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The
story is set in a cold, gloomy Victorian era town, a parody
of aristocratic England. A young, nervous man by the name of
Victor Van Dort, son of rich fishmongers Nell and William Van
Dort, is due to be wed to beautiful young Victoria Everglot,
daughter of bankrupt (as well as ugly and unpleasant) aristocrats
Maudeline and Finnis Everglot. Victor isn't too keen on the
idea of an arranged marriage until he meets Victoria face-to-face.
After messing up his wedding vows at the wedding rehearsal,
Victor is banished to the forest by the pastor to learn his
vows. There he practices his vows, and discovering what he takes
to be a tree root protruding from beneath the ground, places
his bride's wedding ring on it. No sooner has he done so than
Emily, the Corpse Bride, emerges from beneath the earth, dressed
in a moldy, flowing wedding dress, and declares Victor her husband.
She was mysteriously killed on her wedding day and has been
waiting for her groom to come and claim her ever since. She
whisks Victor away to the surprisingly colourful, vibrant, and
musical Land of the Dead.
At first, Victor deceives Emily, convincing her to return
them both temporarily to the Land of the Living under the
pretense of introducing her to his parents. Victor meets Victoria
and confesses his love for her, but a betrayed Emily spirits
him away while Victoria watches helplessly. While Victoria
tries to convince her pastor and parents that Victor needs
help, Victoria's parents Maudeline and Finis plan to match
up their daughter with the handsome (and presumed rich) drifter
Barkis Bittern. Unbeknownst to the others, Barkis intends
to kill Victoria and make off with her fortune, which he mistakenly
believes is still viable.
A newly-deceased friend of Victor delivers the news of Victoria's
engagement to Victor himself. Victor, thinking that Victoria
is marrying Barkis willingly, severs all ties with Victoria,
agreeing to drink poison as part of an above-ground ceremony
that will make his marriage to Emily official. The residents
of the Land of the Dead storm the town, and in the ensuing
chaos, the newly-wed Barkis learns that Victoria is penniless.
Victoria heads for the church, and discovers Victor in the
midst of the ceremony that will kill him. Emily sees Victoria,
and realizes that she is cheating Victoria out of a happy
life. Emily stops Victor from drinking the poisoned wine,
but they are interrupted by Barkis, who threatens to kill
Victoria. Emily recognizes Barkis as the man who both jilted
and murdered her long ago. A battle ensues, ending when an
overconfident Barkis drinks the poisoned wine in a mock-toast
to Emily, and the rest of the deceased, except for Emily,
surround (and presumably dismember) his still-fresh corpse.
Emily explains to Victor and Victoria that they belong together.
When Victor protests, saying that he "made [Emily] a
promise," Emily explains that he kept it, and that he
"set [her] free." She leaves the church. As she
reaches the threshold, Emily transforms into hundreds of butterflies,
which soar towards the moon. Victor and Victoria watch on,
happy to be finally reunited.
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