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Tim Burton Fans

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THIS IS A TRIBUTE PAGE TO TIM BURTON! I AM NOT TIM BURTON!Welcome to my Tim Burton tribute page. I've posted many pictures and blogs to share with the MySpace community. I will continue to update over time. Send a friend request, if you love his work. -Stef.Timothy William Burton was born August 25, 1958 in Burbank, California. Burbank may not ring as many bells as Hollywood, but it is the home to many film and television studios -- NBC, Warner Brothers, Disney, and others. Burbank was quintessential 1950s American suburbia, a world in which the shy, artistic Tim was not quite in step with the shiny happy people surrounding him. He was not particularly good in school, and was not a bookworm. Instead, he found his pleasure in painting, drawing, and movies. He loved monster movies: Godzilla, the Hammer horror films from Great Britain, the work of Ray Harryhausen. One of his heroes was actor Vincent Price.After high school in 1976, Burton attended the California Institute of the Arts. Cal Arts had been founded by Disney as a "breeding ground" for new animators, though they did offer other courses of study. Burton entered the Disney animation program in his second year, thinking it would be a good way to make a living. In 1979, he was drafted to join the Disney animation ranks.Burton did not enjoy being an animator, not one little bit. Imagine, if you will, what it's like to be an animator. Films are projected at 24 frames per second. For a 90-minute film, that's over 129,000 individual frames. Characters are drawn separately and then put together, and placed over painted backgrounds. The work requires talented artists, but they cannot deviate from the structured manner of drawing the characters. Burton had been brought in to work on The Fox And The Hound. It bored him silly.The studio recognized that Burton's talent was not being utilized. They made him a conceptual artist, the people who design the characters that appear in the films. He did early work on The Black Cauldron, the adaptation of the second volume of Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain (a seven-volume fantasy series). If you're familiar with Burton's artwork, you can imagine that his concept drawings were nothing like your standard Disney fare. It didn't go over too well, and it was not used. However, he was set loose on his own projects. These included a poem and artwork that years later would become The Nightmare Before Christmas, the animated short Vincent, and the live-action short Frankenweenie.The latter two received little or no outside exposure, but Burton did get to work with his idol, Vincent Price, for the first time and they remained friends until Price's death in 1993. Frankenweenie was awarded a PG rating, which precluded its release with their G-rated animated features. It only saw theatrical release overseas, and a short release on VHS. However, it would be the film that landed him his first feature directing job.Horror writer Stephen King (you have heard of him, right?) had seen Frankenweenie, and strongly recommended it to Bonni Lee, an executive at Warner Brothers. Lee then showed the film to Paul Reubens. Reubens was the man behind Pee-wee Herman, and was in the process of bringing his alter ego to the big screen. He knew right away that Tim Burton was the perfect choice for the job, and indeed they were a perfect match. As they say, the rest is history.Following the surprise success of Pee-wee's Big Adventure, Burton didn't make another film for almost three years. It wasn't until he was offered the anarchic screenplay for Beetlejuice that he finally found another project suited to his unique vision. The film was an even bigger hit, and led to Warner Bros. offering Burton the job directing an eagerly awaited comic book adaptation that had been years in the planning.Batman was less a movie, more of an event. It sparked controversy with the casting of Michael Keaton as the Dark Knight, and generated a merchandising blitz that is now standard for blockbusters. However, despite all the hype and studio interference, Burton still managed to put his own stamp on the film and it remains one of the most influential Hollywood movies of the last few decades. It's box office gross of over $250 million is also one of the highest in the studio's history.Rather than jump into making another blockbuster, Burton used his new clout to get an extremely personal project greenlit by 20th Century Fox. Edward Scissorhands was the first time Burton had full creative control over a feature film, having written the story and also produced the movie. The film was a hit with moviegoers and critics, and marked the beginning of Burton being taken seriously as an artist.He followed it up in 1992 with the sequel Batman Returns. It was not as big a hit as the first film, and suffered a backlash from parents who considered it too dark and twisted for younger Bat fans. Although the film was an artistic triumph, the perceived disappointment led to Joel Schumacher taking over the franchise (although Burton did have a producer credit on Batman Forever). The same year Burton also found time to play a small cameo role in Cameron Crowe's grunge film, Singles, and an even smaller cameo as a corpse in his buddy Danny DeVito's film, Hoffa.After finally seeing his dream project realised with the feature length stop-motion film The Nightmare Before Christmas, Burton returned to smaller filmmaking with his next project, Ed Wood. An affectionate tribute to the supposed worst filmmaker of all time, it was not a hit at the box office, but won Burton the best reviews of his career, as well as two Oscars. It was followed by an indirect homage to Wood's films, Mars Attacks! The film was a disappointment at the box office, and scorned by many critics, but has gained a cult status over the years. Burton made something of a comeback three years later with his first real horror film, Sleepy Hollow.As for Burton's personal life, he married German artist Lena Gieseke in 1989 (while in the middle of production on Batman). They separated shortly after filming of Batman Returns. He began dating Lisa Marie shortly after. She appeared in four of his films: Ed Wood, Mars Attacks!, Sleepy Hollow and Planet of the Apes.Between Mars Attacks! and Sleepy Hollow, Tim Burton spent over a year working on a new Superman film. A preliminary script draft was written by independent filmmaker and comic geek extraordinaire Kevin Smith. Nicolas Cage was attached to the project to play the Man Of Steel. However, Burton was not particularly happy with the script, and a spiraling budget caused Warner Brothers to pull the plug on the project.His next project was a reworking of the classic sci-fi film Planet Of The Apes. The film was rushed into production after a long gestation period, and may have suffered as a result. The film was visually stunning, and featured several strong performances by the actors in Rick Baker's astonishing ape makeup, but it was regarded as a disappointment by many.At the same time Burton's personal life was in a state of upheaval. Both of his parents died within a short space of time, and his relationship with Lisa Marie ended. Shortly after the release of Planet of the Apes, Burton began dating one of the stars of the film, Helena Bonham Carter. Their son, Billy, was born in October, 2003.Burton's next project couldn't have been more different, even though it shared the same producer (Richard D. Zanuck). Big Fish was an adaptation of the novel by Daniel Wallace. Perhaps the theme of a man trying to reconnect with his dying father resulted in this being Burton's most personal and emotional film in years, and it earned respectable reviews and box office.In 2005, Burton directed back to back movies for the first time. His first project was another movie based on a novel, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Johnny Depp played the lead role of Willy Wonka, and the film was one of the most successful blockbusters of 2005. It was followed two months later by the release of the stop motion animated film, Corpse Bride. Both films generally received good reviews, and Corpse Bride was even nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature (it lost to Wallace and Gromit).As for his next project, Burton was set to direct Believe It or Not (starring Jim Carrey) about the life of Robert Ripley.However, that project has now been delayed. Instead he will probably direct the long-rumored musical Sweeney Todd. Whether Burton will end up making both films is unclear, but they both sound like perfect material for him to work his magic.

