User Reviews

A six minute classic of a movie. So powerful in its detail, so intensely autobiographic, so deliciously expressionist. On par with the best German silent movie classics.

It'd be hard to describe this movie without giving it away. Suffice to say, it's Burton's most powerful, shortest, and (maybe) best movie ever. I watched it with no expectations whatsoever, and came away very impressed.

I gave it a "10" because it truly shows the power and magic of the movies. It's message and medium beauty all rolled into one. Superb.

`This better than a star on Hollywood Boulevard' …Tim Burton's homage to one of the greatest horror actors that ever lived is an adorably animated little poem. You can really sense Burton's respect! Vincent tells us about a 7-year-old boy with a passion for the charismatic horror actor. Rather than to go out and play with friends, he hides in his room and relives the Vincent Price films like `House of Wax' and `The Raven'… The animation style returned over 10 years later in Burton's masterpiece ‘The Nightmare before Christmas'. It's dark and rather ghoulish…but irresistibly charming! Price himself does the narrating and you can tell doing so clearly honored him. Vincent is a must for all Burton or Price fans and recommend to anyone else who knows how to appreciate imaginative cinema. `Vincent' comes as an extra-feature on the Special DVD-edition of Nightmare before Christmas. Check it out… it only takes 6 minutes of your time and you get a lovely and fresh surprise in return.

Back in the early days of his career, director Tim Burton was working as an animator at Walt Disney Studios when he decided that it was not exactly what he wanted in life. Unhappy with his work as his designs were always rejected (mostly due to its bizarre and atypical design), he chose to make his own animated film and the result was this modest short about a boy named Vincent. This wonderful six-minute short was then the first demonstration of Burton's artistic style and the beginning of his career as a director.

"Vincent" is the story of a little boy named Vincent Malloy, who rather than playing with the rest of the boys, he spends his time dreaming he is just like his hero, Vincent Price. While he is very well-mannered and noble, his constant macabre daydreaming worries his mother, as Vincent's great imagination combined with his obsession with Price's films make him believe he is living a tortured life of hideous experiments and lost love.

The story (written in verse) is narrated by Vincent Price himself, and is filed with references to the movies Price made (particularly the adaptations of Poe's stories he did with Roger Corman) that obviously had a strong influence over Tim Burton's young imagination. The poem is very well-written and while simple, it's insanely funny and cleverly original. Price's narration is simply perfect and it's obvious that he is enjoying the whole thing.

Visually is very impressive, and considering that it was done with a small crew and a very low-budget it's definitely a superb job. The stop-motion animation is very fluid and the cinematography and overall design works magnificently and showcases Burton's preference for German's expressionist films of the silent era. Many elements of his style are found here, and it's not difficult to see that the roots of many of his films can be traced back to "Vincent".

Fans of Tim Burton and/or Vincent Price will found a treasure in this wonderful short film that is a testament of Burton's admiration for his idol, Vincent Price. This amazing debut is at the same time a fitting homage to Tim Burton's cinema heroes and the beginning of his transition into one himself. Very recommended. 9/10

VINCENT is the dark tale of a young man whose innermost desires drive him to the brink of madness. His is a lonely, tormented existence. The Expressionistic environment through which he moves is the lightless landscape of the mentally ill. His obsession is overwhelming: he would gladly forego the dubious pleasures of a "normal" life in favor of a life led deep in the depths of the shadows. And, as he sinks deeper and deeper into his morose mindset, one thing becomes painfully clear: this young man is on the fast track to a rubber room. One can almost HEAR the tortured cry of a soul in despair as he moves listlessly from place to place, his head hung low. The weight of the world virtually rests on his sagging shoulders. But it's the EYES that reflect the innermost pain; the EYES that mirror the shattered soul within the humbled husk as it trudges along. A simple walk up the stairs becomes the scaling of an emotional Everest. Perhaps only the late Charles Addams could relate to this lost soul (for there was, in the eyes of Addams's characters, reflected the same soul-searing pain we find in the eyes of the boy called "Vincent")... A brilliant, moving portrait of a young man in search of his soul.

Spooky young VINCENT Malloy wants to grow up to become Vincent Price, in the worst possible way...

Darkly humorous, especially in shadowy black & white, this little stop motion animated cartoon is filmmaker Tim Burton's homage to his great friend, fright master Vincent Price (1911-1993). With its bizarre characters, grotesque story line & eerie visuals, it is a direct forerunner of Burton's feature length A NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993). A treat for those who enjoy the macabre.

Narrated with creepy perfection, appropriately enough, by Vincent Price.

