Trivia

The pet cemetery features the grave of Zero from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).

Victor's friend and next-door neighbor is Elsa Van Helsing, a reference to Abraham Van Helsing, Bram Stoker's Dracula character, and Elsa Lanchester, the original Bride of Frankenstein (1935).

The hair on the head of Elsa Van Helsing's dog Persephone is copied from the hair of Elsa Lanchester's character in Bride of Frankenstein (1935) right down to the white streaks.

The turtle "Shelley" is named for Mary Shelley, who wrote "Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus," the 1818 novel on which this film is loosely based.

Winona Ryder did her own singing. She agreed to do it when Tim Burton said the singing had to sound imperfect.

Tim Burton: [dogs] Sparky the dog gets horribly damaged and altered.

Tim Burton: [Dracula] A clip from Horror of Dracula (1958) is shown, a main character is named Van Helsing, and Edgar's shadow briefly resembles Count Orlov from Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922).

Tim Burton: [Alfred Hitchcock] A couple seek shelter in a phone booth, as in The Birds (1963).

Tim Burton: [Frankenstein] The plot is a self-referential spoof of the classic Frankenstein story.