Most secrets are taken to the grave. So of
course, Corpse Bride is filled to the coffin lid with them! I want to dive into something that
has its claws in nearly every scene of the movie, and how it even ties into the (seemingly)
innocent blue butterfly. And death! Of course. So join me as I dig into folklore, symbolism,
and some subtle (and some not so subtle) clues in Corpse Bride. This is the Butterfly and
Blue - or “Why blue dominates Corpse Bride” ‘Corpse Bride' starts with a blank white page
welcoming us into its gray and dreary world. The very next thing we see is a black and
white picture of one of our protagonists, Victor, and his red collared pup! This is the only
color we’ll see for a bit as we watch current-aged Victor drawing in his monochromatic quarters.
The world in which he lives is gray and pale, heck even the ink he’s using (so expertly,
I must say!) is black on white paper - which is SUCH a stark contrast to the creature
he is capturing on the page - a lovely, spotted brilliantly blue butterfly trapped in
glass before him. The shot widens to reveal other, separate drawings of the bug's head and legs in
greater detail. Hmm, maybe Victor is a fledgling entomologist? He’s certainly obsessive. But more
importantly, maybe our artist here wasn't the only one doing the watching, either - those spots on
the butterflies' wings look awfully reminiscent of a certain second pair of eyes after all. Anyway,
Victor, drawings done, wastes no time and does not even hesitate in setting his momentary prisoner
free. The title “Corpse Bride” appears right as the butterfly is relishing its new freedom.
Now, this opening scene is super important to the movie as a whole, as it not only sets
up the film's theme but also leads us to the story's villain. The real star in these few
moments? The Butterfly - and for so many reasons. In a world as dreary and desaturated as
this, anything with even a speck of color to it sticks out. This, I believe, is on
purpose - and I'll zero (haha no not THAT zero) in on that point as we go, but the first
order of business is our blue spotted friend. This little bugger even makes a point to break
the fourth wall when it rests on an opening credit text! This tells us watching that it
is important. We’re not just watching it, it’s conversing with us, inviting us into the
world directly now! It knows we’re watching, paying attention, even if most people in the gray
world are not. Heck even the cat is more focused on food than the fluttering bug. Those who DO pay
attention to it, of course Victor who is doomed to marry death, Barkis (who causes (and becomes) so
much death) and… Us. Oh no, hopefully us seeing the butterfly doesn’t mean we’re doomed too!
But I’m getting ahead. Back to business, this story is positively drenched in both
symbolism and beliefs from folklore and, and it all rests on the fairy-fine wings of this
little fluttering bug. (They must be made of sturdier stuff than most!) Anyway, historically,
many different cultures from around the world associated butterflies with not only death,
but also the soul and rebirth. For instance, in Ireland it was once believed that
butterflies were the spirits of children, or souls in search of a mother if we reference the
Celts directly. In fact, it was actually illegal to kill white butterflies in Ireland during the
1600's for this very reason. These butterflies, spirits of the departed, would return to their
favorite place when they were alive in order to reassure their loved ones they were ok! (aww!)
Monarch butterflies became a symbol of departed loved ones in Mexico, as their migration
pattern regularly had them arrive in the area on or around - The Day of The Dead. Dia
de los Muertos, of course, is a very culturally significant holiday not unlike Halloween, or All
Souls Day which was adapted from Pagan ritual. The tradition states that at midnight on October 31st
the gates of Heaven open, allowing the spirits of children who have passed to spend a day with loved
ones. This same offering is made to the spirits of adults on the day of November 2nd. Others
believe that the veil between the mortal world and the beyond worlds is thinnest at this same
time of year, allowing crossovers both wanted, and unexpected! Now, being associated with death
and rebirth is a little on the nose here with the subject matter of the story, but that's just the
surface. The transformative nature of this insect, as well as the character interactions with it are
what really inform the events of the narrative. Take a moment and think about the opening scene
of the film again, let’s consider both Victor's actions AND how Emily relates to the butterfly.