God, I cannot stress this enough: TIM BURTON IS A Genius! "Vincent" was one of Tim's first films. Actually, first ideas. He has a very interesting imagination when it comes to this film. It reminded me a lot of Edgar Allen Poe. In some ways, I think Tim is the new Edgar Allen Poe of our day. His movies are strange and sad at the same time. Scary and fun. It could go on and on. And the film is narrated by his childhood icon, Vincent Price. So it does add a little haunting texture. I would recommend this for Tim Burton fans. Just get "Nightmare before Christmas". It's at the end. It's a fantastic short. I think you'll like it.

10/10

The art of the short film is one that is all too often overlooked by larger production companies. Which is just downright silly, really - OK, chances are they will provide less huge financial returns, but companies can afford to lose the odd dollar here and there, especially when films like "Vincent" are at stake. Funded by the Walt Disney Company whilst they were nurturing a budding young animator called Tim Burton, "Vincent" is a lovely little exposé on the secret thoughts that lurk in the back of most little children's brains. Lawks - I know they lurked in the back of mine.

Based on a poem that Burton composed himself, Vincent tells the story of a little boy who wants to grow up to be just like Vincent Price, the popular horror actor, and Burton's childhood idol. The narrative has a sing-song feel to it, and therefore retains an added grizzly-little-child-like nature, and the cinematography is a triumph, harking back to the classic B-movie horror films that Burton (and myself) grew up on. Vincent Price was, it seems, just as much an icon for Burton as for me: "House of Wax", "The Fly", "Theatre of Blood" - these are all films that made a great impression on Burton as a child.

Among other influences within the short are Edgar Allen Poe and Mary Shelley, both of course prolific horror writers that have inspired many films themselves. It is clear that Burton was going on to great, great things - as indeed he did - and it says a great deal about the company that agreed to fund this unknown's obvious talents. It's sad to say, however, that there was little Disney felt it could do with the film (without damaging it's reputation as the family-friendly Mouse Factory), and so it remains largely unseen by most people (with the exception of those who see it at film festivals, and on laserdisc).

"Vincent" is, to my knowledge, the first major use of claymation, the animation technique that featured in "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas", directed by Henry Selick; and therefore a breakthrough in animation technique. More short films should be made to test the viability of such new devices - just like Disney's "Flowers and Trees" and "Steamboat Willie" were breakthroughs with their use of colour and sound respectively. But all too often, these new devices are left to major motion pictures (like the use of the IMAX format in "Fantasia 2000", and the new CGI animation Deep Canvas, being pioneered in "Tarzan"). The short film is an ideal way of discovering exciting new additions to cinema - both in technique, and in directing, acting and photography.

For more information about "Vincent", and to see some of the concept sketches that went into the creation of the movie, I highly recommend "Burton on Burton", a loose autobiography of Tim Burton's work so far. It certainly has lots to say about short films - when the running time is five minutes, as opposed to the standard hundred-odd minutes provided by a main feature, there is also a lot less scope for things to go drastically wrong. And practically nothing in "Vincent" does - it is a diverting, amusing and gruesomely imaginative addition to Burton's work, and also to Disney's showcase. All in all, "Vincent" is a sterling little film, with lots to recommend it, and a fine example of Burton's early work!

Finished in 1982...my absolute favorite Burton. I was especially impressed with the way he used raw animation to bring emotion to life... I highly recommend it. Vincent is darkly comical, yet appropriate for anyone. This short really turned me on to Vincent Price... his narration is his usual creepy tone, but the underlying message and references to Poe's "The Raven" and also a few references to Price's films are cool also. If you are a fan of Edward Gory, some of the images may be familiar also. The story is done in rhyming couplets-- the same style as Dr. Seuss, and follow young Vincent Malloy who sympathizes with Vincent Price and Edgar Allen Poe, comparing himself to them so very realistically until his mother shakes his back to reality...

I truly believe that all children are born with the ability to see the world differently than we, adults. Their vision is poetic, magic and unusual. As they grow, they lose that vision but few are blessed (or cursed) to keep it. They become artists, creators, visionaries… Take for example the little boy from California. He liked more than anything to watch old horror movies with his idol, Vincent Price, to paint, and to read his favorite writer Edgar Allan Poe's gruesome tales and macabre poems. The boy grew up, attended California Institute of the Arts. and after graduation, he found his first job as an animator for Disney. When he was 25, he got his childhood dream fulfilled by having made the six-minute long animated black/white Gothic tribute to Vincent Price, "Vincent". Guess what - his childhood hero narrated the film about a little boy named Vincent Maloy. Tim Burton who remembered very well a young boy Burton's dreams of a home with spiders and bats where he "could reflect on the horrors he had invented", wrote the script and directed the beautiful, scary, dark, funny, poetic, elegant, incredibly personal, deliciously imaginative, and irresistibly charming little stop motion marvel.

