Tim Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American film director, producer, artist, writer, animator, puppeteer, and actor.
He is known for his gothic horror and fantasy films, such as Beetlejuice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007), Dark Shadows (2012), and Frankenweenie (2012).
He is also known for blockbuster films, such as the adventure-comedy Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985), the superhero films Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), the science fiction film Planet of the Apes (2001), the fantasy-drama Big Fish (2003), the musical adventure film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), the fantasy film Alice in Wonderland (2010), and film adaptations of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016) and Dumbo (2019).
Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1985 | Pee-wee's Big Adventure | Yes | No | No | [1] [2] |
1988 | Beetlejuice | Yes | No | No | [3] [4] |
1989 | Batman | Yes | No | No | [5] [6] |
1990 | Edward Scissorhands | Yes | Yes | Story | [7] [8] |
1992 | Batman Returns | Yes | Yes | No | [9] [10] |
1993 | The Nightmare Before Christmas | No | Yes | Story | [11] [12] |
1994 | Ed Wood | Yes | Yes | No | [13] [14] |
1996 | Mars Attacks! | Yes | Yes | No | [15] [16] |
1999 | Sleepy Hollow | Yes | No | No | [17] [18] |
2001 | Planet of the Apes | Yes | No | No | [19] [20] |
2003 | Big Fish | Yes | No | No | [21] [22] |
2005 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | Yes | No | No | [23] [24] |
Corpse Bride | Yes [lower-alpha 1] | Yes | Characters | [25] [26] | |
2007 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Yes | No | No | [27] [28] |
2010 | Alice in Wonderland | Yes | No | No | [29] [30] |
2012 | Dark Shadows | Yes | No | No | [31] [32] |
Frankenweenie | Yes | Yes | Story | [33] [34] | |
2014 | Big Eyes | Yes | Yes | No | [35] [36] |
2016 | Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | Yes | No | No | [37] [38] |
2019 | Dumbo | Yes | Executive | No | [39] [40] |
2024 | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | Yes | Yes | No | Post-production [41] [42] |
Producer only
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | The Muppet Movie | Muppet Performer | Uncredited | [43] [44] |
1985 | Pee-wee's Big Adventure | Thug in alley | [45] [46] | |
1992 | Singles | Brian | [47] [48] | |
Hoffa | Corpse | Uncredited | [49] [50] | |
2012 | Men in Black 3 | Alien on TV Monitors | [51] [52] | |
2016 | Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | Passenger on an Attraction | [38] [37] |
Year | Title | Role | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1978 | The Lord of the Rings | Inbetween artist | [53] [54] |
1981 | The Fox and the Hound | Animator | [55] [56] |
1982 | Tron | [57] [58] | |
1985 | The Black Cauldron | Animator: The Horned King / Conceptual artist | [59] [60] |
1992 | Stay Tuned | Design consultant | [61] [62] |
1996 | Mary Reilly | Participant | [63] [64] |
2004 | Catwoman | [65] [66] | |
2009 | Waking Sleeping Beauty | [67] [68] | |
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1971 | The Island of Doctor Agor | Yes | Yes | No | [69] [70] | |
Prehistoric Caveman | Yes | No | No | [69] [70] | ||
Houdini: The Untold Story | Yes | Yes | No | [69] [71] | ||
1972 | Tim's Dreams | Yes | No | No | [69] [70] | |
1974 | 1997 | Yes | No | No | [69] [70] | |
1979 | Doctor of Doom | Yes | Yes | No | With Jerry Rees | [69] [70] |
King and Octopus Animation | Yes | No | No | [69] [70] | ||
Stalk of the Celery Monster | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also animator | [69] [70] | |
1982 | Luau | Yes | Yes | Yes | [69] [70] | |
Vincent | Yes | Yes | No | Also production designer | [72] [73] | |
1984 | Frankenweenie | Yes | Story | No | Also storyboard artist | [58] [74] |
2013 | Captain Sparky vs. The Flying Saucers | No | No | Yes | [75] [76] | |
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1971 | The Island of Doctor Agor | Doctor Agor |
Houdini: The Untold Story | Houdini | |
1972 | Tim's Dreams | Tim |
1979 | Doctor of Doom | Don Carlo |
Stalk of the Celery Monster | Dr. Maxwell Payne | |
1982 | Luau | The Supreme Being / Mortie |
2012 | Vampire's Kiss/Blood Inside [69] [77] | Van Helsing |
Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1983 | Hansel and Gretel | Yes | No | No | TV special, Also production designer | [78] [79] |
