Tim Burton

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Tim Burton
BornAugust 25, 1958
Burbank, California, USA
Occupation(s)Film director and producer
SpouseHelena Bonham Carter (engaged)
ChildrenBilly-Ray Burton

Timothy William Burton (born August 25, 1958 in Burbank, California) is an American film director, writer and designer known for his off-beat and quirky style. Especially in his stop-motion animated films, he is known for the exaggerated style of his characters, which still retain their serious, humanlike characteristics. He first came to note directing the Warner Brothers film Beetlejuice, which was followed by the blockbuster success of Batman in 1989. Following which he continued to make blockbusters as well as smaller dramas that continue to study loneliness in a style influenced by Gothic fairy tales.

Early life

Born in Burbank, California, the first of two sons to Bill Burton and Jean Erickson. Burton described his childhood self as quirky, self-absorbed and highly imaginative. He found home life and school difficult and he escaped the reality of everyday life by watching horror and low budget films, to which he would later pay tribute in his biography of Edward D. Wood, Jr. Another film figure of importance in Burton's childhood is Vincent Price, whose filmography would deeply influence the upcoming director's career.

Following high school, he won a Disney scholarship to attend the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California. He studied animation for three years and was then hired by the Walt Disney Studios as an animator apprentice. Burton's job was to draw for The Fox and the Hound, which wasn't exactly the direction he had wanted to go at the time. He later commented on the refusal of Disney to use his design for The Fox and the Hound on the fact that contrary to the general cute look of the movie characters, his designs made them "look like roadkill". Burton was not happy during his Disney period, yet it was during this period that he wrote and drew the poem and illustrations that would be the basis for his celebrated Nightmare Before Christmas.

Early career

In 1982, Burton made his first short, Vincent, a six-minute stop-motion film about a young boy who fantasizes that he is his (and Burton's) screen idol Vincent Price, with Price himself providing narration. This was followed by the live-action short Frankenweenie, starring Barret Oliver, Daniel Stern, and Shelley Duvall (an early supporter of Burton's work). Shot in black and white and inspired by James Whale's Frankenstein, "Frankenweenie" features a boy who reanimates his dog Sparky after he was hit by a car. Although the film won praise at film festivals, Disney was concerned that the film was too scary for children and, not knowing what to do with it, shelved the film ("Frankenweenie" would receive a video release in 1992).

Although Burton's work had yet to see wide release, he began to attract the attention of the film industry. Actor/producer Griffin Dunne, approached Burton to direct After Hours (1985), a comedy about a bored word processor who survives a crazy night in SoHo that had already been passed over by Martin Scorsese. However, when financing for The Last Temptation of Christ fell through, Burton bowed out of the project out of respect for Scorsese.

Not long after, actor Paul Reubens saw "Frankenweenie" and chose Burton to direct the cinematic spinoff of his popular character Pee-wee Herman, who had gained popularity with a successful stage show at the Roxy, which had been turned into an HBO special. The film, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985), was made on a budget of $7 million and grossed more than $40 million at the box office. Burton, a fan of the eccentric musical group Oingo Boingo, asked vocalist/songwriter Danny Elfman to provide the music for the film. Since then, Elfman has provided the score for all but one Burton film, Ed Wood.

After directing episodes for the revitalized TV series "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre, Burton received his next big project. Beetlejuice (1988), a supernatural comedy about a young couple forced to cope with life after death, as well as a family of pretentious yuppies invading their treasured New England home. Starring Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis, and featuring Michael Keaton as the famously repulsive demon Betelgeuse, the film grossed about $80 million on a relatively low budget. The film also snagged a Best Makeup Design Oscar.

Burton's ability to produce hits with low budgets impressed studio executives and he received his first big budget film Batman (1989). The mega-budget production, based in London, was plagued with problems. Burton repeatedly clashed with the film's producers, Jon Peters and Peter Guber, but the most notable debacle involved casting. Burton wanted to cast Michael Keaton from his previous film as Batman, regardless of Keaton's average physique, inexperience with action films, and reputation as a comic actor. Although Burton won out in the end, the furor over the casting provoked enormous fan animosity, to the extent where Warner Bros. share price slumped. Burton claimed that he thought it was ridiculous to cast a bulked-up he-man as Batman, insisting that the Caped Crusader should be an ordinary (albeit fabulously wealthy) man who dressed up in an elaborate bat costume to frighten criminals. Burton cast Jack Nicholson as the Joker (Tim Curry was his second choice) in a move that helped assuage fans' fears, as well as attracting older audiences not as interested in a superhero film. When the film opened in June of 1989, it was backed by the biggest marketing and merchandising campaign in film history at the time, and Batman became one of the biggest box office hits of all time, grossing well over $400 million worldwide and $250 million in the U.S. alone. The film proved to be a huge influence on future superhero films, which eschewed the bright, all-American heroism of Superman for a grimmer look and characters with more psychological depth.

