Extraordinary Tales

Five stories by Edgar Allan Poe get varied treatment in this striking but inert animated compendium.

Poe's storytelling gift is so timeless, and the voice actors assembled so captivating, that "Extraordinary Tales" can't help but work on some level. It just never quite rises above that faint praise.

"Extraordinary Tales" reminds viewers that animation can enable an artist to realize an individual vision, even on a limited budget.

Just in time for Halloween comes this singular tribute to Edgar Allan Poe from veteran animator Raul Garcia.

The best sections reverberate with the power of Poe's words. As such, they serve as apt tributes to yarns that will always be more formidable on the page than on the screen.

The voices of the late Christopher Lee and Bela Lugosi reading from the text isn't quite the same. But Garcia compensates with a different animation style for each of the five stories.

Poe's creepy, unevenly adapted tales aren't for young kids.

Unsure of its targeted demographic, Tales straddles the tonal line, flip-flopping like a fish left on the dock.

the definitive works of Edgar Allan Poe on the big screen

The fact that an author who died 166 years ago continues to be a draw for moviemakers says something about Edgar Allan Poe's imagination. And here's a feverish new animated Poe feature -- released just in time for Halloween.

Extraordinary Tales leaves us wishing for more: more running time, more of Poe's material, more of Garcia's macabre animated magic.

Garcia brings these classic Poe tales to life with the notable aid of atmospheric score by Sergio de la Puente.