Throughout the course of the movie Emily is going through her own metamorphosis. Before Victor
accidentally proposes to her in the forest, she is in a state of waiting. In a undead cocoon
in a way. She can’t move on until someone agrees to marry her - her terms, as impossible as they
seem!. Then, against all odds, Victor does! And Initially she is so overcome with joy that she
doesn't quite realize that she's holding Victor against his will. She’s wished for this for so
long, afterall, it’s what’s keeping her here in here metaphorical cacoon! As the story progresses
and Victor makes a few... escape attempts, Emily eventually comes to terms with their very
different states of life or, uh... lack thereof. That she, herself, is selfish for caging someone
that wants to be free (and you know killing them). Victor's actions in the opening scene foreshadowed
this in a way. Victor, obsessed with butterflies as he is at the start, only kept it captive for
as long as he needed to draw it. To LEARN FROM it. Just like Emily holds on to VIctor, she
harshly learns what she needs to (about love, choices, stealing someone else’s dream for her
own, and revenge etc.) Once she finally learns, she stops holding Victor captive to his erroneous
engagement. Just as he did with the butterfly, Emily sets Victor free. And in
doing so, actually frees herself. Now, obviously this scene has a lot more going
on in addition to this momentous...moment, as it also features the payoff
against the villain Lord Barkis, which will quite succinctly bring us back to the
earlier mention of 'color' and its importance. Color of any variety is almost entirely absent
from Victor's world - the realm of the living, or 'upstairs' as the dead call it. For the most part
it seems that only objects of importance hold any sort of saturated color or brilliance. To be more
precise: anything that touches the realm of the dead is vibrant in color. Begging for attention.
The poison that Barkis unwittingly gulps down in triumph? Deep crimson. The butterfly, a
comparatively bright blue. The wedding band that links the living and the dead also retains its
saturated golden sheen throughout the movie. We see the bright red collar of Victor's dog, both in
his otherwise black and white picture and in his re-appearance as a very disconcerting-yet-loving
gift from Emily. (How did she know? Oh yeah, that blue butterfly had EYES?. But, I digress.)
Color in the living world is dull and carries a weight of sadness with it that is almost
palpable, which is understandable considering the families that two of our protagonists
have to deal with along with their agenda for wealth at their children's potential expense.
However, this muted surface world is contrasted by the world of the dead beneath the surface.
Down there the environment is a positive riot of color! The lights! The clothes! The food,
beverages, creatures etc are all cheery and alive - full of lively color! Really, it's
all a bit ironic. The living people are far more dead than the corpses dwelling beneath
them. Color itself can carry meaning as well. As we touched on earlier the butterfly is blue
in color, but so are the 'newly dead' or 'new arrivals' in the underground. Physically,
this could be because after death, blood becomes deoxygenated, turning the skin… BLUE.
Which honestly makes Victoria’s escape from Barkis even more chilling. We know now that
he’s a terrible guy by this point, that he kills his brides for their dowry and books it, but
Victoria is only just finding out. She is in a LOT of danger. Mortal danger, to be precise. The movie
plays into this, lighting her to look like Emily (or any of the dead, really) - She’s completely
lit in underworldly BLUE in the scene after she tells Barkis there is no money. She is actually
following a procession of the dead too! It’s a not so subtle hint that she is edging closer to
her death at the hands of Lord Barkis. (Who’s, side note, blue hair really pops during the
marriage ceremony. It fits with his Bluebeardian treatment of his wives! (blueharian?!) He is
intimately linked with death because of how much he’s caused. And at the end of course, after
drinking the crimson poison, he turns bright blue because he is now finally dead. Clearly, the color
blue is intimately linked with the idea of death in this world. Things like this definitely flesh
the movie out and can, if we're paying attention, cue us to this sort of foreshadowing.
Even from the very start of the movie! Remember how Victor was so obsessed with drawing
the blue butterfly in the beginning? Was he perhaps contemplating death this whole time? Not
in an “oh happy dagger” sort of way, but just bored of the boring world and its expectations.
