(PG, 77 mins), Starring the voices of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Albert Finney, Christopher Lee, Richard E Grant. Directed by Tim Burton and Mike Johnson

What's this? What's this? Tim Burton returning to the dark recesses of his mind after a summer of sweets and bad Michael Jackson impressions in Charlie And The Chocolate Factory?

After his inspired but ultimately unsatisying adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic, the gothic god has returned to his first love of animation - more specifically (and try not to wet yourselves fan boys), the stop-motion style that was used to such stunning effect in The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Giving plenty of Burton for your buck, it's a expressionistic dream come to vivid life, full of pointy trees, crooked houses, bizarre pale-skinned characters and a plot so deliciously dark that you'll swear there's been a power cut.

And yes, it is a kid's film.

Loosely based on a Russian fairy tale, it's all about a nervous young man called Victor Van Dort (Depp) who is unhappily betrothed to Victoria (Watson), the lovely but aloof daughter of stuffy penniless aristocrats (Finney and Lumley).

On the eve of the wedding, Victor fluffs his vows at a rehearsal and flees into the woods. There he falls foul of something worse than the future in-laws as he inadvertantly finds himself betrothed to - yep, you guessed it - a walking, talking corpse.

Finding himself whisked off to the land of the dead, Victor must find a way out of his decomposing dilemma or face an eternity with only cadavers for company.

Putting questions of necrophilia aside, this is a stunning return to form for Burton, who is never better than when he joins the realms of gothic fantasy in the tradition of Edgar Alan Poe, Edward Gorey and the Brothers Grimm.

Using broad strokes of colour to great effect and utilising the prodigious skills of music maker Danny Elfman - here providing an upbeat, jazzy score - Corpse Bride is full of intricate design, assured vocal talent and, of course, stunning animation.

A short and sharp macabre delight, it is possibly a little too scary for the very young but certainly makes a neat trick out of giving us an early Hallowe'en treat.