Release date: October 5

Why it's anticipated: Known more for directing disposable fluff like "Alice in Wonderland" and "Dark Shadows" at this point in his career, every few years Tim Burton manages to put out a film that harkens back to the glory days of "Beetlejuice," "Batman" and "Edward Scissorhands" - crowd-pleasing efforts that never sacrificed the filmmakers' unique aesthetic in service of mainstream tastes. This year, that film appears to be "Frankenweenie," a 3D stop-motion adaptation of Burton's 1984 live-action short that perhaps represents the director's most personal movie to date. Partially based on an episode from his own childhood, the story centers on the chaos that ensues when a young suburban boy plays Frankenstein by reanimating his dead beloved pooch. Based on the 15 minutes of footage I screened earlier this year (not to mention some positive advance word from Fantastic Fest) I can tell you the black-and-white visuals are truly awe-inspiring, and fanatics are no doubt chomping at the bit to get their latest fix of of true-blue Burton before he goes off and makes another watered-down blockbuster.

- Chris Eggertsen