“Tim Burton” by Amity C-S.
Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Have you ever wanted it to be Halloween forever? Tim Burton is a leader in movie directing and animation, expressing his love for dark concepts. Using a specific style to target a certain audience, he always hits someone directly with the deep meanings, creative animation, and dark stories.
The master of whimsical dark stories went to school for animation at the California Institute of the Arts, catching the eye of Disney with his works. Disney hired him as a main animator, but after a few projects, it was clear he didn’t fit in with the style, which is lighthearted and bright, while Burton is dark and deep. Disney’s style was too light hearted and bright for Burton’s taste.
A few years after Disney, Burton started his film career by making short films. Then, he received his big break when Paul Reubens offered him an opportunity to direct his first major film: Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. Burton’s film list now include classic such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, Frankenweenie, and Alice in Wonderland
Burton’s films and animation have a specific style. A dark, gothic setting is Burton’s inspiration for his exaggerated characters, costumes, makeup, scenery. and props. Burton is known for his in-depth and detailed animations using CGI, computer generated imagery. In the 2010 film Alice in Wonderland, CGI is used with the Wonderland characters and scenery. In Beetlejuice, Burton displays gothic stylization through scenery, makeup, and costumes. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Burton dims down the dark and dreary element of his films, making it brighter and more animated. With the gothic elements gone, Burton inputs a sad backstory instead.
CGI is a program that helps animators create more realistic images. In the times before computers, animation was done by hand with teams of animators. Animators would draw and color images on transparent sheets to create multiple layers, making the images look more sophisticated than traditional animation. CGI imagery stems from the evolution of basic cartoon animation, beginning its process by creating a three dimensional model, which is similar to a two dimensional counterpart.
Burton has used CGI to created many unorthodox films in his time as a director and animator. He is also known for his take on horror, death, and dark elements and transporting them into a language kids will understand, making him respected throughout the film industry. Burton states, “Everyday is Halloween isn’t it? For some of us.”
Works Cited
Perno, GS. "Directors' Trademarks: Tim Burton." Directors' Trademarks: Tim
Burton. N.p. 23 Dec. 2014. Web. 17 Dec. 2015.


















