On the upbeat side of Frankenweenie, Victor and Sparky receive their own heartfelt themes, the idea for Sparky seemingly doubling as a representation of pleasant suburbia. The Sparky theme begins with bubbly enthusiasm in "Main Titles" and progressively becomes tinged with sadness as the score progresses. In its first, perky performances, there are progressions and rhythms reminiscent of vintage James Horner and Jerry Goldsmith light children's drama music. After several bright renditions in the early cues, including some rowdy, intentionally soaring performances in the fateful "Game of Death," Elfman boils the theme down to solo piano in "The Funeral" and fragments its progressions in "Electricity" before a tender reference at the end of that cue. After Sparky is resurrected, the theme is appropriately tortured in its brighter renditions to suggest something is awry, its shadow at the end of "Sparky's Day Out" a sad reminder of better times. In "Dad's Talk" and "The Bride/Edgar Knows," the piano solos and faintly bouncing versions attempt to re-establish themselves, "A Premonition" building out of fragmentary usage to allow a full return to glee at the end. The theme occupies moments of reflection and struggling disbelief in the first thirty seconds of "Mom's Discovery/Farewell" and at 4:33 into "Making Monsters." During the closing cues, Elfman forces the idea through false resolutions in "Final Confrontation" before returning to the bliss of early performances in several soft and heartfelt performances in "Happy Ending." In the score-only album's two bonus cues, the "Alternate Main Titles" still features this theme prominently, but with softer tones in the middle section, and the somewhat useless suspense cue "Over the Fence" features slight hints of the theme. Countering the Sparky/suburbia identity is the representation of Victor and his love for the animal. The two themes are at times appropriately heard together, eventually merging as one as "Happy Ending" progresses. This Victor theme, the teary expression of wonder in Frankenweenie, is terribly derivative for Elfman, its series of descending four notes reminiscent of countless similar applications in prior scores for the composer. Typically performed with the soothing choir, however, it's difficult not to remain appreciative of how well this motif continues to function for the composer. It connects this work firmly with Elfman's fantasy past, and, like Sparky's bright theme, you can hear its nearly mystical personality float about the relational sequences in the first four major cues.

The true magic of the pretty theme for Victor and his affection for Sparky in Frankenweenie begins to make sense in "Electricity," in which plaintive cellos handle the identity at 1:55 before handing it off to the tender choir again at 2:44. After the resurrection is complete in "Re-Animation," Victor's successful endeavors allow a bittersweet but still lovely rendition of the theme at the end of the cue. A caring celesta performance in "Dad's Talk" and continued choral closure at the end of "Invisible Fish/Search for Sparky" are continuing reminders of Victor's persistence. Similar treatment at the conclusion of "Mom's Discovery/Farewell" firmly lends the element of sadness to the story, though after the monster-fest portion of the score, Elfman is sure to express the idea with the necessary grandeur in "Happy Ending." The usage of the theme in the notable bonus track, "Alternate Main Titles," is much the same as in the other version. Where the score for Frankenweenie really becomes a delightful listening experience is in the darker identities for these two characters, producing gothic explosions of force that are never scary but do have a resounding impact on their cues. Starting in "Electricity," Elfman starts teasing out these two themes, one for the mad scientist element on Victor's behalf and the other serving the creation side for Sparky. These ideas play off of each other well in the score, overlapping at times and each receiving grandiose brass and organ statements of wicked triumph that are the composer's clear and deserved nod to the monster movies of the classic era. Interestingly, Elfman's development of these two ideas on the album doesn't entirely clarify which theme belongs with which character, however, for they would be easily interchangeable in terms of personality and application. Interrupting the "When You Wish Upon a Star" Disney logo cue is the 6-note theme of Dark Shadows resemblance that could be the representation of Victor's mad scientist and monster elements. It's introduced properly at 1:24 into "Electricity" before an emphatic series of expressions in the middle of "Re-Animation" leading up to a theremine-aided crescendo at 3:15 into that cue. After an ominous reminder in full at 1:14 into "Sparky's Day Out," Elfman keenly adapts the idea into several variants in "Invisible Fish/Search for Sparky," including a quirky rendition on woodwinds at 1:42, an organ blast at 3:14, and a lead-in to the Victor affection theme at the end. Continued fragments on organ in "Making Monsters" and even less obvious informing of "Pool Monsters Attack" precede more concentrated references to frequently whip up a frenzy in "Mad Monster Party."

After one last brass fanfare version of the mad scientist theme at 0:35 into "Final Confrontation," the theme's repetition dies off as necessary in that cue. The other dark theme in Frankenweenie is arguably more frequently referenced, likely the romping monster version of Sparky's thematic representation. This five-note idea, sometimes truncated to four, is frightfully simple in progression, though its performances, as mentioned before, do compensate. Introduced on deep brass at 2:05 into "Electricity," this monster Sparky identity develops throughout "Re-Animation," building momentum from 1:06 into that cue to a full rendition at 2:12. In "Sparky's Day Out," the theme exists under the playful romping material as a clue that something is truly wrong with the picture. More obvious ominous reminders return at 1:16 into "The Bride/Edgar Knows" before "Invisible Fish/Search for Sparky" allows for several massive organ statements (along with the other dark theme). A brief and sad, but resolute statement is made at 0:49 into "Mom's Discovery/Farewell." The theme's most coherent and entertaining usage comes in "Getting Ready" (and this is where the attribution suggests that it might represent more of the mad scientist element than Sparky's resurrected form), in which several organ bursts accompany the application of the theme as a repetitious and propulsive device of action. The brass and organ likewise raise hair with this theme at the start of "Making Monsters," transferring the idea to Elfman's standard low woodwinds later in the cue. In "Final Confrontation," the theme supplants the bright Sparky/suburbia theme at the start and again turns into a rhythmic tool, a huge organ statement interrupting a false happy ending to close the cue. Outside of these four main themes, Elfman does occasionally throw in a unique motif worth mentioning. For instance, a morbid deep cello identity in the middle of "The Speech" is a diversion. A mischief motif harking back to The Nightmare Before Christmas graces the last thirty seconds of "Electricity." Likewise, a snippet of Dark Shadows is seemingly jokingly referenced for the resurrection activities in the first forty seconds of "Re-Animation." Overall, Frankenweenie is extremely entertaining in nearly of its ranks, despite some regurgitation and simplistic themes from Elfman. The parody material, from the opening logo to the monster-fest at the climax, is tremendous fun. The "Electricity" and "Re-Animation" duo is equally engaging. As surprising as this may seem, it's the lighter two themes that, while very pleasant, fail to carry the same ingenuity and memorable character. Still, this is a very solid score that is pure Elfman magic at its heart, and, as a superior companion piece to Dark Shadows, it reaffirms the composer's mastery of gothic storytelling.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download