1986 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Yes | No | No | Episode: "The Jar" | [69] [80] |
Faerie Tale Theatre | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp" | [81] [82] | |
2000 | Stainboy | Yes | Yes | Yes | 6 web shorts Also character designer | [83] [84] |
2022 | Wednesday | Yes | Executive | No | Directed 4 episodes | [85] [86] |
Year | Title | Role/notes | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1987 | Amazing Stories | Animation designer, episode: "The Family Dog" | [87] [88] |
1989–1991 | Beetlejuice | Executive producer and developer | [89] [90] [91] [92] |
1993 | Family Dog | Executive producer and design consultant | [93] [94] |
2000 | Lost in Oz | Executive producer and story writer, unaired pilot | [95] [96] |
Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2005 | The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge | Creative consultant | [97] |
Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | The Killers: Bones | Yes | No | Yes | [98] [99] |
2012 | Linkin Park: Powerless | No | Yes | No | [100] [101] |
The Killers: Here with Me | Yes | No | No | [102] [103] |
Year | Title | Subject | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|
1998 | "Garden Gnome" | Hollywood Chewing Gum | [104] [105] |
1999 | "Kung-fu" | Timex wrist watch | [106] [107] |
2000 | "Mannequin" | [106] [107] |
Critical, public and commercial reception to films Burton has directed as of August 2023.
Year | Film | Rotten Tomatoes [108] | Metacritic [109] | CinemaScore [110] | Budget | Box office [111] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1985 | Pee-wee's Big Adventure | 88% (50 reviews) (7.8/10) | 47 (14 reviews) | — | $7 million | $40.9 million (domestic) |
1988 | Beetlejuice | 86% (63 reviews) (7.2/10) | 70 (18 reviews) | B | $15 million | $84.6 million [112] |
1989 | Batman | 76% (138 reviews) (6.8/10) | 69 (21 reviews) | A | $35 million [113] | $411.5 million |
1990 | Edward Scissorhands | 89% (65 reviews) (7.7/10) | 74 (19 reviews) | A– | $20 million | $86 million |
1992 | Batman Returns | 82% (92 reviews) (6.9/10) | 68 (23 reviews) | B | $80 million [114] | $282.8 million |
1994 | Ed Wood | 93% (68 reviews) (8/10) | 70 (19 reviews) | B+ | $18 million [115] | $5.9 million (domestic) |
1996 | Mars Attacks! | 56% (86 reviews) (6/10) | 52 (19 reviews) | B | $70 million | $101.4 million |
1999 | Sleepy Hollow | 70% (125 reviews) (6.4/10) | 65 (35 reviews) | B– | $100 million [116] | $206.1 million |
2001 | Planet of the Apes | 44% (160 reviews) (5.5/10) | 50 (34 reviews) | B– | $100 million [117] | $362.2 million |
2003 | Big Fish | 75% (220 reviews) (7.2/10) | 58 (42 reviews) | B+ | $70 million [118] | $122.9 million |
2005 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | 83% (228 reviews) (7.2/10) | 72 (40 reviews) | A– | $150 million [119] | $475 million |
2005 | Corpse Bride | 84% (197 reviews) (7.2/10) | 83 (35 reviews) | B+ | $40 million | $118.1 million |
2007 | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | 86% (232 reviews) (7.7/10) | 83 (39 reviews) | — | $50 million [120] | $153.4 million |
2010 | Alice in Wonderland | 51% (279 reviews) (5.8/10) | 53 (38 reviews) | A– | $200 million [121] | $1.02 billion |
2012 | Dark Shadows | 35% (263 reviews) (5.3/10) | 55 (42 reviews) | B– | $150 million [122] | $245.5 million |
2012 | Frankenweenie | 88% (225 reviews) (7.6/10) | 74 (38 reviews) | B+ | $39 million [123] | $81.5 million |
2014 | Big Eyes | 72% (198 reviews) (6.7/10) | 62 (40 reviews) | — | $10 million | $29.3 million |
2016 | Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children | 65% (260 reviews) (5.9/10) | 57 (43 reviews) | B+ | $110 million [124] | $296.5 million |
2019 | Dumbo | 46% (371 reviews) (5.55/10) | 51 (54 reviews) | A– | $170 million [125] | $353.2 million [126] |
Total | 71.3% | 64 | $1.434 billion | $4.473 billion |
Batman is a 1989 superhero film based on the DC Comics character of the same name, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. Directed by Tim Burton, it is the first installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series. The film was produced by Jon Peters and Peter Guber and stars Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough, and Jack Palance. The film takes place early in the title character's war on crime and depicts his conflict with his archenemy The Joker.
