Tim Burton

When I was two years old and at my Grandma’s house, I was looking for a movie to watch. I don’t remember whether I found it and asked to watch or my parents suggested it to me, but I saw the movie and it helped shape my life as I know it. That movie was “Batman”, directed by Tim Burton. Not only did it introduce me to Batman, and help mold me into a die-hard fan of the Batman comics, but it introduced me to Tim Burton. Out of love for that movie and admiration for Tim Burton, I watched his other works throughout the previous years of my life, including “Beetlejuice”, “Edward Scissorhands”, “Nightmare before Christmas” and “Sleepy Hollow”, to name only a few of his films. I feel a personal connection with Tim Burton, a feeling only matched by a few of my musical influences. Not only was I born in the same hospital as he was, but we both love art and horror movies, our favorite color is black, and my parents even went to the same college he did. We also both have creative and individualistic minds, and instead of striving to be like everyone else, we like to be original and unique.

Tim Burton is not just a director, but an animator and he has produced films as well. In 1979, after graduating from CalArts, he started working for Disney as an animator, but Burton was not satisfied with Disney or having to animate films and make them look a certain way. He was also made into a conceptual artist for Disney, but almost none of his work was used, as Disney found them too disturbing. But while he was not busy with that, he made his own projects. He made an animated short film “Vincent” and a short live action film, “Frankenweenie.” While it was not released in theatres, his film was shown to Warner Bros. executives, who showed it to Paul Reubens aka “Pee-wee Herman.” Reubens loved it so much he wanted Tim to direct his upcoming film, “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure”, which became a success. He then directed “Beetlejuice” which was also a hit, but few could prepare for the long-awaited project, “Batman”. While in the process of making “Beetlejuice”, Tim was approached for this by Warner Bros. and he accepted “Batman was released in 1989, becoming one of the highest grossing films ever, it’s success only surpassed by the latest Batman film, “The Dark Knight”. Tim then directed “Edward Scissorhands”, regarded as his most personal film to date. He then directed “Batman Returns”, which gained mixed opinions for its dark, macabre content. Because of this, Warner Bros. wanted to go in a more family friendly direction for the Batman franchise, leading Burton to leave his role as director. He then joined with Henry Selleck to create “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, his first animated film and “Ed Wood”, a biography of his childhood hero. While this was not as creative as his previous films, he came back with “Sleepy Hollow” and then directed a remake of “Planet of the Apes”, which Tim Burton regarded as his worst film. After a temporary hiatus, Tim Burton was back in directing with “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Corpse Bride.” Most recently, he brought the stage musical “Sweeny Todd” to life on the big screen, and is currently working on a live action/CGI “Alice in Wonderland.”

As a young child, Tim Burton was something of a misfit. Unlike the other cheery kids in Burbank, Tim was shy, introverted, and isolated. Neither sports nor school interested him. Tim was intrigued by horror movies starring Christopher Lee or Vincent Price. He spent his time drawing pictures, many of them reflecting his personality. One of these pictures became the basis of Edward Scissorhands. In high school, his anti-litter poster won in a contest and was put on the side of city garbage trucks for a year. After high school, Tim entered the California Institute of the Arts.

While to some people, an artist can have no contributions to society, it is not the case, especially with Tim Burton. Tim Burton is an influence to many young artists, including myself. He has had a great influence on movies, especially neo-expressionistic films. His film Batman also had a profound influence on superhero films, as well as people’s perception of Batman. It helped popularize the superhero genre, and people no longer thought of Batman as a silly character that he was made into through the 60’s show. Also, he helped make actors Michael Keaton and Johnny Depp famous

In order to become a director like Tim Burton, I will continue with high school, and keep acting, so that I may become an actor. I am planning on filming an independent short film in high school. In college, I still plan on studying acting, but I will also go into studying directing. My lifetime goal is to always, no matter what, to always do what I do with passion and creativity, just like Tim Burton.