Victor Van Dort



Victor van Dort is an extremely shy young man living in the gloomy Land of The Living. He is forced into a marriage with the lovely Victoria Everglot ("According to Plan"). Although the two instantly take a liking toward each other ("Victor's Theme"), Victor is so nervous he ruins the wedding rehearsal, unable to remember any of his lines and setting Victoria's mother's dress on fire. Victor seeks seclusion in the forest to practice his lines, and when he finally manages to get the lines right he accidentally marries a corpse! The Corpse Bride takes Victor to the land of the dead, where he realizes the Underworld is a much livelier and colorful world than his strict upbringing ("Corpse Bride Story"). He becomes rather close to the Corpse Bride, (who reveals her true name to be Emily) and they decide to visit the Land of The Living ("Moonlight Dance") to tell Victor's parents about their matrimony, with some help from Elder Gutknecht. Rather than preparing his parents for the big news, as Victor tells Emily he is doing, he goes to Victoria in search of help, as she is the one he loves, not Emily. The Corpse Bride, tired of waiting for Victor's return, goes after him and discovers him with Victoria. Furious, the Corpse Bride grabs Victor and sends them both back to the Underworld. Emily is despondent upon realizing Victor never had any true affection for her, and sings the song, "Tears to Shed." Meanwhile, upon Victor's disappearance, no one believes Victoria when she tells them Victor is married to a corpse. Now she is being forced to marry Barkis Bittern, a wealthy and snobbish newcomer to save her parents and herself from the poorhouse. Yet Victoria loves Victor, and will not be satisfied with anyone else. Victor's mother and father continue to search for him, without any results. Their coach driver, Mayhew, suddenly dies from a bad cough (smoking). Back in the Land of the Dead, Victor apologizes to Emily for lying to her and tells her that thing had not been going 'according to plan'. They play a duet together on piano, and you can hear an echo of "Victor's Theme" in Victor's part. Victor and the Corpse Bride realize they still have feelings for each other. Yet when Victor learns from Mayhew that Victoria is to be married to Lord Barkis, he feels he is too late. Indeed, shortly after Victor and Mayhew's discussion, Victoria and Lord Barkis get married in the Land of the Living. Victor eavesdrops on a conversation between the Corpse Bride and Elder Gutknecht. Gutknecht tells Emily that she and Victor are married 'til death shall you part' and that death had already parted her. The only way for Victor and Emily to truly be married is for Victor to die. Victor comes out of hiding and tells Emily he will do it. Knowing he and Victoria could never be together, he would gladly marry the Corpse Bride. The entire Underworld goes to the Land of the Living to see the ceremony. Even Victoria comes, seeing everyone else (both dead and living) going to the church and wondering why they would be going there. There, she sees Victor and the Corpse Bride getting married. Victor and the Corpse Bride are saying their vows to each other when Emily stops and says, "This is wrong. I was a bride. My dreams were taken from me. And now......now I've stolen them from someone else. I love you, Victor. But you are not mine." She extends her arm to Victoria, and it appears Victor and Victoria may finally have their marriage after all. Then Barkis Bittern shows up, and declares Victoria is still his wife. Then follows a pretty dangerous and very exciting swordfight between Victor and Barkis, which is only halted by Emily standing between them so that Barkis's blade goes through her, which does not hurt her at all. She then holds the blade at Lord Barkis's throat and tells him to get out. Before he leaves, he takes the goblet full of the poison Victor was going to drink thinking it is wine, gives a sarcastic toast 'to Emily', and drinks it. He is killed within seconds, and the dead assembled there take him back to the Underworld, where they will punish him for murdering Emily. The Corpse Bride makes to leave the church. Victor reminds her he made a promise, but she says, "You kept your promise. You set me free. And now, I can do the same for you." She hands him back the ring he gave her, and walks toward the church's exit. Before she leaves, she throws the bouquet, which ends up in Victoria's hands. Then the Corpse Bride slowly, before their very eyes, turns into millions of beautiful butterflies. Victor puts his arm around Victoria, and she puts her head on his shoulder, as they watch the butteflies fly away into the moonlit sky.