October 30, 2017 | Shannon Quinn

Creepy Facts About Tim Burton


Tim Burton is a visionary artist, animator, producer, writer, and director who specializes in dark, gothic stories with a comedic twist. Some of his most iconic movies are Beetlejuice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Mars Attacks! and Sweeney Todd. He are 40 facts about the master of ambience.


Tim Burton Facts

1. Once Upon A Time...

Timothy Walter Burton was born on August 25th, 1958. He grew up in Burbank, California.

Tim Burton is photographed at the Beverly Hiton HotelGary Friedman, Getty Images

2. Triple Feature

Burton said that, as a kid, he used to go to the Cornell Theater, where they would group two to three movies together for 50 cents. There, Burton would watch B-horror films like Scream Blacula Scream,  Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, and Godzilla.

Close up shot of director  Tim Burton Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

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3. Raised on Horror

Burton grew up on horror movies at an earlier age than most kids, and he has no memory of ever being scared of them, only fascinated.

Tim Burton giving speechGeorges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

4. Childhood Hero

As a kid, Burton often watched Roger Corman's seminal horror movies, and they inspired his love of the macabre.

Roger Corman AFI FEST 2007 Presented By Audi: Portrait Sessions - Day 9Mark Mainz, Getty Images

5. Red Fish, Blue Fish

Some of Burton's favorite stories as a kid were written by Dr. Seuss. He says that he loves Seuss's simple, lyrical voice.

Dr Seuss Holds 'The Cat In The Hat'Gene Lester, Getty Images

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6. The Funny Pages

Despite his talent for visuals and his work on Batman, Burton has said that, “Anybody who knows me knows I would never read a comic book.”

Tim Burton at a conferenceGage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons 

7. Practice Makes Perfect

When he was a child, Burton began practicing stop motion animation using a Super 8 camera. He was inspired by Ray Harryhausen, who did stop-motion animation for monster films. Burton claims that if it was not for Harryhausen’s work, he probably would have never gotten into the art form at such a young age.

Press View Of Myths And Legends ExhibitionJohn Phillips, Getty Images

8. Learning the Ropes

All through his time in school, Burton's art teachers encouraged him to pursue illustration; when he graduated from high school, he studied animation at the California Institute of the Arts.

California institute of the artsBobak Ha'Eri, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

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9. Visionary

Burton scored a job as a Disney animator but only worked for about a year. As he puts it,  “Visions are worth fighting for. Why spend your life making someone else’s dreams?”

Tim Burton Visits DisneylandHandout, Getty Images

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10. Ghoulish Holiday

In the 1980s, when he was still working for Disney, Burton wrote the poem "The Nightmare Before Christmas" after watching retail employees taking down Halloween decorations and getting ready for Christmas. This poem became the basis for his film of the same name.

Nightmare Before Christmas cover photoLoren Javier, Flickr

11. RIP Sparky

In 1984, Disney released Burton's black and white film Frankenweenie, where a young boy named Victor brings his dead dog back to life. The film was remade in 2012 as a stop-motion movie.

The Art of FrankenweenieDick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

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12. Just The Beginning

Burton directed his first feature-length film, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, in 1985.

Pee-wee Herman's BicyclePopscreenshot, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

13. Easter Egg

In 1988, Burton directed Beetlejuice. The film contains a scene with an early version of what would become The Nightmare Before Christmas's Jack Skellington.

Close up shot of Beetlejuice maskErwin Soo, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

14. The World's Greatest Detective

After directing Pee Wee's Big Adventure and Beetlejuice, Burton went on to direct Batman, which was darker than his previous films. Batman grossed over $100 million in its first 10 days.

On the set of BatmanSunset Boulevard, Getty Images

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15. Appetite for Destruction

In 1992, Burton made Batman Returns; the film made $47.7 million after a mere three days.

On the set of Batman ReturnsSunset Boulevard, Getty Images

16. It’s Not Canon

Comic book fans were not happy with Burton's Batman, which took major liberties with the source material: he had the Joker kill Bruce Wayne's parents and let Vicky Vale enter the Batcave.

Joker from Batman (1989)Atom.D, Flickr

17. Muse

Burton was engaged to the actress Lisa Marie from 1992-2001, who was the inspiration for Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas. While they were together, Burton cast Lisa Marie in films such as Sleepy Hollow, Planet of the Apes, and Ed Wood.

Tim Burton & Lisa MarieSteve Eichner, Getty Images

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18. Stranger Than Fiction

Despite his active imagination, Burton claims he never dreams—or at least he never remembers them.

Tim Burton Unveils "Tim Burton: The Exhibition" At ACMIScott Barbour, Getty Images

19. Illustrations

Tim Burton brings art supplies with him everywhere he goes because he is always drawing his fantastic ideas. He has a lot of sketch books, but if he doesn’t have access to one, he will use tissues, napkins, and even walls to draw on.

TIFF Bell Lightbox Launch Party For Their Tim Burton RetrospectiveJag Gundu, Getty Images

20. Let it All Out

Burton claims that making films is like “an expensive form of therapy” for him.

