'Wednesday' Kept Tim Burton From Retiring

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | August 23, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | August 23, 2024 |

It’s hard for directors to stand out. Some may have a distinct style but fail to rise above a sea of fellow creatives. Others may make their way into the studio system and lose what makes them special, either through the demands of the process or a controlling overlord whose VFX team does three-fourths of the work. Still, now and then, a Director makes a splash, establishes a distinct style, makes it into the studio system, and manages to maintain their uniqueness. Tim Burton fell into this category.

Burton began as an animator for Disney. He would make a short called Frankenweenie, which earned him meetings and opportunities. Then, through the magic of “right place, right time,” Burton was paired with Paul Reubens. He would direct one of the best outings for a freshman director ever in Peewee’s Big Adventure. From there, Burton continued to hone his odd and specific style with Beetlejuice. After that, he took a trip to Gotham City and became one of the hottest directors on the planet.

Eventually, Burton’s star would fade. He would enter the 2010s with several CGI-laden, uninspired efforts. His attempt to do something more… straightlaced with Big Eyes fell on deaf ears. In 2019, Burton directed a live-action Dumbo for Disney, his original home. Its large budget made the film’s moderate box office success kind of meaningless. Critics (mostly) did not react positively. The process almost made Burton leave the business.

The director recently sat down with Variety to promote his new film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. During the discussion, Burton reflected on his life post-Dumbo, and how he almost changed course. “I really didn’t know,” he said, about whether or not he would keep directing after the Disney movie. “I thought that could have been it, really I could have retired, or become… well, I wouldn’t have become an animator again, that’s over.” Then, a darker opportunity came along.

No stranger to the camp and strange, Burton was brought on to direct and executive produce episodes of the Netflix show Wednesday. Set in the world of the Addams Family, Wednesday starred Jenna Ortega and was created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar of Smallville fame. The process reinvigorated Burton. “We went off to Romania and it felt like it was a creative health camp,” he explained. “It went so well.” The show was a massive hit, too.

Burton would go from Wednesday to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The new movie stars Jenna Ortega and is written by Gough and Millar. So, it seems Burton wanted to recapture that magic as much as possible. Here’s hoping it works.