Batman Returns is a 1992 American superhero film directed by Tim Burton and written by Daniel Waters. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the sequel to Batman (1989) and the second installment in the 1989–1997 Batman series. In the film, the superhero vigilante Batman comes into conflict with wealthy industrialist Max Shreck and deformed crime boss Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin, who seek power, influence, and respect regardless of the cost to Gotham City. Their plans are complicated by Selina Kyle, Shreck's formerly-meek secretary, who seeks vengeance against Shreck as Catwoman. The cast includes Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, and Michael Murphy.
Batman Forever is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton, based on the DC Comics character Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The third installment of Warner Bros.' initial Batman film series, it is a sequel to Batman Returns starring Val Kilmer, replacing Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne / Batman, alongside Jim Carrey, Tommy Lee Jones, Nicole Kidman, and Chris O'Donnell, while Michael Gough, and Pat Hingle reprise their roles. The film's story focuses on Batman trying to stop Two-Face and the Riddler in their scheme to extract information from all the minds in Gotham City while adopting an orphaned acrobat named Dick Grayson—who becomes his sidekick, Robin—and developing feelings for psychologist Dr. Chase Meridian.
Timothy Walter Burton is an American director, producer, writer, and animator. Known for pioneering goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his gothic horror and fantasy films. He has received numerous accolades including an Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for two Academy Awards and three BAFTA Awards. He was honored with the Venice International Film Festival's Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2007 and was given the Order of the Arts and Letters by Culture Minister of France in 2010.
Winona Laura Horowitz, known professionally as Winona Ryder, is an American actress. Having come to attention with quirkier roles in the initial phase of her career, she achieved fame and critical success with her more diverse performances in various genres throughout the 1990s. Ryder's many accolades include a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA, and a Grammy.
Dumbo is a 1941 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl, and illustrated by Helen Durney for the prototype of a novelty toy ("Roll-a-Book").
Michael John Douglas, known professionally as Michael Keaton, is an American actor. He is known for his leading roles in a wide variety of genre films. He has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. In 2016, he was named Officer of Order of Arts and Letters in France.
Beetlejuice is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren based on a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson. The film stars Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton as the title character. The first installment of the Beetlejuice franchise, the plot revolves around a recently deceased couple. As ghosts, they are not allowed to leave their house. They contact Betelgeuse, a charismatic "bio-exorcist" from the Netherworld, to scare the home's new inhabitants away.
Edward Scissorhands is a 1990 American gothic romantic fantasy film directed by Tim Burton. It was produced by Burton and Denise Di Novi, written by Caroline Thompson from a story by her and Burton, and starring Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Anthony Michael Hall, Kathy Baker, Vincent Price, and Alan Arkin. It tells the story of an unfinished artificial humanoid who has scissor blades instead of hands that is taken in by a suburban family and falls in love with their teenage daughter.
Pee-wee's Big Adventure is a 1985 American adventure comedy film directed by Tim Burton in his feature-film directing debut. It is the first installment of the Pee-wee Herman trilogy. Starring Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Phil Hartman and Michael Varhol, along with E.G. Daily, Mark Holton, Diane Salinger, and Judd Omen. Described as a "parody" or "farce version" of the 1948 Italian classic Bicycle Thieves, it tells the story of Pee-wee's nationwide search for his stolen bicycle.
