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28 Spooky Stylized Facts About Tim Burton Movies

Do you hear a Danny Elfman score in your head?

28 Spooky Stylized Facts About Tim Burton Movies

September 21, 2023

Tim Burton is an easy example of someone whose movies you can identify from a mile away — stories that blend reality and dark fairy tale, miniature-inspired sets with sinister spirals, Johnny Depp seemingly hiding around every corner and the aggressive score by the guy from Oingo Boingo. Which is to say, his movies have a distinctive mood and tone that unites them, from the cartoonish antics of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, to the noir-inspired underbelly of Batman, to a handful of live-action Disney remakes we didn’t actually see. Here are a bunch of facts about some of our favorite movies by the Mayor of Hot Topic himself…

28

Jack Nicholson's Payday

Jack Nicholson made about $90 million for playing The Joker BATMAN (1989) Nicholson was the top pick to play the supervillain. His 1980s hefty fee started at $10 million, but he agreed to 'only' make $6 million for a percentage of the profits (including character merchandise). CRACKED.COM — Source: 14 Batman Behind-The-Scenes Facts (From The Movies and Shows)

27

Michael Keaton's Casting

There was a giant backlash to Michael Keaton's casting BATMAN (1989) Thousands of letters were sent to Warner Bros to protest Keaton's casting. People were outraged that the role would go to someone who they perceived solely as a comedic actor. CRACKED.COM — Source: 14 Batman Behind-The-Scenes Facts (From The Movies and Shows)

26

Michael Keaton's Batsuit

Michael Keaton 'couldn't really hear' in the suit BATMAN (1989) Keaton describes his time in the batsuit as 'ridiculous' and 'kind of cool.' It made him feel isolated inside it, which helped him to develop the character. CRACKED.COM — Source: 14 Batman Behind-The-Scenes Facts (From The Movies and Shows)

25

Sweeney Todd in Reality

Sweeney Todd Murdering people and baking them into meat pies? Who could be such a heartless monster? Italian Leonarda cianciulli was. Leonarda, however, didn't bake her pies with her victims' flesh - only with their blood. The flesh, she it used to make soap. CRACKED.COM — Source: 14 Outlandish Things in Movies (Which Are Actually Realistic)

24

Joker's Calling Card

CRACKED.COM BATMAN JOKER The Joker In Tim Burton's film, Jack Napier consults his lucky deck and pulls a Joker with an ominous hole in the cheek. When he faces off with Batman in the chemical plant, his bullet ricochets and tears a similar hole in Napier's face. — Source: You Should Not Pick a Fight With This Person: 12 Examples of Foreshadowing in the DCEU

23

The Clown With A Tearaway Face

The clown with a tearaway face was initially much more gruesome. The original idea was to show flesh and blood under the face. They ditched it because it would have been pure horror film stuff. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Wild Facts About 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'

22

Danny Elfman as Jack

Danny Elfman's role as Jack Skellington was the only time he played a character in a movie he composed music for. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Wild Facts About 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'

21

Jack and Henry

Jack Skellington's movements are based on Henry Selick's. Selick acted out most of Jack's moves, to show animators what he wanted from them. NO - THE IGHT BEFUN HRISTM - DISNEY CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Wild Facts About 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'

20

The Nightmare Before Christmas on TV

The movie was originally supposed to be a TV special. That's how Tim Burton pitched it to Disney, back in the early '80s (Disney turned it down because the style didn't work for them then). CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Wild Facts About 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'

19

A Tim Burton Gag

A jab at Tim Burton got cut from the movie. At the end, when the vampires play hockey, the puck was originally Tim Burton's head. They removed it because a producer said Tim probably wouldn't like it. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Wild Facts About 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'

18

Nightmare Before Christmas' Script

They started filming without a script. They had Tim Burton's story, Danny Elfman's songs, and that was pretty much that. Director Henry Selick says that they basically just blindly, but very confidently, went into production. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Wild Facts About 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'

17

Mars Attacks... is a Christmas Movie?

Mars Attacks is secretly Christmas-themed. PROP DAY The skeletons are bright green or bright red because the movie was scheduled to be released for Christmas. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source: 13 Scintillating Now-You-Know Movie Facts and General Trivia

16

Pierce Brosnan as Batman?

Pierce Brosnan thought he'd look ridiculous in Batman's costume. BATMAN Tim Burton wanted Brosnan to play Bruce Wayne in Batman (1989). During a Reddit AMA session, Brosnan recalled the time when the director showed him the suit, he said: Any man who wears underpants outside his pants just cannot be taken seriously. CRACKED.COM — Source: 10 Actors Who Turned Down Famous Roles (For Bizarre Reasons)

15

Tom Cruise as Edward Scissorhands?

