Fantastic Fest announced today that director Tim Burton's Frankenweenie will be the festival's opening night movie on September 20. Mondo artist Mike Saputo created a new poster for the festival, and Disney also released another photo from this stop-motion animated genre comedy, in honor of the announcement. Take a look at the poster, photo, and read on for the official press release from Fantastic Fest.

Fantastic Fest Poster
Frankenweenie 3D Fest

Fantastic Fest is excited to announce Walt Disney Pictures' Frankenweenie will have its world premiere on September 20 as the opening night film for the 2012 festival, happening September 20-27 in Austin, Texas at the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar.

"Tim Burton stands as a titan of modern genre cinema. To world premiere the feature adaptation of his early beloved short is a huge honor for me personally and for the festival in general," said Fantastic Fest Co-founder & Creative Director Tim League.

From creative genius Tim Burton (Alice in Wonderland, The Nightmare Before Christmas) comes Frankenweenie, a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life-with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor's fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new "leash on life" can be monstrous.

A stop-motion animated film, Frankenweenie was filmed in black and white and rendered in 3D. The talented voice cast includes: Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan, Atticus Shaffer, Robert Capron, Conchata Ferrell and Winona Ryder.

Presented by Disney, Frankenweenie is directed by Tim Burton, produced by Tim Burton and Allison Abbate, from a screenplay by John August, based on an original idea by Tim Burton. Frankenweenie releases in U.S. theaters on October 5, 2012.

For further information on Frankenweenie go to Disney.com/Frankenweenie. Look for more programming announcements for Fantastic Fest in the weeks ahead.

For the latest developments visit the Fantastic Fest official site FantasticFest.com and follow us on Facebook & Twitter.