Tim Burton | Calm Bedtime Reading For Sleep

Relax with this calm bedtime reading about the imaginative world of Tim Burton, perfect for easing insomnia and restless nights. Drift into sleep as you learn about the visionary filmmaker behind classics like Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Beetlejuice.

In this gentle, fact-filled reading, Benjamin’s soothing voice explores Burton’s signature gothic style, creative process, and enduring impact on film and animation—all without whispers or hypnosis. It’s an engaging yet peaceful way to unwind, relieve stress, and prepare your mind for restful sleep. Press play, close your eyes, and drift into dreamland.

Happy sleeping!

Transcript

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep podcast where I help you drift off one fact at a time.

I'm your host Benjamin Boster and today's episode is about Tim Burden.

Timothy Walter Burden,

Born August 25,

1958,

Is an American filmmaker and artist Known for popularizing goth culture in the American film industry,

Burden is famous for his gothic horror and dark fantasy films.

He has received numerous accolades including an Emmy Award as well as nominations for two Academy Awards,

A Golden Globe Award,

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 Arts and Letters by Culture Minister of France in 2010.

Burden made his directional film debut with the comedy Pee-Wee's Big Adventure 1985 and gained prominence for Beetlejuice 1988 and Edward Scissorhands 1990.

Burden also directed the superhero films Batman 1989 and Batman Returns 1992,

The animated films Corpse Bride 2005 and Frankenweenie 2012.

The science fiction films Mars Attacks 1996 and Planet of the Apes 2001,

The supernatural horror film Sleepy Hollow 1999,

The fantasy films Big Fish 2003,

Alice in Wonderland 2010,

Dark Shadows 2012,

And Dumbo 2019.

The musicals Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 2005 and Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street 2007,

And the biographical dramas Ed Wood 1994 and Big Eyes 2014.

Starting in 2022,

Burden has directed several episodes for the Netflix series Wednesday,

For which he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.

He also directed Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 2024,

The sequel to the 1988 film.

Burden has frequently collaborated with composer Danny Elfman,

Who scored all but three of his films.

He has released several books,

Including The Melancholy Deaths of Oyster Boy and Other Stories 1997.

Timothy Walter Burden was born on August 25,

1958 in Burbank,

California,

The son of Gene Burden,

Who in the 1980s was the owner of a cat-themed gift shop,

And William Bill Burden,

A former minor league baseball player who worked for many years for the Burbank Parks and Recreation Department.

The baseball field at Olive Recreation Center in Burbank,

California,

Is named for Bill Burden.

As a preteen,

Burden made short films in his backyard at 2101 North Evergreen Street,

Using crude stop-motion animation techniques,

Or shooting on 8mm film without sound.

One of his oldest-known juvenile films is The Island of Dr.

Agor,

Adapted from the H.

G.

Wells novel The Island of Dr.

Moreau,

Which he made when he was 13 years old.

Burden attended Providentia Elementary School,

Luther Burbank Middle School,

And Burbank High School,

But was not a particularly good student.

He played on the water polo team at Burbank High.

Burden was an introspective person and found pleasure in artwork,

Painting,

Drawing,

And watching movies.

His future work would be heavily influenced by the books of such childhood heroes as Dr.

Seuss and Roald Dahl,

And the visual aesthetics of silent gothic horror films,

Universal Monsters movies such as Frankenstein,

Which he would continuously tribute throughout his career,

Hammer horror films starring Christopher Lee,

And the horror films of Vincent Price,

Both of whom would star in his films,

And with the latter being paid tribute in his 1982 short film Vincent.

In a Hollywood Repertoire article,

Burden says,

I grew up watching the Universal horror movies,

Japanese monster movies,

And pretty much any kind of monster movie.

That was my genre.

Burden also said that his love of Ray Harryhausen's work got him interested in stop-motion animation at a young age.

After graduating from Burbank High School in 1976,

Burden attended the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia,

Santa Clarita,

To study character animation until 1979.

As a student at CalArts,

Burden made the shorts Stock of the Celery Monster and King and Octopus.

Stock of the Celery Monster attracted the attention of Walt Disney Productions,

Who offered Burden an animator's apprenticeship at its animation division.

He worked as an animator,

Storyboard artist,

Graphic designer,

Art director,

And concept artist on films such as The Fox and the Hound,

1981,

Tron,

1982,

And The Black Cauldron,

1985.