The 1990s

In 1990, Burton co-wrote (with Caroline Thompson) and directed Edward Scissorhands, which started his collaboration with Johnny Depp. Depp, a teen idol at the end of the 80s due primarily to his work on the hit TV series 21 Jump Street, was cast in the title role of Edward, who was the creation of an eccentric and old fashioned inventor (played by Vincent Price, in his last appearance on screen before his death). Edward looked human, but was left with scissors in the place of hands due to the untimely death of his creator. Set in suburbia (the film was shot in Florida), the film is largely seen as Burton's autobiography of his own childhood in the suburb of Burbank. Price at one point said, "Tim is Edward." Johnny Depp has also made a similar comment in the foreword to Mark Salisbury's book, Burton on Burton, regarding his first meeting with Burton over the casting of the film.

Although Warner Bros. had declined to make the more personal Scissorhands even after the success of Batman (1989 movie), Burton finally agreed to direct a sequel on the condition that he would be granted total control. The result was Batman Returns, which featured Keaton returning as the Dark Knight, and a new triad of villains: Danny De Vito (as the Penguin), Michelle Pfeiffer (as Catwoman), and Christopher Walken. Darker and considerably more personal than its predecessor, concerns were raised that the film was too scary for children. Audiences were even more uncomfortable at the film's overt sexuality, personified by the sleek, fetish-inspired styling of Catwoman's costume. One critic described the film as "too many villains spoiled the Batman", highlighting Burton's decision to focus the storyline more on the villains instead of Batman (though this was also somewhat true of the previous film). Batman Returns grossed $160 million, which, while still a big success, was much less than expected. Burton left the Batman franchise from this point on (though he returned as a producer for Batman Forever (1995), a movie which he said had a title "like a tattoo you get when you're on drugs").

Next, Burton wrote and produced (but did not direct, due to schedule constraints) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), originally meant to be a children's book in rhyme. The film was directed by Henry Selick and written by Michael McDowell and Caroline Thompson, based on Burton's original story, world and characters. Burton collaborated with Selick again for James and the Giant Peach (1996), which Burton co-produced.

His next film, Ed Wood (1994), was of a much smaller scale, depicting the life of Ed Wood Jr., a filmmaker sometimes called "the worst director of all time". Again starring Depp in the title role, the film is an homage to the low-budget sci-fi and horror films of Burton's childhood, and handles its comical protagonist and his motley band of collaborators with surprising fondness and sensitivity, culminating in Ed leaving the preview of his latest movie believing that he has succeeded in his goal to make great movies (though the real Ed Wood died a lonely alcoholic death, having never achieved success in his lifetime). Due to creative squabbles during the making of "The Nightmare Before Christmas", Danny Elfman declined to score Ed Wood, and the assignment went to Howard Shore. While a commercial failure at the time of its release, Ed Wood was well received by critics and has since gathered a considerable fanbase, as well as helped revive the public interest for the films of Ed Wood Jr.

Elfman and Burton reunited for Mars Attacks! (1996). Based on a popular science fiction trading card series, the film was a spoof of blockbusters such as Independence Day as well as being another affectionate homage to 1950s sci-fi films. Although the film boasted an all-star cast, including Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Michael J. Fox, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Rod Steiger, among others, the film was panned by American critics and mostly ignored by domestic audiences. It was however more successful abroad, and it later managed to gather a domestic fan base from its TV runs and DVD exploitations.

Sleepy Hollow released in the autumn of 1999, was a return to vintage Burton, with a supernatural setting, unique sets, and another offbeat performance by Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane, now a detective with an interest in forensic science rather than the schoolteacher of Washington Irving's original tale. A host of Burton regulars appeared in supporting roles (Michael Gough, Jeffrey Jones and Christopher Walken, among others) and Christina Ricci was cast as Katrina van Tassel. Mostly well received by critics, and with a special mention to Elfman's especially Gothic score, the film won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction, as well as two BAFTAs for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. A box office success, Sleepy Hollow was also a turning point for Burton. Along with change in his personal life (separation from Lisa Marie), Burton changed radically in style for his next project, leaving the haunted forests and colorful outcasts behind to go on to directing a remake of Planet of the Apes.

