music is improper for a lady” it was also stated that Emily plays a piano maybe her Mother said that because she didn’t want Victoria to also have the same event happen to her. “What about Lord Barkis?” Remember when it was their wedding practice Victoria’s parents weren’t really certain how is he related and in the ending it came to light that he was married to Emily then remember in the song when Victor came to the undead the skeleton guy was telling Emily’s story he was talking about this woman who got all the money and waited in the old oak tree only then to be killed, maybe that may be the reason why Victoria’s family is in a financial crisis in the current moment

I think what actually held dead people in the Land of the Dead was not unfinished business but unresolved emotional baggage: in Emily’s case it was an obsession that she had to get a husband. Victor putting that ring on her finger did not resolve unfinished business, it only gave her someone to fixate on. It was her decisions to keep him from him drinking that poison, to pull Victoria out of harm’s way, to save Victor from Barkus, to return the ring Victor put on her finger in the first place, and finally to wish him and Victoria a happy marriage by tossing her the bouquet that made it possible for Emily to move on. Victor was vital in helping Emily reach that point, but it was her choices that ultimately freed her. I also disagree with your notion that Barkus’s death was necessary for Emily to move on because she did not kill him when she got the sword, despite her obvious anger. She declined to warm Barkus about the poison which is a gray area, but she did not join the mob that hauled him off and her expression when that happened did not seem happy or satisfied. I take that as a sign that she had gotten beyond her need for revenge and was just happy that he wouldn’t be killing anyone else.

Haha, 1. You mispronounced “Catholicism”. (But that’s not a big deal because I’ve heard Catholics do it, too.) and 2. That’s not how Purgatory works (in Catholicism). In Purgatory, one has already seperated from one’s body (aka you’re dead), and you’re only your soul. I understand that he’s talking about a fictional movie, but his info on Catholicism is incorrect, because we don’t think about Purgatory like that. 🙂 But cool theory 😀

I thought this wasn’t a theory, I thought it was completely obvious that the land of the dead was purgatory. But I think there is another point worth mentioning it’s that she was released into “heaven” not just because she let Bacchus live out his own fate and fall into purgatory (which the land of the dead take care of, which is symbolizing they will be sending him to hell) but because she let go of the idea she has to be loved by somebody to complete herself. That’s the whole point of why she let go of Victor to Victoria. She needed to let go of that to be set free.

wait I just tought about something, jack skellington can also travel to other holidays and to the human world and back to halloween town, I know the children went to other holidays too but maybe only some people can see the doors? and can everyone go to the human world or only the “kings” of each holiday? idk these are just somethings I tought about.

Not going to lie, I hoped Victor and Emily would end up together. Don’t get me wrong, Victoria shouldn’t have married Lord Barkus (Don’t know how to spell it) since he clearly was Emily’s murderer. But, they could have found happy endings to everyone. Including Elder Gotcnict. (Another I have no clue how to spell)

Fun fact her full name is Emily Merrimack. There was a scene in the script that never made it into the final film where her last name was given away along with some minor details of her parents. It also explained how she knew so much about Victor before they met. As she actually died 9 years ago, and despite being buried she saw Victor when he would visit the woods throughout his life. Its part of how she knew about his dog and even his name.

I hate how Everybody hates on Victoria when she had just as much as chemistry as with Victor as Emily she risked herself getting thrown in a asylum (which happened to women who disobeyed) to save Victor who she for all she knew was with Emily. She forced into the relationship but still tried to make the best of it so I don’t want to hear Anymore Victoria Slander

When I was like 8 I would watch that scene on loop and annoy the hell out of my parents by pausing every two minutes and screaming about how pretty she was (especially that shot of her against the door, I tried to draw it dozens of times cause I loved how her hair looked ahah), and when a friend came over and I made her watch it, I was outraged that she didn’t feel the same and fought with her over it- Looking back I cannot believe it took me so long to realize that I was gay

One of the things that breaks my heart about this number is that, at first glance, Emily is very humble about herself; even when the maggot and the widow are singing her praises and tearing down Victoria, she doesn’t accept any of their compliments or participate in demeaning Victoria. But then you see that it’s really not humility, but an incredibly heart-rending sense of deprecation and utter worthlessness; she actively pushes away the maggot and widow’s second round of encouragement. After all, she thought she was loved once, she thought that someone saw worth in her and felt the same adoration she felt, but then she was murdered. BoneJangles’ line in Remains of the Day is a simple “And her heart was bust”, but I can’t begin to imagine the despair she must have first felt, and carried with her even when she tried to make the best of her death and wait for someone else who would love her. And then while the “cheating” reveal was played humorously, imagine being Emily, having gone through what she’s been through, and then hearing from someone she thought was her husband virtually tell her, “It wasn’t a matter of ‘lost love’, I never even loved you to begin with.” The absolute damage that could do to someone’s emotional state, goodness. I have a lot of feelings for Emily’s character, she was a sweet, beautiful, and charming woman who had nothing but love to give, and STILL had so much love to give even when she died, even when she was hurt in the way that broke her heart in the first place.

