Tim Burton & His Films

Tim Burton is one of the most acclaimed directors in the world. His early film career got started by unbelievably good luck, but his talent and originality have kept him on top. He is known for his offbeat, imaginative and often darkly comic films. Tim has always been fascinated with movies and filming. He has loved to draw from when he was little. Filmmaking is his passion and it sure shows in his movies!

Childhood and College

Timothy William Burton was born on August 25, 1958. He was raised in Burbank, California. As a child, he loved to spend his time drawing and watching old movies. Most of his life, his artistic talent went by unnoticed. A local garbage company realized his potential and already established skills when Tim won a prize for an anti-litter poster he created. However, he never quite felt at home in his little suburban neighborhood. His idol has always been Vincent Prince. He has one brother. His dad, Bill Burton, was a Burbank park official. Tim’s mother, Jean Burton, owned a cat shop. When he was 12, he decided he didn’t want to stay with his parents anymore and moved in with his grandmother. He always found school very difficult. However, he won a Disney scholarship at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California for animation. He attended this and studied animation for 3 years. He was then hired by Walt Disney Studios as an animator apprentice.

Current Life

Since 2001, Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter have been happily engaged. They currently live in London. They had a son in 2003 that they named Billy-Ray Burton.

Tim doesn’t like to call himself an artist, even thought that is exactly what he is. He couldn’t draw realistically, so he believed that he couldn’t draw at all. But one day, he felt that he loved to draw so much that he would just draw however he felt. Burton considered this his breakthrough. Because he lived so close to Mexico and was exposed to other cultures, Burton has a very different view on death than most people. He believed that Americans see death as a negative thing. However, he himself saw it as a more positive experience. His view of the afterlife being a happy place shows in Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride.

Film Characteristics

Tim Burton’s movies are unique and have a dark taste to them. However, they are extremely famous and well known. Tim frequently shows dead dogs, clowns, sheep, twisted trees, and scarecrows in his films. He almost always personalizes the production logo shown in the beginning of his movies. He repeatedly works with Michael Keaton, Johnny Depp, Jeffrey Jones, Winona Ryder, Glen Shadix, Deep Roy, Christopher Lee, Paul Reubens, Danny Devito, Christopher Walken, Jack Nicholson, Lisa Marie, and Helena Bonham Carter. The artist Edward Goret’s pen and ink drawings and other works influence Tim Burton’s artwork and films. Some other inspiration comes from German Expressionist Cinema with very exaggerated sets. Burtons often uses shadows for a scary, ominous effect. His main characters he creates in his movies are usually standoffish or outsiders. Also, his works contain black and white quite often with stripes, crooked spirals, and curly edges. Tim’s holiday films usually open with a quiet, nighttime snowfall scene or right when festivities begin. These are just some of the many reasons why movie lovers can’t get enough of Tim Burton’s individual style of filming.