Wondering if there is something more, or what’s beyond? It tracks with the deep brooding aesthetic
of his character, and PERFECTLY hints at what he goes through with being actively married to death
and nearly ending his mortal existence to truly commit to it. The butterfly’s eye like spots also
remind us that death is always watching, waiting. Emily herself is, of course, a similar shade
of blue as the butterfly - further linking the two. Now, in some cultures it was believed
that blue butterflies, in addition to their aforementioned connections with death and
the soul, could also represent 'truth' and 'faith.' Emily has finally seen the truth of
what she was doing to keep VIctor and VIctoria apart - she herself would be a murder! All of
these things culminate in the beautiful scene at the end of the movie where Emily, after letting
Victor go and confronting her killer, Barkis, transforms into a kaleidoscope of pale butterflies
and appears to 'move on' to the true afterlife now that she's found peace. And, yes, a group of
butterflies is called a kaleidoscope! Isn’t that beautiful? This transformation shot is almost
like a small celebration of Day of the Dead in itself and it's breathtaking. Another interesting
thing to note: the butterflies transform out of Emily’s clothing and VEIL. Just like the VEIL
between the below and the above IS thinning, nay disintegrating, to allow her to pass through
it! (As mentioned before, in many cultures, it’s believed there is a veil between the mortal and
the beyond worlds. This only further plays into that!) This is a subtle thing, but a cool thing.
However, with Emily apparently ascending beyond the mortal plane begs the question - was the
'underground' some sort of purgatory? I wonder if the other inhabitants also have some sort
of unfinished business that's preventing them from moving on as well… The more blue,
the more likely? another time, perhaps! 'Corpse Bride' is packed full of deeper meaning
everywhere you look. From the cautious hopefulness of the butterfly to the... probably dark
insinuation arising from this poor old dearie catching the bouquet that Emily tossed behind
her in the final scene. It… probably dosen’t help that Maggot gives her a somewhat flirtatious
and ahh telling look when she catches it. Like he will be seeing her… underground… very soon
(wink wink!) She certainly wasn't too keen on holding onto the flowers in any case.
Blue has left a mark in every scene. It is everywhere. Just like death is everywhere
(which is no surprise because hello this movie is literally called “Corpse Bride?” I know.) This is
evident from the first scene, again, the butterfly scene, where the gray living are too busy with
their dealthlike lives to notice the vibrance right in front of them. Just a breath (well, lack
thereof) away. They have to die to start living. And this is far from the only movie to use blue
this way! Heck, Guillermo del Toro's “Pinocchio” uses blue to denote death, and the keeper
of the world of the dead is blue. In the original Pinoccho story, Pinocchio meets
the blue child fairy before he dies too! But, Whether it's subtle or flying in your face,
it's there for us to see. Corpse Bride takes the wedding saying “something borrowed, something
BLUE to the extreme From the outset the blue butterfly asks us to consider if we are living
drearily like the townsfolk that don’t see it, who are living a death in a way. Or are we
embracing the life we have, before it’s too late? I love how this film uses color to help
tell the story. But what are your thoughts? Which color and hidden meaning stood out to you
the most? Let me know in the comments below! And, speaking of too ‘late’ - I have a second
channel, abitlate, where I’ve read 100s of ghost stories and fairytales. Its soothing and spooky!
However… Youtube has changed how it’s doing ads, which means after a softspoken story, you
could be spooked outta sleep by a loud ad, which is exactly the opposite vibe we want. But
there IS a place where you can listen to all of these without interruption. And that place
is Nebula! I’ve uploaded every story there, including unreleased-as-yet and remastered ones!
These stories work really will with nebula’s app (that acts like a podcast) so you can take them on
the go, or into dreamland. Videos from this main abitfrank channel are also on Nebula First, before
they live on YouTube. So, by joining Nebula, you can get ahead on the theories and stories! But why
Nebula? Not only are there no ads to haunt you, but because Nebula is creator-owned and operated,
it more directly supports this channel to watch over there! Just let us know how you got there:
using my links for a generously discounted rate on memberships! Thanks to Nebula for supporting
me and this channel, and I Thanks to Nebula for supporting me and this channel, and I
hope to see YOU over there very soon! Thank you friends and fiends for digging into
this creepy colorful (overthought?) Corpse Bride Color Theory video! There is some much
darker lore surrounding this particular story, so let me know if you would like to venture with
me down that path in the forest. Do subscribe so you won’t miss the next treat, coming
out of the cauldron quite soon. Good bye!