On the set of Batman ReturnsSunset Boulevard, Getty Images

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21. Besties with the Baddies

After working with him in Batman, Burton said that Jack Nicholson was a brilliant actor, and a great choice for the Joker. Burton has also said that actors who play villains are often nicer people than the ones who play heroes.

Jack Nicholson at the World premiere of 'The Bucket List'Tinseltown, Shutterstock

22. Diving Into Fantasy

While making The Nightmare Before Christmas, the studio often had a hard time seeing Burton's vision. For example, the studio argued with Burton over how it was possible for Jack Skellington to see without any eyeballs.

Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" Opens at El Capitan TheatreBarry King, Getty Images

23. In His Shadow

Although Burton wrote and produced The Nightmare Before Christmas, he was too busy to direct the movie; the directing credit went Henry Selick.

Henry Selick directed the animated tale of Coraline about a girl who goes between alternate universSpencer Weiner, Getty Images

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24. True Artist

Burton isn't very keen on technology, and would often rather be drawing than spending his time on the internet.

Tim Burton Book Signing At LACMA For His Exhibition Catalogue And The "Art Of Tim Burton"Frazer Harrison, Getty Images

25. Probably For the Best

In the 1990s, Burton almost came out with a Superman movie starring Nicolas Cage. It never happened.

 Screening Of Summit Entertainment's "Drive Angry 3D" - Red CarpetJason Merritt, Getty Images

26. Planet of the Apes

Even though Burton doesn’t get scared very easily, he does have at least one phobia: chimpanzees.

Tim Burton being interviewed Romain DUBOIS, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

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27. Out of this World

In the early 90s, Burton bought the rights to a Topps trading card series, but was torn between calling it Dinosaurs Attack! or Mars Attacks! until Jurassic Park came out. Not wanting to do another dinosaur movie, he settled on directing 1996's Mars Attacks!

Tim Burton And Emilio InsoleraLasse Kusk, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

28. In Vogue

Burton likes to dress all in black. Although this chimes with his dark sense of humor, Burton claims it’s because it makes it easier to match clothing when he gets dressed in the morning.

Photocall Tim Burton - RomeMAURIX, Getty Images

29. Sliding Doors

Burton was supposed to direct A Series of Unfortunate Events, with Johnny Depp playing Count Olaf. However, Burton left the project, taking Depp with him. Helena Bonham Carter, Burton's girlfriend at the time, still played the children's mother, Beatrice Baudelaire, but was never given credit for the small cameo. The movie was directed by Brad Silberling instead.

Variety Screening Series - "Lemony Snicke's A Series Of Unfortunate Events"Stephen Shugerman, Getty Images

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30. Silent Partners

Burton and Depp have worked on multiple films since 1990's Edward Scissorhands. According to Burton, both he and Depp don’t like talking, and use a lot of nonverbal communication. At this point, they understand one another so well that other members of the crew have to ask and clarify what is going on.

Special Screening For DreamWorks Pictures' Kevin Winter, Getty Images

31. No Thank You

In 2001, Disney approached Burton about doing a CGI sequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas. Burton declined.

Close up of Tim BurtonSean Reynolds, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

32. Sweet Tooth

Burton directed the 2001 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which, in classic Burton style, relies mostly on physical special effects rather than CGI, even in the fantastical chocolate factory.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory posterStephen Lovekin, Getty Images

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33. Hidden Crossover

In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie’s dad works for a toothpaste company called Smilex. In Burton’s 1989 Batman, “Smylex” was the name of the gas that The Joker spread.

Screenshot from the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) Warner Bros., Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

34. Vintage Artwork

Burton owns original Margaret Keane paintings, and directed Big Eyes, a film about Keane, in 2014.

Film director Tim BurtonDavid Torcivia, Flickr

35. The Odd Couple

When Burton was dating Helena Bonham Carter, they lived in conjoined but separate houses in London in order to each have their own space.

Royal World Premiere of Alice in Wonderland - LondonYui Mok, Getty Images

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36. Sons and Daughters

Burton and Bonham Carter had two children together, Billy and Nell Burton. Johnny Depp is Billy's godfather.

'Dumbo' European Premiere - Red Carpet ArrivalsStuart C. Wilson, Getty Images

37. On Stage

Burton's Batman almost became a musical, and was intended to premiere sometime after 2005; it never got off the ground.

Meeting with the film director Tim BurtonRedactieSTRIK, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

38. Second Chances

In 2017, it was announced that Beetlejuice will become a Broadway musical.

Tim Burton at a conferenceRomain Brami, Flickr

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39. Too Sexy For Apes

Tim Burton's remake of the Planet of the Apes (2001) script was censored because it featured a scene too sexy for the big screen: a controversial intimate scene where Mark Wahlberg and an apeish Helena Bonham Carter make love. Burton pushed for the human-simian coupling, but all that was left in the film was a kiss. According to a Fox insider, "Fox thought American audiences would recoil and that the movie would get an NC-17 rating. That would kill the movie for kids."

Frankenweenie premiere at the Fantastic FestAnna Hanks, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

40. Big Bucks

Directing films can be a seriously lucrative career: Burton has an estimated net worth of $113.3 million.

Tim Burton FactsGetty Images

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14


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