His characters are outsiders — like the director himself. As Tim Burton turns 60, here's a look back at his career, cult films and the elements defining his unmistakable universe.
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8 cult Tim Burton films
Rich in imagination, director Tim Burton has created unusual worlds in his movies. In honor of his 60th birthday, here's a look at some of his biggest hit films, from Beetlejuice and Batman to Edward Scissorhands.
Tim Burton's second feature film (after the 1985 flick Pee-Wee's Big Adventure) was a black comedy starring Michael Keaton as an obnoxious poltergeist in the title role. Keaton almost completely improvised his dialogue, leaving such a strong impression after just 17 minutes on screen that Burton took him on for the lead role in his next film.
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Batman (1989)
However, the show was stolen by Jack Nicholson, who played the diabolical Joker to Keaton's Batman. Sporting a large grin and showered in dollar bills in the film, Nicholson earned the then-legendary fee of $60 million. Burton's gritty comic book adaptation combined with an unforgettable soundtrack by Prince triggered a veritable Batmania. The movie took home the Oscar for best picture.
Hollywood star Johnny Depp appeared in this fantastic romance as a sensitive young man with an unhealthy complexion and shears for fingers. The movie launched a long-standing collaboration between Burton and Depp; the actor has starred in the director's films eight times — more than any other.
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Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Christmas as a horror flick, with skeletons, zombies and a kidnapped Santa Claus – that's the holidays Tim Burton-style. Although the actual direction of the movie, completed using stop motion technology, was undertaken by Henry Selick, Burton was responsible for the script and production.
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Ed Wood (1994)
The actor, director and film producer Ed Wood was considered one of the worst of his art in Hollywood history. Johnny Depp took on the title role alongside Sarah Jessica Parker (shown here, center) and Bill Murray (left). The black-and-white comedy-drama proved a loving tribute to the trash king who became a cult figure.
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Mars Attacks! (1997)
Martians arrive on earth and their intentions are anything but peaceful. They begin their mission to extinguish all of mankind, and not even the US president (played by Jack Nicholson) survives. Only one thing can stop them: the voice of country-western singer Slim Whitman. Along with Nicholson, Burton's tribute to alien B-movies features Pierce Brosnan and Natalie Portman, and lots of dark humor.
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Big Fish (2003)
As a child, Edward Bloom (Ewan McGregor) convinced the giant Karl (Matthew McGrory) to spare his hometown. That's just one of many unbelievable stories that on his deathbed, Edward tells his son. But the latter has to uncover for himself just how much truth is hidden within those stories. Big Fish is a picture book for adults, in film format.
Burton took on the literary adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The result is a fantasy fairy tale filled with whimsical details. Once again, Johnny Depp is in the leading role, this time playing the secretive owner of the chocolate factory, Willy Wonka, whose heart is softened by young Charlie (Freddie Highmore).
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Tim Burton is a fan of tried-and-true methods. He likes to use recurring shots, stylistic devices and motifs in his films – such as scarecrows or snow in a noiseless environment.
His works often open with a tracking shot following someone or something, accompanied by eerie music. The introduction might reveal the background story of a character, for example how The Penguin was abandoned by his parents as a child in Batman Returns.
His films are inhabited by vampires, skeletons or ghosts that seem scary at first glance, but are actually rather nice.
The freedom of being a freak
Burton developed his preference for outsiders after growing up in Burbank, a Californian city of 100,000 inhabitants; he's turned them into a recurring theme of his films.
"At school, nobody seemed to like me," the then already successful director said in 1994, in the MTV series titled Freaks, Nerds & Weirdos.
His film characters would reflect his own yearning for acceptance. "There's something sad about being separated, but there's also a kind of wonderful freedom," he explained. "Because when people brand you as a freak of some sort, it allows you to act freakish without people getting on your case."
Burton has wholeheartedly embraced his "freaky" labelImage: picture-alliance/dpa/M.Taga
Record-breaking films
He started out by working as an animator and storyboard artist for Disney.
In 1985, he filmed his feature debut, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. It was followed in 1988 by a comedy originally planned as a horror movie, Beetlejuice. It was an unexpected box office hit.
Following this success, Burton was called to direct Batman, which, supported by a tremendous marketing campaign, broke all previously established box office records.
The film crew as a family
His established reputation also allowed Burton to sell his less commercial ideas to studios. In 1990, Edward Scissorhands launched a long-lasting collaboration between the director and actor Johnny Depp. They've worked on eight movies together since.
