Tim Burton once said, “One person’s craziness is another person’s reality,” which perfectly sums up the peculiarly brilliant mind that lives within him. Every aspect of Burton’s work unlocks a door to one corner of strange or another.
From the iconic “The Nightmare Before Christmas” to the more recent “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” Burton has become perfectly fit for a mold as one of the most widely successful oddities in film. Burton’s eccentric take on the world and rollercoaster career path has deemed him one of the most influential directors and imaginative filmmakers in the industry.
The Animator is Born
Burton’s catapult to stardom was locked and loaded when he entered the first inaugural class of the Character Animation Program at the California Institute for the Arts (CalArts). According to its website, the program begun with a faculty consisting of veteran animators from Disney and went on to produce a “remarkable collection of future visionaries: Tim Burton, Brad Bird, Mike Giaimo, John Lasseter, John Musker, Jerry Rees and Henry Selick.”
The atmosphere of CalArts allowed Burton the creativity boost that he needed to come into his full potential. His work gained the attention of Walt Disney Productions where he completed an apprenticeship and in 1982 he produced his first stop motion short film: “Vincent.”
Fired and Fired Up: Burton’s Filmography
Surprisingly, the version of “Frankenweenie” that we all know and love was not the film’s first take. Burton’s canine take on the Frankenstein story was first created during his Disney apprenticeship in 1984 and its execution was in the form of a live action short film. Believe it or not, the film was also the reason that Burton was later fired from Disney for “wasting money” on a kids’ film that was too scary for kids to see. In an article written by WDW Magazine, Burton said, “It was a ‘thank you very much, but you go your way, and we’ll go our way’ kind of thing.”
However, after witnessing Burton’s success with other films like “Beetlejuice” and “Batman Returns,” Disney finally released “Frankenweenie” on VHS in 1992. The film garnered such an enthusiastic response, that later in 2012, the film was recreated into a full length stop motion film that earned Burton a nomination in the 2013 Academy Awards for “Best Animated Feature.”
Burton’s filmography runs the gamut and taps into both live action and animated genres. Arguably his greatest success in the film industry was his revival of stop-motion animation with the release of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” in 1993. This film was succeeded by “Corpse Bride” in 2005 which earned him his second Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature Film of the Year in 2006. Burton’s spotlight on the stop-motion industry moved other directors into the medium like Selick, who is responsible for the 2009 film sensation “Coraline.”
Epic Collaborations
Since Burton is a major name in the world of film and has thrown his hat into the creation of over 41 movies, he has formed meaningful connections with some of the leading names in the industry, including the cinematically skilled Johnny Depp. Burton first recruited Depp to star in his 1990 romantic fantasy film, “Edward Scissorhands,” which has become what is known as a “Burtonesque” classic.
The success of this film threaded a partnership between the two as Depp went on to play several more of Burton’s most iconic characters including the Mad Hatter in Burton’s live action rendition of Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland.” Aside from his feature as Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean,” Burton has given Depp some of his most recognizable roles in films like “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Ed Wood,” “Corpse Bride,” “Dark Shadows” and “Sleepy Hollow.”
The director also formed an industry relationship with the young Jenna Ortega after she starred in the first season of “Wednesday.” The episodic retelling of “The Addams Family” acted as the birth of Ortega into the Tim Burton world. Ortega mentioned his “specific” directorial style in an interview with Teen Vogue. Burton wanted to ensure a distinction between the original Wednesday Addams and the version of her that he created, which is what prompted the inclusion of a fringe on Ortega’s character. Burton was enamored by her natural portrayal of Wednesday which served as her inauguration into his repertoire cast. She then went on to star in his latest sequel: “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.”
The Man, The Myth, The Legend
Tim Burton has never failed to fill the film industry with a litany of strange and unusual things. His mind is the pinnacle of what a filmmaker should be and even after being let go from one of the largest animation hubs in the industry, he never lost sight of his authentic style. What Disney saw as a shackle in the beginning of Burton’s career has now landed him 79 nominations and 31 wins across all award pools in film.
Truly a phoenix rising from the ashes, Burton turned what should have been a damning moment in his career into fuel that helped him develop a style that is authentically his own. He has become a figurehead in the film industry and an inspiration for the individuality that up and coming animators strive for.