His concept art never made it into the finished films.

While at Disney in 1982,

Burden made his first short,

Vincent,

A six-minute black-and-white stop-motion film based on a poem written by Burden,

Which depicts a young boy who fantasizes that he is his hero,

Vincent Price,

With Price himself providing narration.

The film was produced by Rick Heinrichs,

Whom Burden had befriended while working in the concept art department at Disney.

The film was shown at the Chicago Film Festival and released alongside the teen drama,

Tex,

For two weeks in one Los Angeles cinema.

This was followed by Burden's live-action production,

Hansel and Gretel,

A Japanese-themed adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale for the Disney Channel,

Which climaxes in a kung fu fight between Hansel and Gretel and the witch.

Having aired once in 1983 at 10.

30 p.

M.

On Halloween and promptly shelved,

Prints of the film are extremely difficult to locate,

Fueling rumors that the project did not exist.

The short would finally go on public display in 2009 at the Museum of Modern Art,

And again in 2011 as part of the Tim Burden Art Exhibit at LACMA.

It was again shown at the Seoul Museum of Art in 2012.

Burden's next live-action short film,

Frankenweenie,

Was released in 1984.

It tells the story of a young boy who tries to revive his dog after it's run over by a car.

Filmed in black and white,

It stars Barrett Oliver,

Shirley Duvall,

With whom he would work again in 1986,

Directing an episode of her television series,

Fairytale Theater,

And Daniel Stern.

After Frankenweenie was completed,

Disney fired Burden under the pretext of him spending the company's resources on a film that would be too dark and scary for children to see.

Actor Paul Reubens saw Frankenweenie and chose Burden to direct the cinematic spin-off of his popular character,

Pee-wee Herman,

Stating on the audio commentary of 2000 DVD release of Pee-wee's Big Adventure that as soon as the short began,

He was sold on Burden's style.

Pee-wee Herman gained mainstream popularity with a successful stage show at the Groundings and the Roxy,

Which was later turned into an HBO special.

The film,

Pee-wee's Big Adventure,

Was made on a budget of $8 million and grossed more than $40 million at the North American box office.

Burden,

A fan of the eccentric musical group,

Boingo Boingo,

Asked songwriter Danny Elfman to provide the music for the film.

Since then,

Elfman has scored every film that Tim Burton has directed,

Except for Ed Wood,

Sweeney Todd,

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,

And Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

Additionally,

Burton directed episodes of the 1985 revival of the 50s and 60s anthology horror series,

Alfred Hitchcock Presents,

And Shelley Duvall's Fairytale Theater.

Burton's next major film was Beetlejuice,

1988,

A supernatural comedy horror about a young couple forced to cope with life after death and the family of pretentious yuppies who invade their treasured New England home.

Their teenage daughter,

Lydia,

Winona Ryder,

Has an obsession with death which allows her to see the deceased couple.

Starring Alec Baldwin and Greena Davis,

And featuring Michael Keaton as the title character,

The film grossed $80 million on a relatively low budget and won an Academy Award for Best Makeup.

It was later adapted into an animated TV series of the same name,

With Burton playing a role as executive producer that ran on ABC and later the Fox network.

Burton's ability to produce hit films with low budgets impressed studio executives,

And he received his first big-budget film,

Batman.

The production was plagued with problems.

Burton repeatedly clashed with the film's producers,

John Peters and Peter Guber,

But the most notable debacle involved casting.

For the title role,

Burton chose to cast Michael Keaton as Batman,

Following their previous collaboration in Beetlejuice,

Despite Keaton's average physique.

Inexperience with action films,

And reputation as a comic actor.

Although Burton won in the end,

The furor over the casting provoked enormous fan animosity,

To the extent that Warner Bros.

Share price slumped.

Burton had considered it ridiculous to cast a bulked-up,

Ultra-masculine man as Batman,

Insisting that Batman should be an ordinary man who dressed up in an elaborate bat costume to frighten criminals.

Burton originally considered Brad Dourif for The Joker,

But eventually cast Jack Nicholson in a move that helped assuage fans' fears,

As well as attracting older audiences not as interested in a superhero film.

When the film opened in June 1989,

It was backed by the biggest marketing and merchandising campaign in film history at the time,

And became one of the biggest box office hits of all time,

Grossing over $250 million in the U.

S.

