Ah, @tetsuo, thanks :)
Well the movie was definitely beyond my expectations. Very strong both - emotionally and cinematographically. Somewhere, I read a quote by Alejandro G. Inarritu, who quite well describes the movie : "The shape of water" is an explanation in love for love and cinema."
The better parallels for me was the strong influence of the works of Burton, Gilliam, Spielberg, Jean-Pierre Jeanne (more from "Amelie "), as well as the overall reverie to the classic horror films and musicals of the 1950's, but the nicer thing is that, however, the strongest impression succeeds in making the characters, the drama and the directing provocation in combining and interpreting clichés. :)