The American producer, author, and master director was responsible for a number of major film successes. With bizarre works like “Beetlejuice” he asserted himself as a filmmaker. His trademark were mostly weird but diverse films with partly humorous, morbid to bizarre accents, actions and actors. Tim Burton’s motifs and characters were often taken from the comic world. His later works play with a more surreal influence and always convince with detailed stage designs. His most popular films include “Batman”, “Edward Scissorhands”, “Mars Attacks!”, “Planet of the Apes” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”…
Tim Burton was born on August 25, 1958 in Burbank, California.
Fascinated by the television medium as a child, he would spend days watching cartoons and horror films. He later turned his passion into his profession. He made his first film, The Island of Doctor Ago, in 1971 at the age of 13. In 1980 he received a scholarship to the California Institute of the Arts. Through the California Institute of the Arts – founded by Walt Disney – he also came to the “Disney” studios, where he initially worked as a draftsman. However, the company was not on the road to economic success at this time and Burton’s ideas, including drawings for his later cult cartoon “Nightmare Before Christmas”, were met with rejection. In 1982 Burton left “Disney” and began to work on his own. This is how the short film “Vincent” came about, about Burton’s actor idol Vincent Price, and the cartoon “Frankenweenie”. This was actually supposed to be published by “Disney”, but those responsible did not think the work was suitable for children and gave Burton a refusal.
Since “Disney” apparently had no interest in Burton’s work, an offer came from the film company “Warner Bros.” just right. They hired him to adapt the cartoon “Pee-wee Herman” into feature film form. In 1984, Burton delivered his first feature film with “Peewee”s crazy adventures” and brought “Warner” a terrific success. Burton’s success was unstoppable and he created some cult strips. 1988’s Beetlejuice, starring Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, was followed by Edward Scissorhands, starring Johnny Depp. Rising to stardom, Tim Burton directed the films ‘Batman’ and ‘Return of Batman’, starring Michael Keaton, and went on to have more commercial hits. It was followed by the biopic “Ed Wood” with Johnny Depp and Martin Landau, who received an “Oscar” for his role, and the confused strip “Mars Attacks!” with Jack Nicholson and other top stars.
During this time, the “Disney” studios reported back and commissioned Burton to realize “Nightmare Before Christmas”. With this work, Tim Burton created a cult film, and he also achieved that the once spurned title “Frankenweenie” was distributed by “Disney”. In 1999, Burton brought the horror story “Sleepy Hollow” to the cinemas – again with Johnny Depp. In 2001 he then had the remake of “Planet of the Apes” follow. Given the many major films Burton has directed, his unsuccessful ventures, such as the TV cartoon series Family Dog and Cabin Boy, are of little consequence. Tim Burton’s passion is undisputedly the somewhat offbeat animated films. He realized one such in November 2005 with “Cropse Bride – Wedding with a Corpse”, which was created using the extremely complex and lengthy stop-motion technique. In the same year, the film “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was made, again starring Johnny Depp. MoMA New York dedicated a retrospective to him in 2009/2010.
Filmography
1982 – Vincent
1984 – Frankenweenie
1985 – Pee-Wee”’s Big Adventures
1985 – TV: Aladdin and His Magic Lamp
1989 – Beetlejuice
1989 – Batman
1990 – Edward Scissorhands
1992 – Batman Returns
1992 – Singles
1993 – TV series: Family Dog
1993 – The Nightmare Before Christmas
1994 – Cabin Boy
1994 – A Century Of Cinema
1994 – James Wood
1995 – Batman Forever
1996 – James and the Giant Peach
1996 – Mars Attacks!
1999 – TV Series: Lost In Oz
1999 – Sleepy Hollow
2000 – X: The Man With The X-Ray Eyes
2000 – The Corpse Bride
2001 – Planet of the Apes
2004 – Big Fish
2005 – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
2005 – Corpse Bride
How old is Tim Burton?
64 years
Did Tim Burton make Coraline?
Despite those similarities, Tim Burton actually had nothing whatsoever to do with Coraline’s production, which was in fact directed by Henry Selick.
What is Tim Burton best known for?
With the dark comedy Beetlejuice (1988), Burton established himself as an unconventional filmmaker. He turned to more mainstream fare with the big-budget Batman (1989) and its sequel Batman Returns (1992). Both films were major hits.
What is unique about Tim Burton’s style?
His characters are defined by their exaggerated features; long frizzled hair, baggy eyes, gangly limbs, etc. But the over-the-top features of these characters often serve the role of a smokescreen, hiding their innate human side.
Who is Tim Burton’s biggest inspiration?
The leading exponents of this artistic movement are Mark Ryden, Ray Caesar and Joe Soren, and they probably have inspired Tim Burton to create some of his most famous characters.
