The Most Tim Burton-y Movies Not Directed by Tim Burton
Tim Burton is back. The famous filmmaker, artist and guy who showed the world that not owning a comb isn’t a dealbreaker for Monica Bellucci technically never left, but now he’s made a movie that people actually want to see for the first time in a long while.
In addition to directing the highly-anticipated sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Burton just received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And it’s well-deserved, considering his long career, which found him churning out modern classics, followed by some okay stuff, and eventually, a whole bunch of joyless CGI-filled remakes featuring Johnny Depp in increasingly goofy wigs.
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Burton’s influence over the world of film has been so great, there are a number of movies with serious Tim Burton vibes that were in no way directed by Tim Burton. Some of the most Burton-y non-Burton projects include…
Stay Tuned
The set-up of 1992’s Stay Tuned isn’t unlike Beetlejuice in that it involves a couple being whisked away into a wacky afterlife dimension. Although in this case, it’s Hell’s cable TV universe, featuring evil versions of familiar shows and movies, such as Driving Over Miss Daisy.
The studio originally wanted Burton to direct the script, but he ultimately passed, as did Mike Myers and Dana Carvey, who nearly appeared as zombie Wayne and Garth in the Saturday Nite Dead segment.
Monkeybone
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas wasn’t actually directed by Tim Burton, but rather Henry Selick (although Burton produced the film, and seemingly filled it with all of his real-life anxieties). In 2001, Selick helmed the critically-reviled, yet highly original Monkeybone, starring Brendan Fraser as a cartoonist who meets his own creations after falling into a coma.
In addition to the Burton-esque look of the stop-motion fantasy elements, the screenplay was written by Sam Hamm who penned Burton’s Batman.
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
From the eccentric outcasts with distinct fashion choices, to the hopelessly pale orphaned children, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events sure ticks a lot of Burton boxes. The adaptation of the popular children’s book series also hired “Burton’s longtime production designer Rick Heinrichs” and acclaimed cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, who had previously shot Burton’s Sleepy Hollow.
Little Monsters
1989’s Little Monsters feels like it was the result of a studio executive ordering a crew to churn out a kid-centric Beetlejuice rip-off within a year of its release. The plot is basically Monsters Inc., if Mike and Sully were a denim-clad Howie Mandel with horns.
The Addams Family
Although The Addams Family exudes the same sun-deprived goth whimsy that most of us associate with Burton, the movie and its sequel were directed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Burton was reportedly approached by the studio, but ultimately turned the project down.
Burton eventually did adapt Charles Addams’ iconic characters for the Netflix series Wednesday, which may not be as good as the movies, but at least it’s far more memeable.
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