Tom Cruise asked way too many questions that couldn't be answered. edward SCISSORHANDS Cruise was perplexed by how Edward Scissorhands could do everyday things. Не would ask questions like, How does he go to the bathroom? and How did he live without eating all those years? Tom just couldn't suspend his disbelief. CRACKED.COM — Source: 10 Actors Who Turned Down Famous Roles (For Bizarre Reasons)

14

Angry About Oogie Boogie

After an argument about Oogie Boogie, Tim Burton kicked a hole in a wall. Henry Selick wanted Dr. Finkelstein to be inside Oogie Boogie, operating him, instead of Oogie Boogie being a swarm of bugs. Burton disagreed and got so mad, he kicked the aforementioned hole in the wall and then stormed out of the room. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Wild Facts About 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'

13

Sally's Socks

Sally wore socks for very practical reasons. The original doll's ankles were so thin, she couldn't stop - so they made the ankles thicker, and put socks on her to disguise that. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Wild Facts About 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'

12

Jack's Eyeballs

The studio wanted eyeballs on Jack. Some people at Disney suggested he should have eyeballs, but Selick and Burton just ignored them. Selick says, We were never going to do that. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Wild Facts About 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'

11

Pee-Wee's Big Original Idea

Pee-wee's Big Adventure was almost a kind of adaptation of Disney's Pollyanna. Paul Reubens got a new idea when he got a gift bike with the sign that said Bicycle parking for Pee-wee Herman only and had a picture of Pee-wee. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Weird Early Versions Of Movies And Shows We Love

10

The Rock as Willy Wonka?

Dwayne Johnson could have been Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Tim Burton considered him for the role, but ultimately went with Johnny Depp - - The Rock was just starting out in Hollywood at the time, and didn't have anywhere near Depp's star power. NOW YOU KNOW CRACKED.COM — Source: 31 Crazy Behind-the-Scenes Facts of Our Favorite Movies & TV Shows

9

Zero in Nightmare Before Christmas

They used a very old-school trick to make Zero look like a ghost. To make him look like a ghost, they shot a transparent mirror showing the puppet (which is off-screen). It's an ancient, old-Hollywood technique for shooting ghosts, says Henry Selick. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Wild Facts About 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'

8

Beetlejuice

CRACKED.COM BEETLEJUICE. BEETLEJUICE. BEETLEJUICE! Beetlejuice's concept was a winged reptilian demon who transformed into a small Middle Eastern man. — Source: 35 Characters Wildly Different From Their Early Versions

7

Beetlejuice's Name

Beetlejuice really has nothing to do with either bugs or juice of any kind. It's a nod to the star Betelgeuse, in the same constellation as Orion. Screenwriter Michael McDowell didn't think anyone would get it. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Beloved Movie Characters And The Surprising Ways They Got Their Names

6

Catwoman's Costume

The Catwoman suit was incredibly uncomfortable BATMAN RETURNS It was the most uncomfortable costume I've ever been in, said Michelle Pfeiffer. They had to powder me down, help me inside and then vacuum-pack the suit. They'd paint it with a silicon-based finish to give it its trademark shine. CRACKED.COM — Source: 14 Batman Behind-The-Scenes Facts (From The Movies and Shows)

5

Michelle Pfeiffer Wasn't First

Michelle Pfeiffer was second pick to play Catwoman BATMAN RETURNS Pfeiffer was crushed when Annette Bening was cast as the iconic anti-hero. Bening was replaced by Pfeiffer when she became pregnant. CRACKED.COM — Source: 14 Batman Behind-The-Scenes Facts (From The Movies and Shows)

4

The Penguin in Batman Returns

The Penguin required over four hours of makeup BATMAN RETURNS It was four-and-a-half hours of makeup and getting into the costume, said Danny DeVito. We got it down to three hours by the end of the shoot. I had pounds and pounds of face prosthetics and body padding, and the prosthetic hands, which were hard to use. CRACKED.COM — Source: 14 Batman Behind-The-Scenes Facts (From The Movies and Shows)

3

Tim Burton & Vincent Price

The relationship between Ed Wood and Bela Lugosi CRACKED.COM in Tim Burton's was a reflection of Burton's own relationship with Vincent Price. — Source: 31 Crazy Behind-the-Scenes Facts of Our Favorite Movies & TV Shows

2

Nicolas Cage in Superman Lives

Roles Almost Played by Nicolas Cage SUPERMAN Superman Lives Kal-El-the name of Nic Cage's son and his most infamous unseen role. Tim Burton's movie fell apart before we could get Cage's wildest role yet. CRACKED.COM — Source: 15 Roles That Were Almost Played by Nicolas Cage

1

The End of Batman

Tim Burton had no idea what was happening at the end of Batman. Jon Peters, one of the producers of Batman, came up with the idea of setting the climax on the roof of a cathedral. Peters changed the scene to include Basinger, who happened to be his girlfriend at the time, and despite the fact that the movie was over budget, approved the creation of a 38 foot model cathedral that cost $100,000 without telling Burton. UNION — Source: 14 Batman Behind-The-Scenes Facts (From The Movies and Shows)

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