And $400 million worldwide,

And earning critical acclaim for the performances of both Keaton and Nicholson,

As well as the film's production aspects,

Which won the Academy Award for Best Art Direction.

The success of the film helped establish Burton as a profitable director,

And it proved to be a huge influence on future superhero films,

Which eschewed the bright,

All-American heroism of Richard Donner's Superman for a grittier,

More realistic look,

And characters with more psychological depth.

It also served as a major inspiration for the acclaimed TV series,

Batman the Animated Series.

Burton claimed that the graphic novel,

Batman the Killing Joke,

Was a major influence on his film adaptation of Batman.

I was never a giant comic book fan,

But I've always loved the image of Batman and the Joker.

The reason I've never been a comic book fan,

And I think it started when I was a child,

Is because I could never tell which box I was supposed to read.

I don't know if it was dyslexia or whatever,

But that's why I loved The Killing Joke,

Because for the first time,

I could tell which one to read.

It's my favorite.

It's the first comic I've ever loved.

And the success of those graphic novels made our ideas more acceptable.

In 1990,

Burton created a unique drawing which gave screenwriter Caroline Thompson inspiration to write the script for Edward Scissorhands,

Which Burton directed,

Reuniting with Winona Ryder from Beetlejuice.

His friend Johnny Depp,

A teen idol at the end of the 1980s,

Due primarily to his work on the hit TV series 21 Jump Street,

Was cast in the title role of Edward,

Who was the creation of an eccentric and old-fashioned inventor,

Played by Vincent Price in one of his last screen appearances.

Edward looked human,

But was left with scissors in the place of hands,

Due to the untimely death of his creator.

Set in suburbia and shot in Land O'Lakes,

Florida,

The film is largely seen as Burton's autobiography of his childhood in Burbank.

Burton's idea for the character of Edward Scissorhands came from a drawing he created in high school.

Depp wrote a similar comment on the foreword to Mark Salisbury's book,

Burton on Burton,

Regarding his first meeting with Burton over the casting of the film.

Edward Scissorhands is considered one of Burton's best movies by some critics.

Burton has stated that this is his most personal and meaningful film,

Because it is a representation of him not being able to communicate effectively with others as a teenager.

After the success of Batman,

Burton agreed to direct the sequel for Warner Bros.

On the condition that he would be granted total control.

The result was Batman Returns,

Which featured Michael Keaton returning as Batman,

And a new triad of villains,

Danny DeVito as the Penguin,

Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman,

And Christopher Walken as Max Schreck,

An evil corporate tycoon and original character created for the film.

Somewhat darker and considerably more personal than its predecessor,

Concerns were raised that the film might be too scary for children.

Burton made many changes to the Penguin,

Which would subsequently be applied to the character in both comics and television.

In the comics,

The Penguin was an ordinary man.

Burton transformed him into a freak of nature resembling a penguin,

With webbed flipper-like fingers,

A hooked beak-like nose,

And a short rotund body.

Burton also chose the artist who recorded the single for the movie soundtrack.

He insisted that it be the band Suzy and the Banshees,

With the song Face to Face.

Released in 1992,

Batman Returns grossed $282.

8 million worldwide,

Making it a financial success,

Though not to the extent of its predecessor.

Due to schedule constraints on Batman Returns,

Burton produced but did not direct The Nightmare Before Christmas 1993 for Disney,

Originally meant to be a children's book in rhyme.

The film was directed by Henry Selick and written by Caroline Thompson,

Based on Burton's original story,

World,

And characters.

The film received positive reviews for the stop-motion animation,

Musical score,

And original storyline.

It was a modest box office success,

Grossing $50 million.

Because of the nature of the film,

It was not produced under Disney's name,

But rather Disney-owned Touchstone Pictures.

Disney wanted the protagonist to have eyes,

But the final iteration did not.

Over 100 people worked on this motion picture just to create the characters,

And it took three years of work to produce the film.

Burton collaborated with Selick again for James and the Giant Peach 1996,

Which Burton co-produced.

In 1994,

Tim Burton and frequent co-producer Denise DeNovi produced the 1994 fantasy comedy Cabin Boy,

Starring comedian Chris Elliott,

And directed and written by Adam Resnick.

Burton was originally supposed to direct the film after seeing Elliott perform on Get A Life,

But he handed the directing responsibility to Resnick once he was offered Ed Wood.

