Frankenweenie was a short film directed by Tim Burton in 1984. At the time, Burton was on the Disney staff. The film is a parody and homage to the 1931 film Frankenstein which was based on the Mary Shelley novel with the same name. It was the last film that Tim Burton took part of with the Disney staff. He was fired over the film, accused of wasting company resources. They felt the film was too scary for kids.
Instead of being released, the film was shelved. It did, however, make theaters in the U.K. in 1985. After Burton had success with other films like Beetlejuice and Batman, the film was released straight to video in 1994. Burton ended up making a feature-length remake of Frankenweenie in 2012. The short film is about a kid who brings his beloved dog, Sparky, back to life through electroshocks after it is hit by a car.
His neighbors get freaked out and chase down the dog. The boy and his dog end up hiding in a miniature golf course windmill prop. The mob arrives and uses a lighter to look inside the windmill, which then catches on fire. The boy gets knocked out and Sparky saves his life. The mob realizes the dog is good and not evil and everyone is happy.