My Interests

In 1989, he married Lena Gieseke, a German artist. They divorced shortly after the filming of Batman Returns. He was also engaged to Lisa Marie from 1992-2001. He is currently engaged to Helena Bonham Carter (since 2001) and lives in London. They have a son, Billy-Ray Burton, born in October 2003.

I'd like to meet:

I would like to meet all Tim Burton's fans as well! :] Add me to your friends! It will be a pleasure to talk to you!

Music:

Danny Elfman

Movies:

AS DIRECTOR
Hansel and Gretel (1982) (TV work)
Vincent (1982)
Frankenweenie (1984)
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
Faerie Tale Theatre - Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (1986) (TV work)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents - The Jar (1986) (TV work)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Batman (1989)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Batman Returns (1992)
Ed Wood (1994)
Mars Attacks! (1996)
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Big Fish (2003)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Corpse Bride (2005)
Sweeney Todd (expected in late 2007)
Believe It or Not (2009)AS PRODUCER
Fox and the Hound (1981)
Tron (1982)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Cabin Boy (1994)
Batman Forever (1995)
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
Corpse Bride (2005)OTHER CREDITS
Family Dog (1985) for the Amazing Stories television series; Animation design
Beetlejuice (1989) Television series; Executive producer
Family Dog (1993) Television series; Executive/co-producer
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick, 1993) Story/Production design/ Producer
Cabin Boy (Adam Resnick, 1994) Producer
Batman Forever (Joel Schumacher, 1995) Producer
James and the Giant Peach (Henry Selick, 1996) Producer
Stainboy (2000) Animated Internet series; Story

Books:

The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy: and Other Stories
His book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy: and Other Stories was published in 1996. The collection of verse is about misfit children such as Oyster Boy, Match Girl, Stainboy (who used to have his own flash cartoon series on atomfilms.com), the Girl Who Turned into a Bed, and other such outcasts.Tim Burton, My Art and Films, Harper Perennial, London, 1994Tim Burton, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & other stories, Faber & Faber, London, 1998Ken Hanke, Tim Burton: An Unauthorised Biography of the Filmmaker, Renaissance Books, London, 2000Lewis Jacobs, The Emergence of Film Art, W.W. Norton, London, 1979Helmut Merschmann, Tim Burton, Titan Books, London, 2000Frank Miller, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, DC Comics, New York, 1986Colin Odell and Michelle Le Blanc, Tim Burton, Pocket Essentials, London, 2001Mark Salisbury (ed.), Burton on Burton, Faber & Faber, London, 1995Jim Smith and J. Clive Matthews (eds.), (with foreword by Martin Landau), Tim Burton, Virgin Books, London, 2002Frank Thompson, Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas, London, Disney Press, 2002

Heroes:

Jason And The Argonauts:
One of the first movies I ever remember seeing in the theatre was Jason and the Argonauts on the big screen in Catalina Island in this old amazing theatre. It had this thing where you felt you were inside a weird sea shell. The theatre was amazing, the movie was amazing and I just I'll never forget it. And I still feel that feeling Ray Harryhausen was the king. I knew his name before I knew any actors names. He is an amazing artist. Even as a child you can sense the artistry of somebody and he just got me completely in love with the stop motion medium. There is an artistry and a hand-made quality to his work that just comes off the screen.Godzilla:
I was into all monster movies as a kid, like big Japanese science fiction. I loved monster movies from day one really; I think it kind of freaked out my parents a bit because they said I was watching them from the very, very beginning. I loved Godzilla movies in the sixties and seventies because they had a great sense of design and motionThe Creature From The Black Lagoon:
I also loved The Creature From the Black Lagoon. You can still look at that monster and it's great; its such a perfect design. I haven't changed my taste even to this day. If that movie comes on I'm there watching it until the end. I can't get enough.Hammer Horror:
I loved the story of Sleepy Hollow when I was a kid. I remember the book, but then I remember the Disney version of that, which was really good. That was one of my favorite cartoons, but Hammer Horror films were my favourites as well. The amazing thing about that is that you used to be able to watch TV movies like that with blood all over the place and now it's like they cut them up or they don't show them. It's amazing to me. Yet you will be able to turn on the TV on a Saturday afternoon and see pretty horrible things. I was very grateful that I grew up in the time where you could watch those things on TV.Baron Munchausen:
There was this old version. This Czechoslovakian animator Karel Zeman and he did a version of Barry Munchausen he did but he was great because he used different kinds of animation, stop motion, cuttings out and live action and his films were always very interesting, imaginative looking.

My Blog

"Tim Burtons: The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories"

"Stick Boy and Match Girl in love"Stick Boy liked Match Girl,He liked her a lot.He liked her cute figure,he thought she was hot. But could a flame ever burnfor a match and a stick?It did quite literal...
Posted by Tim Burton Fans on Mon, 07 May 2007 04:56:00 PST

Movie: Corpse Bride(2005)

Corpse Bride (2005)Directed by Tim Burton, starring Albert Finney, Christopher Lee, Emily Watson, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp   Tagline: "Loving You Is Like Loving The Dead" Synopsis: A man...
Posted by Tim Burton Fans on Tue, 10 Apr 2007 07:55:00 PST

NEWS of Sweeney Todd

Tim Burton will add a splash of the macabre to Christmastime this year, as DreamWorks announces a limited U.S. release on December 21, 2007 for Burton's film of Stephen Sondheim's musical SWEENEY TODD...
Posted by Tim Burton Fans on Tue, 10 Apr 2007 07:40:00 PST

Things you Have to Know

Here is the things you have to know about Tim Burton if you are a real fan At the end of Beetle Juice (1988), Beetlejuice metamorphoses into a bizarre creature with a merry-go-round on his head. On th...
Posted by Tim Burton Fans on Wed, 28 Mar 2007 05:06:00 PST

Movie: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)Directed by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp, Missi Pyle, Freddie Highmore, Helena Bonham Carter, Christopher Lee   Trivia:  Willy Wonka's father...
Posted by Tim Burton Fans on Tue, 13 Mar 2007 09:52:00 PST

Movie: Big Fish (2003)

Big Fish (2003) Directed by Tim Burton, starring Albert Finney, Helena Bonham Carter, Jessica Lange Trivia: Helena Bonham Carter, who plays the grown up version of Jenny (from the town of Spectre),als...
Posted by Tim Burton Fans on Sun, 25 Feb 2007 01:14:00 PST

Movie: Planet of the Apes (2001)

Planet of the Apes (2001) Directed by Tim Burton, starring Estella Warren, Helena Bonham Carter, Mark Wahlberg, Michael Clarke Duncan, Paul Giamatti, Tim Roth   Trivia: In order to star in the fi...
Posted by Tim Burton Fans on Sat, 10 Feb 2007 07:40:00 PST

Trivia and Trademarks of Tim Burton.

Here's some funny Trivia fact and Trademarks of Tim Burton   Trademarks: He worked into the designs of many things seen on screen are elegant curls. The ends of lines often taper off into t...
Posted by Tim Burton Fans on Mon, 05 Feb 2007 04:40:00 PST

Movie: Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Sleepy Hollow (1999) Directed by Tim Burton, starring Casper Van Dien, Christina Ricci, Christopher Lee, Christopher Walken, Ian McDiarmid, Jeffrey Jones, Johnny Depp, Michael Gambon, Michael Gough, M...
Posted by Tim Burton Fans on Fri, 02 Feb 2007 07:45:00 PST

Movie: Mars Attack! (1996)

Mars Attacks! (1996)Directed by Tim Burton, starring Annette Bening, Danny DeVito, Glenn Close, Jack Nicholson, Martin Short, Michael J. Fox, Pierce Brosnan, Sarah Jessica Parker   Trivia: The lo...
Posted by Tim Burton Fans on Wed, 31 Jan 2007 02:18:00 PST