Burton's next film,

Ed Wood 1994,

Was of a much smaller scale,

Depicting the life of the infamous director Ed Wood.

Starring Johnny Depp in the title role,

The film is an homage to the low-budget science fiction and horror films of Burton's childhood,

And handles its comical protagonist and its motley band of collaborators with surprising fondness and sensitivity.

Owing to creative squabbles during the making of The Nightmare Before Christmas,

Danny Elfman declined to score Ed Wood,

And the assignment went to Howard Shore.

While a commercial failure at the time of its release,

Ed Wood became a cult classic and was well-received by critics.

Martin Landau received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi,

And the film received the Academy Award for Best Makeup.

Warner Bros.

Was not interested in Tim Burton's return as director for a third Batman installment,

After considering Batman Returns too dark and unsafe for children.

Burton noted he was unsure about returning to direct,

Writing,

I don't think Warner Bros.

Wanted me to direct a third Batman.

I even said that to them.

Burton and Warner Bros.

Mutually agreed to part ways.

To attract the young audience,

It was decided that Joel Schumacher would direct the third film,

Whilst Burton would only produce it in conjunction with Peter McGregor Scott,

In which Burton was given top billing producer credit without being able to contribute ideas,

Only approving director and screenplayers.

Following the change and the changes made by the new director,

Michael Keaton resigned from the lead role and was replaced by Val Kilmer.

Filming for Batman Forever began in late 1994 with new actors.

Tommy Lee Jones as Harvey Dent,

Two-Face,

Nicole Kidman as Dr.

Chase Meridian,

Chris O'Donnell as Dick Grayson,

Robin,

And Jim Carrey as Edward Nygma,

The Riddler.

The only two actors who returned after Batman Returns were Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon and Michael Goff as Alfred Pennyworth.

The film,

A combination of the darkness that characterized the saga and colors and neon signs proposed by Schumacher,

Was a huge box office success,

Earning $336 million.

Warner Bros.

Demanded that Schumacher delete some scenes so the film did not have the same tone as its predecessor Batman Returns.

Later they were added as deleted scenes on the 2005 DVD release.

In 1996,

Burton and Selleck reunited for the musical fantasy James and the Giant Peach,

Based on the book by Roald Dahl.

Burton once again served only as a producer due to his contributions to making Mars Attacks,

1996.

The film,

A combination of live-action and stop-motion footage,

Starred Richard Dreyfuss,

Susan Sarandon,

David Seelis,

Simon Callow,

And Jane Leaves,

Among others,

With Selleck's animation direction.

While a box office disappointment for Disney,

The film was received well by critics for its story and visual aspects,

And was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score by Randy Newman.

Elfman and Burton reunited for Mars Attacks.

Based on a popular science fiction trading card series,

The film was a hybrid of 1950s science fiction and 1970s all-star disaster films.

The coincidence made it an inadvertent spoof of the blockbuster Independence Day,

Which had been released five months earlier.

The film boasted an all-star cast,

Including Jack Nicholson,

Glenn Close,

Annette Bening,

Danny DeVito,

Pierce Brosnan,

Michael J.

Fox,

Sarah Jessica Parker,

Natalie Portman,

Lucas Haas,

Martin Short,

Rod Steiger,

Christina Applegate,

And Jack Black.

Sleepy Hollow,

Released in late 1999,

Had a supernatural setting and starred Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane,

A detective with an interest in forensic science rather than the schoolteacher of Washington Irving's original tale.

With Sleepy Hollow,

Burton paid homage to the horror films of English company Hammer Films.

Christopher Lee,

One of Hammer's stars,

Was given a cameo role.

A host of Burton regulars appeared in supporting roles,

Michael Goff,

Jeffrey Jones,

And Christopher Walken among others,

And Christina Ritchie was cast as Katrina Van Tassel.

A well-regarded supporting cast was headed by Miranda Richardson,

Michael Gambon,

Richard Griffiths,

And Ian McDermott.

Mostly well-received by critics,

And with a special mention to Elfman's gothic score,

The film has grossed $207 million worldwide,

And won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction,

As well as two BAFTAs for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.

A box office success,

Sleepy Hollow was also a turning point for Burton.

Along with a change in his personal life,

Burton changed radically in style for his next project,

Leaving the haunted forests and colorful outcasts behind to go on to directing Planet of the Apes,

Which as Burton has repeatedly noted,

Was not a remake of the earlier film.

