How the Strange World of Tim Burton Comforts the Outcasts
“Live people ignore the strange and unusual. I myself am strange and unusual.”
Lydia Deetz’s quote from Tim Burton’s classic film, Beetlejuice, sets the tone of all his movies.
Known for his gothic imagery and dark fantasy films, Burton picks troubled outcasts as the protagonist, battling a rigid community. He takes you into the world of misfits and presents their point of view.
His movies seem eccentric and frightful on the surface. But, it has an underlying sense of wonder and optimism.
So, what is it about Burton’s strange but life-affirming films that continue to resonate with so many?
Burton understands outcasts like no other
“If you’ve ever had that feeling of loneliness, of being an outsider, it never quite leaves you. You can be happy or successful or whatever, but that thing still stays within you,”
— Tim Burton.
Burton grew up feeling like an outcast. It’s the director’s lonely childhood that lets him empathize with other loners.
Some of us may have felt like outsiders at some point in our lives. Reasons like tough upbringing, having an itinerant lifestyle, differences in appearance or thinking, failing to meet societal norms, and other factors may lead to feeling different.
Burton recognizes this and conveys it through his main characters. They reflect what misfits in real life might feel — alienated, misunderstood, and unable to communicate.
Using his protagonist, Burton shows that being different is a powerful asset, and not conforming to norms can be liberating. Embracing your quirks may open up opportunities, and you may have something new to bring to the table. It can help you discover things which can bring out your authentic self.
In Edward Scissorhands, Edward’s ability to utilize his scissor hands offered up prospects in topiary and also as a hairdresser.
Emily in Corpse Bride, may have been a dead person, yet she and the Land of the Dead were more vibrant and outshone the gloomy real world.
In Beetlejuice, Lydia’s ability to interact with ghosts made her find Adam and Barbara, who were more caring towards her, in contrast to her family, who showed her little to no love.
Burton also gives his characters a way out of their oppressive surroundings.
Edward found solace in solitude after fleeing from the vicious crowd. Emily found peace after confronting her wrongdoer and by setting Victor free. Lydia gets her happy ending by residing in harmony with both the dead and the living, within the house.
It is his way of telling the misfits to always look for silver linings.
Burton formed an art style inspired by strangeness and outcasts
“I love animated characters that have no eyes.”
— Tim Burton.
Chalky white skin color, dark circles, big eyes, accentuated cheekbones, spooky appearance and eerie setting.
These are the main highlights of any Tim Burton movie.
Burton has a unique visual style and aesthetics, making him a widely recognized filmmaker.
His solitary upbringing in suburbia framed his cinematic environment. German Expressionism, gothic designs, and his love for old sci-fi and horror films influenced his artworks and movies.
The monsters and loners he watched in horror films and other popular culture, left an impression that helped him ideate his main characters.
As a child, Burton strongly identified with characters like The Wolfman and Frankenstein’s monster.
He felt they were misjudged and wronged for being different, and thought of them as a much more heartfelt soul than the humans around them.
“I guess why I like movies like Frankenstein where you know you look at the character and he’s perceived as a monster even though he isn’t really. He is just different and the angry villagers, it was easy to sort of identify THAT with your neighbors….So, all those kinds of things made it easy to identify with those kind of movies. ”
— Tim Burton.
Edward Scissorhands is Burton’s take on Frankenstein’s monster. The concept for Edward was from a drawing he created as a teenager. The sketch reflects how Burton felt growing up: a quiet, artistic outcast in a suburban community with a desire to connect with people but finds them critical.
Like Frankenstein’s monster, Edward is misunderstood and rejected by society. Despite everything he had done for them, he is forced to escape and live on his own.
Burton employs outcasts in his cinema to show they are not always dangerous but poorly judged by society.
His movies are a formation of his childhood emotions and imagination, inspired by the strangeness he always admired.
All his formative influences aided him in creating a dreamscape to explore the themes of horror, uniqueness and alienation.
Perhaps, this is what draws most people to Burton’s works.
Final Thoughts
The dark yet lively cinematic universe of Tim Burton provides a sense of belonging to many, as his stories and characters speak volume to them.
His movies are his way of acknowledging the misunderstood and affirm his younger self.
His works may have flaws, but it succeeds in presenting a unique perspective and an important message:
NO ONE should ever be disdained. There is nothing wrong with feeling different. On the flip side, it is actually a universal emotion and can make a person stand out.
So just like his characters, we should all celebrate our uniqueness.
Someday, it will pay off, and who knows, the world can turn into your arena.
