Liam Lacey of "The Globe and Mail" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "Ghoulishness and innocence walk hand-in-hand in Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride", a movie that digs into Hollywood's past to resurrect the antique art of stop-motion animation and create a fabulous bauble of a movie." Jack Mathews of the "New York Daily News" gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "Stop-motion animation may be the hardest and most tedious job in Hollywood, but the makers of Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride" deserve a couple of years in Tahiti celebrating their effort." Lou Lumenick of the "New York Post" gave the film three and a half stars out of four, saying "Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride" is an instant classic." Lisa Rose of the "Newark Star-Ledger" gave the film three out of five stars, saying ""Corpse Bride" offers unclassifiable enchantment." James Berardinelli of "ReelViews" gave the film three out of four stars, saying "As animated films go, this is easily the best of a weak year." Peter Howell of the "Toronto Star" gave the film four out of four stars, saying "If his "The Nightmare Before Christmas" from a dozen years back was a treat for the eyes and mind, Tim Burton's "Corpse Bride" goes double or nothing by being a delight for the ears and also the heart." Joe Williams of the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" gave the film a B+, saying "Beneath the bone pile of allusions, "Corpse Bride" is a darkly enchanting fable in its own right."