Being Different Can Be Your Superpower

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We know writer-director Tim Burton from his movies featuring gothic beauty and whimsy, but what created the creator?

Born in Burbank, Calif., to a working-class family, from a young age, Tim was drawn to the strange and unusual. He loved monster movies which he watched with his father. He identified with the creatures of the films rather than with the human characters.

 He loved to draw, and his drawings were dark and gothic. In high school Tim made his own independent films starring himself and his school friends.

 At 17 Tim went to live with his grandparents after Tim’s parents refused to continue to do his laundry! After finishing high school, he submitted some drawings to the California Institute of the Arts where he was accepted and attended college.

While at CalArts Tim made the short films Stalk of the Celery Monster and King and Octopus. Stalk of the Celery Monster grabbed the attention of Walt Disney Productions who offered Tim an animator’s apprenticeship.

Tim’s Disney coworkers had never met anyone like him. His strange perspective and antics were new to them.

In 1982, Tim’s first short film for Disney was Vincent which was about a seven-year-old boy who wanted to be Vincent Price. Tim loved Vincent Price and was able to get him to narrate the film. Vincent was a hit.

 In 1984 after the success of Vincent, Tim went on to create his short film, Frankenweenie, a retelling of Frankenstein where a young boy brings his dog back to life after it was hit by a car. Disney thought the movie was too dark and disturbing for children and fired Tim, but the film has become a cult classic.

 When Tim left Disney, he went out on his own. His first hit was Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.  Part of the movie’s success was its appeal to both kids and adults. In 1988 Tim directed Beetlejuice, another popular, gothic tale with dark humor.

A career changer for Tim was getting his first big-budget film, Batman, starring Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson. It was successful at the box office and won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction.

Tim says he was influenced by the graphic novel, Batman: The Killing Joke, written by Allan Moore and Brian Bolland. His movie started the genre-wide trend of darker, more psychologically complex superheroes.

Tim’s next big-budget hit put him on the map as a commercial writer and director. Edward Scissorhands, a Frankenstein retelling, established Johnny Depp as a serious actor. It also starred Vincent Price who at that time had Parkinson’s disease. Vincent’s daughter said that Vincent and Tim had a very special bond.

Tim said that Edward Scissorhands was autobiographical and depicted his own adolescence growing up in a suburban neighborhood.   

Then Tim went on to make Batman Returns starring Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Danny DeVito. It was thought to be too dark, gothic, and sexual for children but was still a financial and fan success.

Tim Burton Photo Courtesy of The Daily Beast

Tim then produced The Nightmare Before Christmas for Disney. It was written by someone else but based on Tim’s story, characters, and world. One hit after another followed.

In 2003 Tim directed Big Fish which was personal to him because he was dealing with the death of his father. The filming of Big Fish, Tim said, was a therapeutic experience and helped him deal with his grief.

Tim’s most recent hit is his adaptation of the Addams Family for Netflix called Wednesday. Tim was always a fan of The Addams Family, and Wednesday was the character with whom he identified most.  

Wednesday stars up-and-coming Puerto Rican actress Jenna Ortega who is perfect for the role. Season two is currently being filmed and will premiere in 2025.

When asked by an interviewer what Tim thinks about critics, he says he doesn’t care what they say, but only writes and directs what he feels passionate about and what interests him. He is very grateful that so many others seem to enjoy it as well.

Tim teaches us that it is okay to be different, strange, or alternative. Feel proud of who you are. Do what you love in the way that makes you happy.

What makes you unique can be your greatest strength and success.