Along with his stylistic devices, Burton also remains faithful to his actors. After Beetlejuice, Michael Keaton became Batman; Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, Winona Ryder and Christopher Walken are other Burton favorites.
The four-time Oscar winner Danny Elfman composed the music in almost all of his films.
Burton surrounds himself with confidants, people who tick like him, or who are at least are open to sharing his visions.
The director and producer says he's found a family in his film crew. "It's a wonderful thing to be surrounded by them," he said during a 2016 podium discussion promoting the film Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
Muses and lovers
In Miss Peregrine, former Bond girl Eva Green took on the title role. Ever since the production, the two of them have been a couple. Green is also cast in Burton's upcoming fantasy movie, Dumbo, planned for 2019.
In fact, the film set has in a way turned into Burton's unofficial dating site. He was in a relationship with actor Lisa Marie, whom he called a muse, from 1992 to 2001; she appeared in all of his movies in that period, up until Planet of the Apes in 2001.
During the shoot of that film, he fell in love with Helena Bonham Carter. They were a couple until 2014, had two children and did six films together.
Two children and six films: Burton has shared his passion for odd characters with Helena Bonham Carter for many yearsImage: picture-alliance/dpa/D. Deme
Waiting for Beetlejuice 2
While the filmmaker, who turns 60 on August 25, has already been awarded a lifetime achievement award (the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2007), he presumably still has many projects ahead of him.
Among these will be long-gestating, highly-awaited second part to Beetlejuice, which wouldreunite Burton with Michael Keaton and would be Burton's second sequel after Batman.
Welcome to Tim Burton's macabre world of art
His works are spooky and dreamy, but also funny and childish. Filmmaker Tim Burton created whole new worlds - often with a pencil or paintbrush before moving to film. A touring exhibition shows rare artworks by Burton.
Image: 2015 Tim Burton, All Rights Reserved
Get inside Tim Burton's head
Fans can't get enough of his quirky take on horror. Through rare drawings, paintings and sketches, the touring exhibition "The World of Tim Burton" gives exceptional insights into how filmmaker and artist Tim Burton actually thinks. It is now on show in Shanghai and will move on to Hong Kong in November.
Image: 2015 Tim Burton, All Rights Reserved
Burton borrows from Max Ernst
The exhibition previously stopped in other large cities such as New York, Prague and Tokyo. In Germany, it was only shown in the 44,000-person town of Brühl. It's no coincidence that the tiny Max Brühl Museum stumbled upon Tim Burton. The American artist's work - like "Blue Girl with Wine" from 1997 - bears an uncanny resemblance to that of surrealist Max Ernst, who was born in Brühl in 1891.
Image: 2015 Tim Burton, All Rights Reserved
Alternative realities
For Tim Burton, reality is not singular and variations on the norm are the common thread in the exhibition. Using alienating techniques like masks or coverings, Tim Burton plays with reality - like here in "Green Man" from 1999.
Image: 2015 Tim Burton, All Rights Reserved
Vision of 'the others'
Other worlds have always interested artists and filmmakers. Burton often sketches ideas that later turn up in his films. "Saucer and Aliens" was created from 1972-74 and was reflected on many years later in films like "Mars Attacks!" (1996) and "Planet of the Apes" (2001).
Image: 2015 Tim Burton, All Rights Reserved
Fairytales rewritten
Fairytale figures often find their way into Tim Burton's pictures as well as his films. Sometimes he creates abstract, fairytale-like settings, while at other times he remakes a classic - like "Alice in Wonderland" in 2010. This reindeer from 1994-1999 looks like he could become the main character in a yet unwritten Christmas tale.
Image: 2015 Tim Burton, All Rights Reserved
Dark and childish
Comic often meets horror in Tim Burton's paintings, drawings and films. This drawing from 1997 is typical of Burton's style: The dreamy, black-and-white tones seem to contradict the childish face.
Image: 2015 Tim Burton, All Rights Reserved
The artistic evolution of a work
Drawings become films, sketches turn into screenplays and oil paintings are shaped into scenarios for full-blown blockbusters. Usually the public can only admire Tim Burton's oeuvre in the cinema. Through the exhibition "The World of Tim Burton," which has been touring the world since 2009, fans have also gained access to his art. (Pictured: "The Last of Its Kind" from 1994).
