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Birth
Tim Burton was born in Burbank, CA to Jean Burton (the owner of a cat-themed gift shop), and Bill Burton (a former minor league baseball player). -
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The Life of Tim Burton
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Graduation
Burton attended the California Institute of the Arts in Santa Clarita, CA. As a student in CalArts, he created the shorts "Stalk of the Celery Monster" and "King and Octopus." *Jan 1 = Date Unknown -
Offered Apprenticeship
Burton's short "Stalk of the Celery Monster" attracted the attention of Walt Disney Productions' animation apartment, and Burton worked at the studio as an animator, storyboard artist, and concept artist. -
Created "Vincent"
While at Disney, Burton created his first official short, "Vincent, " a 6-minute black-and-white stop motion film based on a poem he wrote. -
Created "Hansel and Gretel"
Burton created his first live-action production, a Japanese-themed adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale for the Disney Channel. -
Frankenweenie
Burton created his next live-action short, resulting in him being fired from Disney for creating material deemed 'too dark' for children. -
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Actor Paul Reubens, after seeing "Vincent" and "Frankenweenie," approached Burton about directing the cinematic spin-off of his character Pee-wee Herman. The movie was made on a budget of $8 million and made more than $40 million at the box office. -
Beetlejuice
Burton directed this supernatural comedy horror, which grossed $80 million on a low budget. It also won an Academy Award for Best Makeup. -
Batman
Despite multiple problems, the film was overall extremely successful, grossing over $250 million at the box office -
Edward Scissorhands
Burton co-wrote and directed this film. He cast Johnny Depp as the lead, starting their well-known business relationship. -
Batman Returns
Burton directed this sequel and demanded full control. The film grossed $282.8 million at the box office. -
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Burton wrote and produced this animated film for Disney. The film helped generate a new interest in stop-motion animation. -
James and the Giant Peach
Burton produced this film, which was based on the book by Roald Dahl and is a combination of live-action footage and stop-motion animation. -
Sleepy Hollow
Directed by Burton, this film also starred Johnny Depp and was well-received by critics. It was viewed as a turning point in Burton's career. -
Married
Burton married English actress Helena Bonham Carter after meeting her on the set of Planet of the Apes. -
It's a Boy!
Burton and Bonham Carter had a son, Billy Raymond, named after their fathers. (Godfather Johnny Depp) -
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Another film adaptation of a Roald Dahl book, this film also starred Johnny Depp and Burton's wife, Helena Bonham Carter. -
Corpse Bride
Corpse Bride was Burton's first full-length stop-motion film as a director. Again, this film starred Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp. -
It's a Girl!
Burton and Bonham Carter had a daughter named Nell, whose godfather is Johnny Depp. -
Sweeney Todd
Burton directed the film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The film blended explicit gore with Broadway tunes, and was generally well-received by critics, -
Alice in Wonderland
This film, directed by Burton, was very well-received and won two Academy Awards, for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. -
Dark Shadows
This film once again starred Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp in leading roles and was based loosely on the gothic soap opera of the same name, which aired on ABC from 1966 to 1971
