Tim Burton is a legendary director. Since breaking into Hollywood in 1985, he's directed 20 films. Many of them have become iconic, such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Mars Attacks! Burton's 1989 Batman has become a significant milestone in the superhero genre. It changed the perception of what a superhero movie could be, offering a darker, more serious take on the Dark Knight. Every superhero movie that's followed owes a little thanks to this film.
Burton's unique filmmaking style has helped him stand out from other directors in Hollywood. You can always tell when you're watching a Tim Burton movie. And that's because the same eight things tend to happen.
8 Fantastical Stories
Many of Burton's stories are fantastical in nature. They're not magical in the traditional sense; there are no spells or incantations. But they tend to read like fairy tales and contain elements of the surreal.
In Burton's live-action adaptation of Alice in Wonderland, Alice (Mia Wasikowska) and the audience tumble down a rabbit hole into a world of nonsense and talking animals. In his 2005 adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Charlie (Freddie Highmore) and the audience are invited into Willy Wonka's imaginative and impossible chocolate factory. Big Fish, which is very much set in the real world, blurs the line between fantasy and reality, as a disillusioned son tries piecing together the mystery of his father's life. When going into a Burton flick, you can usually expect to be transported somewhere fantastical.
7 Helena Bonham Carter
Some directors love using the same few actors in their movies. And actress Helena Bonham Carter is one of Tim Burton's absolute favorites. The pair first met on Burton's 2001 remake of Planet of the Apes. Carter and Burton began dating shortly afterward and eventually married and had two children. They've collaborated on seven films together, including Corpse Bride, Alice in Wonderland, and Big Fish. But since their divorce in 2014, Carter hasn't appeared in any Burton-directed films. So it looks like this may be one Burton trend that's getting phased out of his movies.
6 Johnny Depp
Helena Bonham Carter may have been Burton's wife, but Johnny Depp is the director's muse when it comes to the silver screen. Many actors were considered for the role of the titular character in Edward Scissorhands, such as Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Gary Oldman, and Jim Carrey. But for Tim Burton, up-and-coming actor Johnny Depp had always been his top choice.
The director's dream came true when Depp was cast as Edward Scissorhands, bringing Burton's most personal story to life. The pair have collaborated on eight films over the years, including Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. In most of these films, Depp usually plays the eccentric outcast (more on that later). And most of the time, we can't imagine anyone else playing the part but him.
5 Whimsical Visuals
Burton's fantastical stories are often brought to life through whimsical atmospheres and visuals. Edward Scissorhands is set in a suburb that has a dark, strangely-placed mansion right down the street. It sits atop a massive hill, overlooking the neighborhood. And throughout this mansion's grounds are garden hedges that have been trimmed into whimsical creatures.
Even Burton's suburbia doesn't appear totally normal, filled with cookie-cutter, pastel-colored houses. The quirky atmosphere in Edward Scissorhands sets the tone for the movie. And it's certainly not the only Burton movie to do this.
35 Years Ago Tim Burton's Batman Set a Trend That Still Stands Today
After Batman, big-name films were expected to move soundtracks, toys, apparel, collectibles, and spawn a couple of sequels to capitalize on fan hype.
The afterlife in Beetlejuice is filled with fantastical imagery, from its quirky dead characters to its off-kilter doorways and corridors. And when the Deetz family renovates the Maitlands' home, you know it's the kind of make-over that Burton himself would probably do, from its dark and dreary interiors to Delia's odd-looking sculptures. Big Eyes is one of the director's most realistic and least Burtonesque films. But there is a scene where the main character starts hallucinating gigantic eyes on everyone she sees, and suddenly, you're reminded of who directed this movie. When you journey through a Tim Burton set, you know that you're going to see something a little weird.
4 A Dark and Creepy Aesthetic
Burton's films aren't just known for their fantastical stories and whimsical visuals. They're also known to feature a dark and creepy aesthetic, a taste for the macabre. Burton's worlds often carry eerie undertones. They're shot with dark and dreary color schemes -- grays, and blacks, and dim lighting. His characters often appear pale with dark bags around their eyes, like the characters of Sweeney Todd, Beetlejuice, and the Penguin in Batman Returns.
Many of Burton's films also deal with death and involve dead characters, like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and Beetlejuice. And many of them, like Batman, contain gothic architecture that immerses both the characters and audience in its foreboding landscape. And yet, despite all this, Burton's imagery oozes with a haunting beauty that's become synonymous with his movies.
3 Danny Elfman Is the Composer
1985's Pee-wee's Big Adventure marks composer Danny Elfman's first score for a major film studio. It was also his first time working with director Tim Burton. The two have collaborated on a whopping 17 films together. And that number doesn't even include Burton-produced movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas. Elfman composed, wrote, and even performed ten songs on the movie's iconic soundtrack. His music perfectly encapsulates the atmosphere in many of Burton's movies; you can hear the dark and whimsical eeriness in Elfman's notes.
Some of their most iconic collaborations include the epic theme for 1989's Batman, the sad, haunting melody of Edward Scissorhands, and the mischievous theme for Beetlejuice, as well as its 2024 sequel. For decades, Burton and Elfman have been making movie magic together, producing one of the best director-composer duos in Hollywood.
2 At Least One Musical Interlude
Sandwiched between the dark tones and whimsical visuals of a Tim Burton movie (more on those in a bit), you'll usually find a musical number. In 1989's Batman, we're treated to a surprising musical break, courtesy of the film's psychotic and murderous villain, the Joker (Jack Nicholson). He dances madly about a museum that's littered with corpses, destroying everything in his path, to Prince's "Partyman."
One of Beetlejuice's most iconic scenes occurs when a pair of ghosts decide to possess Lydia Deetz (Catherine O'Hara) and her guests during a dinner party. What follows is a hysterical performance of "Day-O," as the ghosts force Lydia and her guests to sing and dance to Harry Belafonte's voice. Even Burton's Netflix TV series, Wednesday, features a musical break, where Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) performs a goth dance that has since set the internet on fire. Sure, things might get creepy and weird in a Burton flick, but there's sometimes a musical number to help lighten the darkness.
1 Main Characters Who Are Outcasts
Perhaps the most common element among Burton's films is the exploration of the outsider, the outcast, the misunderstood individual. His movies often revolve around characters who are eccentric, quirky, or socially alienated. This theme very much ties into Burton's own childhood, reflecting the isolation he felt while growing up in Burbank, California. Edward Scissorhands, Burton's most personal work, is a tragedy about an isolated and misunderstood outcast, who wants nothing more than to give love and receive love in return (and also a pair of hands).
Tim Burton's Two Sequels Have A LOT in Common
Despite being made 32 years apart, Batman Returns and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Tim Burton's only two sequels, have a lot of strange similarities.
The Nightmare Before Christmas follows the disillusioned Jack Skellington, who experiences intense feelings of loneliness and boredom with his place in the world. Batman is about a superhero who's scarred by past trauma, who only becomes his true self when he dons his mask and cape. Beetlejuice follows the Maitlands, who are grappling with their recent deaths and are trying to understand and adapt to their new realities. Burton's movies often explore themes of isolation, highlighting his characters' struggles to fit into a world that doesn’t accept or understand them.
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