I admit it, I like Tim Burton, his work he's done in this decade hasn't really been a patch on his early work I agree with the exception of Big Fish. But Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Batman and this marvellous short, which pays homage to horror maestro Vincent Price who also narrates, are some of his best ever work. Vincent is affectionate, dark and atmospheric, the reason why I love Burton's early work so much. It is quite short, and perhaps a little abrupt in its ending, but the visuals are beautifully crafted, the music is never overpowering and adds to the atmosphere, the narration is brilliantly written and quite macabre(kind of reminds me of the Edgar Allan Poe stories) and the story is evocative. Best of all, is the superb narration from the brilliant Vincent Price, his voice is perfect for this. Overall, a near-masterpiece of a short. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox

'Vincent (1982)' isn't the sort of film that you'd expect to come out of Walt Disney Productions, but it's exactly what you'd expect from Tim Burton. The director's first success, this six-minute animated short is both an affectionate tribute to the acting career of Vincent Price, and a vehicle for Burton's perverse sense of black humour. Vincent Malloy is a seven-year-old boy with an unhealthy obsession with the actor who shares his name, such that he actively wishes to become Vincent Price – or, more accurately, the range of characters that Price so memorably brought to the silver screen. Via increasingly-ghoulish flights of imagination, young Vincent envisages mutating his dog into a zombie henchman, dipping his auntie into hot wax, and attempting to dig up the totting corpse of his dead wife. Unfortunately, I'm not familiar enough with Price's body of work to spot all the references, but I'm fairly certain that among the movies Burton had in mind were 'House of Wax (1953),' 'House of Usher (1960),' 'The Last Man on Earth (1964)' and, of course, 'The Raven (1963).'

The film is animated in a style reminiscent of 1920s German Expressionism, with the continually-shifting walls and furniture serving to convey Vincent's escalating madness. A definite stylistic inspiration would also have been Ted Parmelee's 'The Tell-Tale Heart (1953),' an excellent animated short film (based on Edgar Allen Poe's short story) that utilised Expressionism to emphasise the insanity of its narrator, voiced by James Mason. But Tim Burton goes one better than James Mason, employing the services of Vincent Price himself, who considered the film one of the most memorable tributes he'd ever received. Price narrates the story as a poem, in a manner than suggests the work of Dr. Seuss, but was probably aiming more to emulate Poe's "The Raven," the final lines of which is used to close the story. Like Poe's protagonists in both "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart," young Vincent is left at the whim of his insanity, offered little opportunity for redemption or resolution. If you can handle Burton's macabre sense of humour, then this is a gem.

Vincent is one of Tim Burton's first films. It is claymation, like The Nightmare Before Christmas. The animation isn't as advanced as Nightmare, but it still has a dark effect to it, mainly because of the black and white film.

Narrator Vincent Price narrates the story, which is a long poem. He gives it that Edgar Allen Poe kind of effect. The poem is catchy, humorous, and somewhat twisted. All of these elements add up to create a short gem of claymation short films.

The story is that of young Vincent. He is a young man so isolated from the outside world that he is driven into madness. The story shows how he feels about the people he interacts with, how he thinks, and how his isolation gets to him.

Vincent's twisted behavior is amusing at times. I sometimes wonder if that's how Burton used to act as a kid.

Though it's a bit dark, it's amusing and I enjoyed it. As a fan of Tim Burton, I'm glad I watched this. It's amazing to think that he starts out doing this, but goes on to making masterpieces like Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Beatlejuice, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Big FIsh. If you liked this, I would also recommend Franken Weenie, another early short of his. After that, watch the other movies I mentioned.

My opinion of the work of maverick Tim Burton is rather ambivalent, since its remarkable visual sense tends to be ostentatious in order to make up for thematic shallowness; his best work is undeniably gratifying (ED WOOD {1994}, SLEEPY HOLLOW {1999} and SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET {2007}) but, when he puts a foot wrong, the result is often excruciating (MARS ATTACKS! {1996}, PLANET OF THE APES {2001} and CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY {2005}).

This early 6-minute animated short is a tribute to horror icon Vincent Price, who was even roped in to provide the witty rhyming narration and would, of course, bow out gracefully in Burton's EDWARD SCISSORHANDS (1990). Incidentally, the plot of this one, simple as it is, proves quite intriguing: a small boy named Vincent aspires to be Price himself, so that rather than play with toys like children of his age, he sees everything through a macabre perspective and imagines himself to be performing scientific experiments with his own pets for subjects! Even if his mother tries to bring him to his senses, Vincent is simply 'in too deep' and, finally, his fantasy world 'claims' the gruesome youngster for good!

