Burton of Fame
By: Cam Hall
Widely-acclaimed and well-known director Tim Burton is one of the most popular film directors in modern American popular culture. He has made many enchanting and lovable films over the course of a few decades. Tim Burton likes to create many gothic style movies, filled with frightening and yet friendly characters that reach out to an audience in certain ways. In addition, Tim Burton has collaborated with certain actors and actresses in his films, with a number of them appearing more than once over the course of his entire movie career. Popular actors and actresses to work with Tim Burtom have been Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, and Winona Ryder. What makes Tim Burton stand out from other film makers is his ability to create movies with dark themes, yet have them appeal to both old and young audiences alike. Tim Burton is able to do this by having his films connect with audiences on a personal level and in the case of wanting people to have fun.
Tim Burton has been able to connect to audiences on a personal level in a number of his films in certain ways. One example is in a film that Tim Burton has just released this year called Frankenweenie, which tells the story of a boy who brings his pet dog back to life, in a way similar to Dr. Frankenstein in the film Frankenstein, after it is accidentally hit by a car. This film touches people at an emotional level by allowing them to feel sadness in the case when a loved one passes away due to some horrible situation that caused it to happen. In addition, this film allowes people to recall pets that they had at some point in their lives that they cherished with all of their hearts that eventually passed on due to some kind of event. This film also makes people wish that they could bring their pets back to life, even it means that they would look like mutated and messed up lab experiments as a result of doing so.
Another example is in Tim Burton's greatly-acclaimed 1990 film Edward Scissorhands. The film tells the story of a very unique and unusual man by the name of Edward, greatly portrayed by Johnny Depp, who has scissors for hands and was one of many creations by an inventor, who never completed him, due to his passing, since he was a very old man. As a result of this, Edward is left alone for a long time until a friendly suburban housewife takes him into her home to live there and eventually he becomes popular with everybody in the neighborhood due to his great talent(s). However, he is eventually shunned by the people in the neighborhood, who consider him a freak, especially after he gets himself into some sticky situations. In the middle of all of this turmoil, Edward really doesn't know right from wrong, which plays into the film very significantly. This film touches people at an emotional level by allowing them to feel bad and symapthetic for Edward, especially since they can tell that he really has a good heart and doesn't mean to do anything wrong. In addition, this film is able to connect with people who feel like outcasts in society who might have been born with physical deformities or who just stand out from others in an unusual way. This film also allows people who fall into these categories that no matter hoe different they are from others around them that there will always be somebody who loves them for who they really are, which is evident in the film when the suburban housewife's daughter, portrayed by Winona Ryder, falls in love with Edward and is able to see the true beauty that exists inside of him, despite his unsual exterior-self. Tim Burton succeeds in doing this with other films that he has made over the years, as well.
Tim Burton is able to allow audiences to have fun through his films by taking them to strange and bizarre places filled with adventure and excitement and introducing them to crazy characters that have crazy personalities to themselves. One case where Tim Burton uses setting to allow his audience to have a good time is in film adaption of the classic novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. The inside setting of the Willy Wonka's (Johnney Depp's) factory, combined with the plot of the film, makes for a good combination to keep both young and old looking at the screen. Audiences feel interesed to see the characters in the film riding in a big, pink seahorse-looking boat down a big, chocolate river at lighting speed through dark tunnels, and riding in a clear-glass elevator past a moutain made out of fudge and a room where pink sheep are getting all of the wool shaved of of their bodies. In addition, one case where Tim Burton uses characters to make his films interesting and enjoyable to audiences is in his film Alice in Wonderland. In the film, he allows viewers to laugh at the Red Queen due to her unsually big head, and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum for their awkward personalities and appearances, in the film.
Tim Burton has achieved great success throughout his film career and will not stop making unique and stand-out movies as long as he lives. He will continue to capture audiences with his great stories as told through his films, from generation to generation. Overall and finally, Tim Burton proves to the people of today that just because a person has strange aspects to him or herself and that these aspects are reflected in his or her personal work, it doesn't mean that that person will not achieve great recognition from the other around him or her.
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