INTO THE MARVELOUS MIND OF Tim Burton
In the world of surreal art, there is Spanish artist Salvador Dali. In the world of surreal filmmaking, there is Tim Burton, an American filmmaker whose out-of-the-world imagination is so wild that it never fails to shatter his audience’s views and understandings of the world.
After a decade of mediocre reviews and performances, the 66-year-old director finally made a grand comeback following the smashing success of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the sequel of the 1988 original, and positive reviews of Netflix series Wednesday, a spin-off of Burton’s Addams Family.
The 66-year-old auteur credited it to his decision to return to his roots instead of compromising himself to the mass market trends and typical long movie production and shooting practice. He returned to the “spirit of the original” film by taking a fast, improvisational approach which was more of his way of working.
Despite constant fan demand for a sequel since the release of Beetlejuice almost 40 years ago, Burton said he did not give it much thought because he “never quite understand why it had been a success” as it was a very personal film for him.
But if you think Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was about reclaiming the past glory, you’re wrong. It was simply all about the right cast and the right timing. Even the director himself was curious what could be happening to this weird family after their crazy encounter with crazy Beetlejuice ghost. And that was how the blockbuster sequel came to production in the Tim Burton way: improvisation on set from storyline to special effects.
“Honestly, after Dumbo (the 2019 live-action remake), I really didn’t know. I thought that could have been it, really. I could have retired, or become… well, I wouldn’t have become an animator again, that’s over,”Burton said in an interview with Variety in August. “But this (the filming of Wednesday) did reenergize me.Oftentimes, when you get into Hollywood, you try to be responsible to what you’re doing with the budget and everything else but sometimes you might lose yourself a little bit. This reinforced the feeling for me that it’s important that I do what I want to do, because then everybody will benefit.”
In the midst of technological advances which are going at breakneck speed, it is refreshing to immerse yourself in the marvelous mind of Hollywood’s most eccentric genius. In Burton’s films, the abundance of CG animation pales in comparison to his inimitable and mind-blowing aesthetic and bizarre storyline. Visitors who have seen ‘The World of Tim Burton’ exhibition can attest to this fact after seeing his personal archive of creative works from childhood to the present day. Almost 600 pieces of his drawings, paintings,photographs, sketchbooks, sculptural installations are now on display in London, which is the last stop of the decades-long exhibition since 2009.
Despite the spooky, gloomy and gothesque style that has become his signature since his first days in the industry, Burton’s films have somehow managed to capture the hearts of moviegoers for their perfect combination of wit, humor, and fun. It also helped that his characters in all of his 20 films – whether animated ones or played by actors – were quite endearing, thanks to the depth of their personalities.
Burton’s highly perceptive nature and sensibility play a major role in bridging the gap between those eerily cute monsters/characters and his human audiences. Through shared vulnerability and flaws, the seemingly invincible and terrifying monsters can resonate with human viewers. The director’s ability to leave such a long-lasting impression has helped in keeping his strong fan base all these years.
Born in the era the Internet did not exist, Burton grew up with pencils, papers, and brushes. Books and art have always been his best friends. His favorite childhood hangout spot was none other than cemeteries. Growing up near Valhalla Memorial Park in Burbank, CA, Burton also spent a lot of time alone at other nearby cemeteries pondering about the living and the dead as his “gloomy nature” made it difficult to make friends and that his parents also “had their own problems.” The self-described outcast spent hours watching tons of horror and monster movies and developed intense bonds with his family pets, making him a soft-hearted person with strong empathy for monsters as they are also seen as outcasts or weirdos.
Because of his fascination with the dark side of fairytales, Burton got fired from Disney after working there as an animator for only a few years. The management thought his animations were too dark and scary. Ironically, the studio became the place where his brand of quirkiness was polished.
“People have said to me, ‘You either have a lot of confidence or you’re completely insane’. I think it’s somewhere in the middle. I have this reputation of being dark which I don’t think I really am,” he said in an interview.
Over the course of his long career, Burton has finally learned that he can’t please people all the time. This led to him almost quitting Hollywood as he felt more and more uncomfortable with the big production process. Burton also believed the fact that he did not see Beetlejuice Beetlejuice as a sequel played a major role in the huge success as it gave him freedom in the creative process.
The film is now officially one of the top 10 highest grossing films globally in 2024. As good as the news gets, Burton finds that meeting and talking with his fans gives him more pleasure. “That means more to me than anything. And sometimes you get people that show you tattoos that are quite strange, based on your work. That’s always an interesting one, strange places, strange tattoos.”
For the self-proclaimed recluse who once said, “One person’s craziness is another person’s reality,” their love for his creations proves to be much more satisfying and fulfilling as it has spanned for decades and into ever popular Burton-themed merchandises from his films such as Beetlejuice pillowcases, Nightmare before Christmas T-shirts, or Edward Scissor hands books. There is even a Tim Burton-themed wedding, inspired by his 2005 gothic animated film, Corpse Bride, for die-hard fans.
While Burton’s childhood background might make him feel alienated and stifled, his mind and imagination know no bounds. It isn’t easy to stay true to yourself and become a legend in Hollywood, but Burton has beautifully made his mark in both spectacular and spooktacular fashion.
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