Among the projects Burton was attached to during the 90's were an adaptation of the manga Mai, the Psychic Girl, which was to have starred Winona Ryder as the titular character, Mary Reilly, which Stephen Frears ended up directing, the Superman film that never was with Nicolas Cage playing the title character, Dick Tracy which he turned down to do Edward Scissorhands and The Hawkline Monster, based on the Richard Brautigan novella, which would have featured Clint Eastwood and Jack Nicholson.

The 2000s

Planet of the Apes was a commercial success, grossing $68 million in its opening weekend. It was however panned by critics and was widely considered as inferior to the original. The film was a significant departure from Burton's usual style, and there was much subsequent debate about whether the film was really Burton's, or if he was just a "hired gun" who did what he was asked. [1] Burton reportedly clashed with the studio during the whole making of the film, once going as far as abruptly leaving the set for the day.

Burton went on to direct Big Fish (2003), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and Corpse Bride (2005), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature Film.

In addition to his film work, he has also written the book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy: and Other Stories, a book about misfit children such as Oyster Boy, Match Girl, Stainboy (who used to have his own flash cartoon series on atomfilms.com), the Girl Who Turned into a Bed, and other such outcasts.

Personal life

In 1989, he married Lena Gieseke, a German artist. They divorced shortly after the filming of Batman Returns. He was also engaged to Lisa Marie from 1992-2001. He is currently engaged to Helena Bonham Carter (since 2001) and lives in London. They have a son, Billy-Ray Burton, born in October 2003.

Burton reportedly remains estranged from his brother Daniel and his mother. His father, a former minor league baseball player, passed away around 2001.

The future

On June 13, 2006, Burton announced that he would be postponing his work on Believe It or Not to concentrate on the film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Burton's regular, Johnny Depp, has been signed on to play the murderous barber.

In February 2006, in an interview Tim debunked rumors of Beetlejuice 2, Edward Scissorhands 2, and The Nightmare Before Christmas 2. In that same interview, he also expressed interest in an Edgar Allan Poe film in the near future. [2]

Tim is currently working on a music video for The Killers entitled "Bones". The video will feature computer graphics, skeletons, and references to Burton's movies among other things.

There is also a rumor that he is making a movie at Pixar

The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D comes out on the 20th October 2006, in Real D and December 1st in all theater in regular anyglyph

Trademarks

A few of his trademarks:

Filmography

His directorial credits include:


Production credits include:

Trivia

  • His film Beetlejuice prominently featured Harry Belafonte's hit "Banana Boat Song" which was co-written by Alan Arkin. Arkin plays Bill Boggs in Edward Scissorhands.
  • Worked on The Muppet Movie (1979) as an Additional Muppet performer. He also performed a cameo in Singles (1992) from director Cameron Crowe and Hoffa which reunited him with Batman actors Danny DeVito (who directed) and Jack Nicholson, as a corpse.
  • His fiancee, Helena Bonham Carter, was quoted as saying that the reason for his unique vision and style of directing was because she believed him to have Asperger Syndrome, a mild form of autism. She said that it helped to inspire his creative fuel, and was in no way a hindrance, but in fact was a great asset.
  • Uncredited, but involved in the production of The Black Cauldron, The Fox and the Hound (as a Disney animator doing in-between work on the character Vixey), and Tron.
  • In 2006, Burton was nominated for an Academy Award for the film Corpse Bride.
  • The Boston-based magazine Phoenix gave Burton the title of "26th unsexiest male celebrity".[3]
  • When he was a child growing up in Burbank, he staged an axe murder with his brother to scare the neighbors, prompting them to call the police. He repeated the prank again with similar results.
  • His year of birth is sometimes mistakenly given as 1960, most notably in his own books, "The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy" and the picture book of "The Nightmare Before Christmas".
  • Many costumes designs in his film feature pinstripes. Burton wears a pair of pinstripe socks as a lucky charm at every premiere and special occasion.
  • Often rumored to have performed with the Ska band the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Although there is a Tim Burton in the band, it is not the same Tim Burton.
  • Both Tim Burton and Danny DeVito have directed film adaptations of Roald Dahl's books. DeVito directed and starred in the film Matilda and Tim Burton directed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory(He produced the movie James and the Giant Peach, which is also by Roald Dahl.). Coincidentally, DeVito starred as the Penguin in Batman Returns, directed by Tim Burton.
  • Shares a birthday with Sean Connery.

External links

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