Planet of the Apes was a commercial success,

Grossing $68 million in its opening weekend,

And eventually it earned $180 million in North America,

And $362 million worldwide.

The film,

However,

Has received mixed reviews,

And is widely considered inferior to the first adaptation of the novel.

In 2003,

Burton directed Big Fish,

Based on the novel Big Fish,

A novel of mythic proportions by Daniel Wallace.

The film is about a father telling the story of his life to his son,

Using exaggeration and color.

Starring Ewan McGregor as young Edward Bloom,

And Albert Finney as an older Edward Bloom,

The film also stars Jessica Lange as the Billy Crudup,

Danny DeVito,

Alison Lohman,

And Marion Cotillard.

Big Fish received four Golden Globe nominations,

As well as an Academy Award nomination for Elfman's score.

The film was also the second collaboration between Burton and Helena Bonham Carter,

Who played the characters of Jenny and the Witch,

And Burton and Danny DeVito,

Who played Amos Calloway,

The circus ringleader.

Released in 2005,

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is an adaptation of the book of the same name by Roald Dahl.

Starring Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka,

Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket,

And Deep Roy as the Oompa Loompas,

The film generally took a more faithful approach to the source materials in the 1971 adaptation,

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,

Although some liberties were taken,

Such as adding Wonka's issue with his father,

Played by Christopher Lee.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was later nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design.

The film made over $207 million domestically.

Filming proved difficult,

As Burton,

Depp,

And Danny Elfman had to work on this and Burton's Corpse Bride 2005 at the same time,

Which was Burton's first full-length stop-motion film as a director,

Featuring the voices of Johnny Depp as Victor and Helena Bonham Carter as Emily.

Burton directed his first music video,

Bones,

In 2006.

Bones is the sixth overall single by American indie rock band The Killers,

And the second released from their second studio album,

Sam's Town.

Starring in this video were actors Michael Steger and Devin Aoki.

Burton went on to direct a second music video for The Killers,

Here With Me,

Starring Winona Ryder,

Released in 2012.

The DreamWorks Warner Bros.

Production Sweeney Todd,

The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,

Based on the 1979 Broadway musical,

Was released on December 21,

2007,

To critical acclaim.

It grossed $153 million worldwide.

Burton's work on Sweeney Todd won the National Board of Review Award for Best Director,

Received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director,

And won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction.

Johnny Depp's performance as Sweeney Todd was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor.

In 2005,

Filmmaker Shane Acker released his short film,

Nine,

A story about a sentient ragdoll living in a post-apocalyptic world,

Who tries to stop machines from destroying the rest of his eight fellow ragdolls.

The film won numerous awards and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

After seeing the short film,

Tim Burton and Timur Bekmambetov,

Director of Wanted,

Showed interest in producing a feature-length adaptation of the film.

Directed by Acker,

The full-length film was produced by Burton,

Written by Acker,

Story,

And Pamela Pettler,

Screenplay,

Co-writer of Corpse Bride,

And featured the voice work of Elijah Wood,

John C.

Reilly,

Jennifer Connelly,

Christopher Plummer,

Martin Landau,

And Crispin Glover,

Among others.

Burton appeared at the 2009 Comic-Con in San Diego,

California to promote both Nine and Alice in Wonderland.

The latter won two Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.

In Burton's version of Alice in Wonderland,

The story is set 13 years after the original Lewis Carroll tales.

Mia Wasikowski was cast as Alice.

The original start date for filming was May 2008.

Torpoint and Plymouth were the locations used for filming from September 1st to October 14th,

And the film remains set in the Victorian era.

During this time,

Filming took place in Antony House in Torpoint.

250 local extras were chosen in early August.

Other production work took place in London.

The film was originally to be released in 2009,

But was pushed to March 5th,

2010.

The film starred Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter,

Matt Lucas as both Tweedledee and Tweedledum,

Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen,

Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat,

Anne Hathaway as the White Queen,

Alan Rickman as Absalom the Caterpillar,

Michael Sheen as McTwisp the White Rabbit,

And Crispin Glover as the Knave of Hearts,

With his face and voice added onto a CGI body.

Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics,

The film was a commercial success,

Grossing $1 billion worldwide,

Making it the highest-grossing film of Burton's career.

Burton produced the film's sequel,

Alice Through the Looking Glass,

In 2016,

Which was directed by James Bobin.