Needless to say, this is not a kiddie film: the fairy-tale qualities Burton would become renowned for later on are already in evidence, and the result is a most delightful modern classic of creative animation. Like the subsequent viewing of Burton's FRANKENWEENIE (1984), this came via "You Tube" but I really ought to officially acquire them now as part of the SE DVD of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE Christmas (1993)...

During his days as an animator in Disney, Tim Burton was very frustrated and bored with his work. So he decided to take a shot at directing. At the time he was still under contract with Disney so his first two efforts are shorts done by Disney. Both rejected for release for it's content. This is the first and Burton's directorial debut. The film is autobiographical because it features Burton's love for Vincent Price. Oddly enough the movie is narrated by Price himself. The film itself is unique and interesting but Burton still hadn't reached his strength as a director and that is normal since it's his first effort. Regardless it's a very good short film and showed potential for Burton and what he would become.

3(***)out of 4(****)stars

Possibly Tim Burton's masterpiece, his first film he completely wrote and directed along with working with his idol, the amazing Vincent Price. With only the length of five minutes I find it intriguing with Gothic and Macbre blends, it makes me hate Disney even more for they hated this film and deemed it unholy when really, they ain't seen nothing of Tim Burton yet! Watching this film was a true pleasure watching this movie and I hope more people shall watch this film for it is one of the greatest short films I have ever seen in my entire life, that's how great it is! Anyway, this is Burton's masterpiece which, like Vincent Price, shall live forever within us.

With his debut as director, Tim Burton plunges us into his unique world of stop-motion animation, chequered floors, iconic horror stars, dead dogs and misunderstood heroes with wild black hair.

This animated short is based upon a poem written by Burton and recited by Vincent Price himself. Price obviously relishes this opportunity, and puts on his most delightfully creepy voice. Burton's poem is inventive and funny for both kids and adults, reminiscent of work by Edward Lear, Hillaire Belloc and Roald Dahl.

As well as being typical Burton in its ideas, the look of Vincent tells us that the familiar Tim Burton visual style was there from day one. Here he is at his most expressionist, with twisted camera angles, huge shadows and plenty of darkness.

It's nice to see something aimed at kids that really has some respect for its target audience. A lot of children's films aren't taken seriously because their makers think they can get away with anything when it's for kids. Vincent is not only lovingly-crafted and full of intelligence, but it also dares to be dark and different.

I have really found a big interest in short films as of late so when I heard about Burton's short films last year, I just had to see them. Unfortunately I hadn't been able to get a hold of them until buying the new Nightmare Before Christmas box set yesterday. I have only started Frankenweenie but I just finished Vincent and loved it. I am obsessed with Vincent Price and obsessed with Tim Burton, so talk about two birds! It has a great story and great stop motion animation with brilliant visuals. Tim Burton fans need to see this movie. Sure, it's only 6 minutes long but it will stay with me as a great film and a great tribute to classic horror forever!

This movie, 'Vincent' is about a boy whose name is Vincent Malloy, but who wants to be actor Vincent Price. It's Tim Burton's first released movie, which he's made in his Disney-time.

It's a stunning, special and beautiful masterpiece of short film, with the very, very, very good narrator Vincent Price, and some very funny images, as well as drama. It's a picture about how people have two different sides: the one they show to the world, and the one they hide inside. It's just stunning.

Tim Burton has always been my favorite director, and this debut does honor to that title.

9/10

The short was pretty good and the whole animation style was pretty stylish and i appreciate how they made it . I found the story pretty short and was not really interesting . But the animation itself tell the story . I mean it was great even for 5 min.

Before Tim Burton told us that anyone can find a golden ticket...before he made us believe snow comes from a man in a castle with scissors for hands and even before he made us whisper to ourselves to see if it really work;"Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice;" There was Vincent Malloy, a seven year old boy. Who was courteous and nice, but wanted to be just like Vincent Price Tim Burton's first animated short is nothing less from what we would expect from Tim Burton. Tim Burton who I believe to be this generation's Edgar Allen Poe, has never given us less than a masterpiece. Vincent is a short about a little boy who wants to be exactly like Vincent Price, the King of all horror films. This movie is everything you would expect from Tim. Imagination, creativity, dark humor and yes, strange sights and things, galore.

I would recommend this to anyone who is a Tim Burton fan, and anyone who is not,

because you will become one.

Vincet is a true masterpiece, see it for yourself

"Vincent" is the seed from which came out products such as "Beetlejuice", "Nightmare before Christmas" or "Corpse bride". This short is a delight about a boy that's obsessed with Vincent Price (Tim Burton himself?).

It's so short (sorry for repeating myself) that we barely have time enough to give a faint smile and we don't get to know enough facts about Vincent's life. Tim should resume this story someday and create a whole movie about this character. It would be wonderful.

*My rate: 7/10

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