What does that wispy little brat have That you don’t have double? She can’t hold a candle To the beauty of your smile How about a pulse? Overrated by a mile Overvalued, overblown If he only knew The you that we do And that silly little creature Isn’t wearing his ring And she doesn’t play piano Or dance, or sing No she doesn’t compare But she still breaths air Who cares? Unimportant, overrated Overblown, if only he could see How special you can be If he only knew the you that we do If I touch a burning candle I can feel no pain If you cut me with a knife It’s still the same And I know her heart is beating And I know that I am dead Yet the pain here that I feel Try and tell me it’s not real And it seems I still have a tear to shed The sole redeeming feature From that little creature Is that she’s alive, overrated Overblown, everybody knows That’s just a temporary state Which is cured very quickly When we meet our fate Who cares? Unimportant, overrated Overblown, if only he could see How special you can be If he only knew the you that we do If I touch a burning candle I can feel no pain In the ice or in the sun It’s all the same Yet I feel my heart is aching Thou it doesn’t beat, it’s breaking And the pain here that I feel Try and tell me it’s not real I know that I am dead Yet it seems I still have Some tears to shed

“if i touch a burning candle i can feel no pain\r if you cut me with a knife its still the same\r and i know her heart is beating\r and i know that i am dead\r yet the pain here that i feel\r try and tell me its not real\r for it seems that i still have a tear to shed\r” the most important words in the world

LYRICS Oh those girls of Tenor Panic\r You’ve got so much more\r You got-, you’ve got-, you’ve got a wonderful personality\r \r What does that wispy little brat have that you don’t have double?\r She can’t hold a candle to the beauty of your smile\r \r How about a pulse?\r Overrated by a mile\r Overfed\r Overblown\r If he only knew the you that we know\r \r And that silly little creature isn’t wearing his ring\r And she doesn’t play piano\r Or dance\r Or sing\r No she doesn’t compare\r \r But she still breathes air\r Who cares?\r Unimportant\r Overrated\r Overblown\r \r If only he could see\r How special you can be\r If he only knew the you that we know\r \r If I touch a burning candle I can feel no pain\r If you cut me with a knife it’s still the same\r And I know her heart is beating\r And I know that I am dead\r Yet the pain here that I feel\r Try and tell me it’s not real\r It seems that I still have a tear to shed\r \r The sure redeeming feature\r From that little creature\r Is that she’s alive\r Overrated\r Overblown\r Everybody know that’s just a temporary state\r Which is cured very quickly when we meet our fate\r \r Who cares?\r Unimportant\r Overrated\r Overblown\r If only he could see\r How special you can be\r If he only knew the you that we know\r \r If I touch a burning candle I can feel no pain\r In the ice or in the sun it’s all the same\r Yet I feel my heart is aching\r Though it doesn’t beat it’s breaking\r And the pain here that I feel\r Try and tell me it’s not real\r I know that I am dead\r Yet it seems that I still have some tears to shed.

Oh those girls of Tenor Panic You’ve got so much more You got-, you’ve got-, you’ve got a wonderful personality What does that wispy little brat have that you don’t have double? She can’t hold a candle to the beauty of your smile How about a pulse? Overrated by a mile Overfed Overblown If he only knew the you that we know And that silly little creature isn’t wearing his ring And she doesn’t play piano Or dance Or sing No she doesn’t compare But she still breathes air Who cares? Unimportant Overrated Overblown If only he could see How special you can be If he only knew the you that we know If I touch a burning candle I can feel no pain If you cut me with a knife it’s still the same And I know her heart is beating And I know that I am dead Yet the pain here that I feel Try and tell me it’s not real It seems that I still have a tear to shed The sure redeeming feature From that little creature Is that she’s alive Overrated Overblown Everybody know that’s just a temporary state Which is cured very quickly when we meet our fate Who cares? Unimportant Overrated Overblown If only he could see How special you can be If he only knew the you that we know If I touch a burning candle I can feel no pain In the ice or in the sun it’s all the same Yet I feel my heart is aching Though it doesn’t beat it’s breaking And the pain here that I feel Try and tell me it’s not real I know that I am dead Yet it seems that I still have some tears to shed

I’m sorta glad Emily and Victor didn’t end up together, they didn’t know each other. Emily only wanted to marry Victor because she was desperate and not over being abandoned by her last husband, it’s explained that she was also like this when she was alive and likely only married Lord Barkest for the same reason. Which is why it was a great ending for her to let go and pass over. But that doesn’t make her story any less tragic; she still deserved her happy ending but unfortunately didn’t get it. And Victor didn’t exactly help, his inability to say no made things even worse. I think Victor did want to help Emily and felt great empathy for her, people shouldn’t ship them, she was desperate and lonely and he just felt bad for her. They didn’t know each other well enough to be in love, as much as it’s fun to ship them. The saddest part of this movie is that I don’t really believe ANY of the couples were in love. Victor’s and Victoria’s parents definitely weren’t, neither was Victor and Victoria (I’d call them good friends though – through similar trauma) and sadly neither was Victor and Emily. Most couples in the Victorian era sadly weren’t in love.

I miss this movie a lot when they don’t show it on TV and I am forgot to watch this movie on a few weeks ago on that Friday when they’re showing at 10 30 am I really like this movie a lot Corpse Bride I’m just keeping an eye on corpse by when they’re showing it again on TV maybe next month or maybe May or June or July or August September before October

I don’t understand why everyone hates Victoria. When they called her a “Brat”, it makes me mad. Victoria isn’t a brat or evil. Victoria is kind, caring, sweet, and soft-spoken. Victoria is different from her parents. I know Victoria never played piano, dance, or sing. Victoria really does love music, but her parents forced her not to play the piano. Victoria is very determined. She even tried to run away from her parents so she can help Victor.

She deserves to be with Victor! Victoria is such a dull plain and ordinary thing! Emily has much more: she plays piano like Victor, she’s as beautiful as him and she has a wonderful personality like him! Since after all she’s prettier than her and Victoria just loves Victor and overrated and that’s all!