This summer’s abysmal update of “Dark Shadows” marked a career low for Tim Burton, the visionary director of “Ed Wood,” “Edward Scissorhands” and the best Batman movie NOT directed by Christopher Nolan (that’s “Batman Returns” for those keeping score at home).

Truth be told, Burton has been in a major creative funk for years, directing a string of mediocre-to-lousy films dating back to his “Planet of the Apes” remake in 2001.

But it only takes one good movie to spark a comeback, and for Burton, the black-and-white, stop-motion animated “Frankenweenie” is an exceptional return to form. An expansion of the 1984 short film that launched his career, “Frankenweenie” is a playful ode to classic horror movies as well as a heartfelt story about a boy and his (undead) dog.

Young Victor Frankenstein (voice of Charlie Tahan) lacks human friends but shares a special bond with his dog, Sparky. That bond, however, is tragically cut short when a stray baseball leads to the poor dog being struck dead by a car (heavy stuff for young viewers, even knowing the premise of the movie).

Inspired by his macabre science teacher (Martin Landau, effortlessly channeling Vincent Price), Victor reanimates the pooch via bolt of lightning—reviving Sparky’s lovable soul with only a few morbid side effects (Sparky keeps losing stitched-on body parts).

Trouble arrives when some nosy classmates discover Victor’s project and want to use the power of pet-reanimation to win the science fair. These kids, however, know not the consequences of their meddling.

“Frankenweenie” works as a spirited love letter to old Universal monster movies, especially in its action-packed third act. Burton doesn’t settle for straight homage though, and unlike a lot of his films, the movie isn’t gothic and moody just for the sake of being so. Victor’s horror-inspired world may be exaggerated, but there are so many small character moments that carry the authenticity of adolescent struggle. That and the bond between Victor and Sparky is well-established and powerful enough to tug the heartstrings of dog owners young and old.

Best of all, Landau’s science teacher is the focus of a string of wonderful scenes that touch on the broader themes on Burton’s mind. The ideas established in these early scenes play out later in the film without the unnecessary, hammer-in-the-“message” chunkiness that plagues so many kid movies.

“Frankenweenie” struggled to find an audience last weekend, perhaps a victim of being too dark and unappealing to children trained to desire flashy, jokey fare like “Hotel Transylvania.” And both stop-animation and black-and-white cinematography have proven to be tough sells for all-age moviegoers in recent years (blame Michael Bay and “Transformers,” I always say).

Nevertheless, more people should take notice of “Frankenweenie,” easily Tim Burton’s best output in years. See it and appreciate it, or else he might make “Dark Shadows 2.”

Grade: A-