In Corpse Bride, Victor Van Dort, a shy and nervous man, finds himself in an arranged marriage with Victoria Everglot. While practicing his vows in the woods, he accidentally wakes Emily, the corpse bride.
Emily now thinks that she is Victor’s wife. Victor, on the other hand, finds a way to get back to the Land of the Living to be with Victoria. So, what happened at the end of Corpse Bride?
Corpse Bride: Why Was Victor Supposed to Marry Victoria?
In Corpse Bride, Victor Van Dort is engaged to Victoria Everglot for social and financial reasons.
Victor’s family are fish merchants who have money, but no social status. On the other hand, Victoria’s family has social status, but they are struggling financially.
So, to raise the social class of the Van Dort’s and restore the wealth of the Everglots, Victor’s parents and Victoria’s parents set them up in an arranged marriage.
When Victor and Victoria meet for the first time, they form a connection. Unfortunately, Victor gets nervous and ruins the wedding rehearsal by forgetting his vows, dropping the ring, and accidentally setting Victoria’s mother’s dress on fire.
Victor leaves and practices his vows in the woods. While doing so, he accidentally wakes the corpse bride, Emily, and gets dragged into the Land of the Dead.
READ MORE: Beetlejuice 2: Release Date, Cast, Trailer & All You Need to Know!
How Did Emily Die in Corpse Bride?
Details of Emily’s death are provided in the song “Remains of the Day”, although the identity of the one behind her death isn’t revealed yet.
Emily came from a wealthy family. One day, a mysterious stranger came into town. According to the song, he was “good-looking, but down on his cash.” Emily fell in love with him, but her family did not allow her to marry him.
So, Emily and her lover decided to elope. They planned to meet at night, and her lover told her to bring “the family jewels and a satchel of gold.”
Emily waited for him next to the graveyard, by an old oak tree. Unfortunately, Emily was murdered that night. When she woke up, she was dead as dust, and the jewels and gold were gone.
Towards the end of the movie, it is later revealed that the one who killed Emily was Lord Barkis. When Emily sees Lord Barkis again, she recognizes him as her previous fiancé and murderer.
Lord Barkis admits that he left her, and Emily responds, “for dead.”
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: 10 Disney Classics Reimagined in The Style of Tim Burton
Who Does Victor Van Dort Marry?
Victor’s heart was always with Victoria, and he does not marry Emily at the end of Corpse Bride.
As Victor says in the film, he was terrified of marriage, but when he met Victoria, he felt that he should always be with her.
When he finds out that Victoria is already married to Lord Barkis, this breaks his heart, so he decides to marry Emily.
During their wedding ceremony, Emily stops him from drinking the poison after she sees Victoria. This surprises Victor, and Emily says that their getting married is wrong.
She further explains that she was a bride whose dreams were taken from her, but now she’s "stolen them from someone else." Emily then says one of the most famous lines in the film, “I love you, Victor. But you’re not mine.”
She then lets Victoria come forward so that she can be reunited with Victor. Unfortunately, Lord Barkis arrives and causes trouble.
Victor duels with Barkis, and when Barkis is defeated, he toasts Emily for “always [being] the bridesmaid, never the bride.” He then drinks the poison and dies.
After Lord Barkis dies, Victor offers to keep his promise to Emily, but Emily responds that he kept his promise because he set her free.
Emily then returns the ring to Victor and says that now, she can do the same for him. So, Emily lets go of Victor so that he can marry Victoria.
What Happened to Emily in Corpse Bride’s Ending?
In Corpse Bride's ending, Emily turns to butterflies. It appears that she has already departed to the afterlife, with the butterflies flying towards the moon suggesting that she left the mortal world for good.
From what we know based on “Remains of the Day”, Emily was always waiting for someone to ask for her hand. She made a vow to stay buried under the tree until her true love would come to set her free.
At the end of Corpse Bride, Emily finds peace and is set free, which means that she can now move into the afterlife. Victor and Victoria watch and embrace as the butterflies fly towards the moon. The scene then fades to black.
READ NEXT: The Best Tim Burton Movies to Watch on Halloween
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!