Frankenweenie is a 1984 American science fiction comedy horror featurette directed by Tim Burton and written by him and Leonard Ripps. It is both a parody and homage to the 1931 film Frankenstein based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Burton later directed a feature-length stop-motion animated remake, released in 2012.
Madonna has worked in twenty-seven feature films, ten short films, three theatrical plays, ten television episodes, and appeared in sixteen commercials. Madonna's acting career has attracted largely mixed reviews and reception at best.
The Batman franchise, based on the fictional superhero Batman who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, has seen the release of various films. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, the character first starred in two serial films in the 1940s: Batman and Batman and Robin. The character also appeared in the 1966 film Batman, which was a feature film adaptation of the 1960s Batman TV series starring Adam West and Burt Ward, who also starred in the film. Toward the end of the 1980s, the Warner Bros. studio began producing a series of feature films starring Batman, beginning with the 1989 film Batman, directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton. Burton and Keaton returned for the 1992 sequel Batman Returns, and in 1995, Joel Schumacher directed Batman Forever with Val Kilmer as Batman. Schumacher also directed the 1997 sequel Batman & Robin, which starred George Clooney. Batman & Robin was poorly received by both critics and fans, leading to the cancellation of Batman Unchained.
Alice in Wonderland is a 2010 American period adventure fantasy film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay written by Linda Woolverton and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. The film stars Mia Wasikowska in the title role, with Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Matt Lucas, and Crispin Glover, while featuring the voices of Alan Rickman, Stephen Fry, Michael Sheen, and Timothy Spall. A live-action adaptation and re-imagining of Lewis Carroll's works, the film follows Alice Kingsleigh, a nineteen-year-old who accidentally falls down a rabbit hole, returns to Wonderland, and alongside the Mad Hatter helps restore the White Queen to her throne by fighting against the Red Queen and her Jabberwocky, a dragon that terrorizes Wonderland's inhabitants.
Frankenweenie is a 2012 American 3D stop-motion animated science fiction horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by John August, and starring Charlie Tahan, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Atticus Shaffer, and Winona Ryder. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, it is a feature-length remake of Burton's 1984 short film of the same name, and is also both a parody of and homage to the 1931 film Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley's 1818 book Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Set in 1957, the film follows a boy named Victor Frankenstein who uses the power of electricity to resurrect his dead Bull Terrier, Sparky, but his peers discover what he has done and reanimate their own deceased pets and other creatures, resulting in mayhem.
The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan, and the story with David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, it is the final installment in Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, and the sequel to The Dark Knight (2008). The film stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman, alongside Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Michael Caine. Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, the terrorist Bane forces Bruce Wayne to resume his role as Batman and save Gotham City from nuclear destruction.
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Dumbo is a 2019 American fantasy period adventure film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay written by Ehren Kruger. It is a live-action adaptation and reimagining of Walt Disney's 1941 animated feature film of the same name, which is based on the novel by Helen Aberson and Harold Pearl, the film stars Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Eva Green and Alan Arkin, and follows a family that works at a failing traveling circus as they encounter a baby elephant with extremely large ears who is capable of flying.
Winona Ryder is an American actress who is known for taking on challenging roles in her earlier films, after which she went on to play more prominent roles in the 1990s. After Ryder's film debut in Lucas (1986), she gained attention with her performance in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice (1988). She further rose to prominence with major roles in Heathers (1988), Mermaids (1990), Edward Scissorhands (1990), “Night on Earth” (1991), and Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). She garnered critical acclaim and two consecutive Academy Award nominations for her portrayals of socialite May Welland in Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence (1993) and Jo March in the fifth film adaptation of Little Women (1994). Her other films during this period were Reality Bites (1994), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), The Crucible (1996), Alien Resurrection (1997), Celebrity (1999), and Girl, Interrupted (1999), which she also executive-produced.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is an upcoming American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on a story by Gough, Millar, and Seth Grahame-Smith. A sequel to Beetlejuice (1988), it stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O'Hara reprising their roles alongside new cast members Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Arthur Conti, and Willem Dafoe.
Sony said it spent an estimated $215 million to make the new "Men in Black" movie