Frankenweenie Character Gallery

By Carey Bryson, About.com Guide

Elsa Van Helsing (voice of Winona Ryder) is not the stereotypical "Girl Next Door" in the Tim Burton movie Frankenweenie. Don't let Else's goth look and sober demeanor fool you, she has a good heart and looks out for her friends. She also has a beautiful black poodle named Persephone.

Elsa's name is a reference to the accomplished vampire hunter Abraham Van Helsing from Bram Stoker's 1897 iconic horror novel Dracula. Van Helsing is a Dutch name, so it's fitting that Elsa's uncle is forcing her to be this year's "Little Dutch Girl" at the town's Dutch Day celebration.