Burton began filming Dark Shadows,

A feature film adaptation of the 1960s television series of the same name,

In May 2011.

In addition to starring Burton regulars Depp and Bonham Carter,

The film saw Burton reunite with Batman Returns star Michelle Pfeiffer,

While Burton once again collaborated with composer Danny Elfman,

Production designer Rick Heinrichs,

And costume designer Colleen Atwood.

The film released on May 11,

2012,

And grossed $245 million worldwide from a $150 million budget.

Burton also co-produced Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter,

With Timur Bekmambetov,

Who also served as director.

The film,

Released on June 22,

2012,

Was based on the novel by screenwriter and novelist Seth Graham-Smith,

Who wrote the film's screenplay and also authored Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

The film starred Benjamin Walker as Abraham Lincoln,

Anthony Mackie as William H.

Johnson,

Joseph Maul as Lincoln's father,

Thomas,

Robin McLeavy as Lincoln's mother,

Nancy,

And Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Lincoln's love interest and later wife,

Mary Ann Todd.

The film received mixed reviews and performed poorly at the box office.

He then remade his 1984 short film Frankenweenie as a feature-length stop-motion film distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

Burton has said,

The film is based on a memory that I had when I was growing up and with my relationship with a dog that I had.

The film was released on October 5,

2012,

And met with positive reviews.

Burton directed the 2014 biographical drama film Big Eyes,

About American artist Margaret Keene,

Amy Adams,

Whose work was fraudulently claimed in the 1950s and 1960s by her then-husband Walter Keene,

Christopher Waltz,

And their heated divorce trial after Margaret accused Walter of stealing credit for her paintings.

The script was written by the screenwriters behind Burton's Ed Wood,

Scott Alexander,

And Larry Karaszewski.

Filming began in Vancouver,

British Columbia in mid-2013.

It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Burton entered talks to direct a film adaptation of the fantasy novel Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children,

Written by Ransom Riggs in November 2011.

The film,

Starring Asa Butterfield,

Eva Green,

And Samuel L.

Jackson,

Was released in theaters by 20th Century Fox on September 30,

2016.

Burton also directed a live-action adaptation of the Disney animated film Dumbo,

Released on March 29,

2019,

With Colin Farrell,

Danny DeVito,

Eva Green,

And Michael Keaton starring.

The film grossed $353 million worldwide against a $170 million budget,

And combined production and advertising costs of $300 million,

Ultimately losing money.

In February 2021,

It was announced that Burton would be directing and producing Wednesday,

A series for Netflix based on a titular character from the Addams Family,

Starring Jenna Ortega and Christina Ricci.

This marked Burton's first foray in directing television since the 1980s.

He helmed four episodes in the first season,

Which began production in the early 2000s.

September 2021 for a November 2022 release.

The show was released to critical acclaim,

And was renewed for a second season in January 2023,

Which premiered in August 2025.

In October 2022,

Burton announced that he would probably never work with the Walt Disney Company again after Dumbo,

Due to his distinctive style and working approach not matching with what Disney is currently looking for with its focus on Pixar,

Marvel,

And Lucasfilm.

He stated that it's gotten to be very homogenized,

Very consolidated.

There's less room for different types of things.

In 2012,

It was announced that Burton was working with Seth Graham Smith on Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,

A project he had been considering making since 1990.

Actor Michael Keaton also expressed interest in reprising his role as the title character,

Along with Winona Ryder as Lydia Dietz.

In 2017,

Deadline Hollywood reported that Mike Vukodinovich was hired to write a script in time for the film's 30th anniversary.

In April 2019,

Warner Bros.

Stated the sequel had been shelved.

In February 2022,

However,

The sequel was announced again,

With Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment producing alongside Warner Bros.

Though Burton initially said that he was not involved,

He later backtracked,

And the sequel officially started shooting in London on May 10,

2023,

With a release date of September 6,

2024,

With Burton returning as director,

Keaton,

Ryder,

And Catherine O'Hara reprising their roles,

And Ortega,

Monica Bellucci,

And Justin Theroux joining the cast.

Reviews

Put me back to sleep after tossing and turning - thank you 🙏🏼

Thanks Ben, I liked most of the Tim Burton films I’ve seen (Edward Scissor Hands is a classic!) Thank you for this interesting summation.

Yet another A+ lesson Professor. And I swear I didn’t fall asleep in class. Ok well maybe just a little…😎