Do we like Tim Burton?
Our score: 7 out of 10. No harmful words or campaigns turned up, and his work and loyalty are well regarded, but his diversity-casting comments are still contested.
Burton grew up in Burbank, California, hooked on Roger Corman horror films and Vincent Price. He studied animation at CalArts and landed at Disney as an apprentice animator, but left within about a year. His 1982 short Vincent, a tribute to Price, set the gothic-misfit tone he has never really dropped.
The breakthrough came when his short Frankenweenie caught Paul Reubens' eye and led to Pee-wee's Big Adventure. Then came Beetlejuice in 1988, Batman in 1989 and Edward Scissorhands in 1990. That run turned a weird kid from the suburbs into one of Hollywood's most recognisable names.
The nearest thing to a stoush with a studio was Disney. After Dumbo in 2019 he said he realised he was in a “horrible big circus” and needed to escape, and that he had been hired and fired several times there. That's a bloke who knows what corporate filmmaking costs, not a scandal.
On the harm check, we found no campaigning against LGBTQ+ people, women or migrants, and nothing on vaccines or the climate. The sore spot is casting. Over the years he has been criticised for mostly white casts, and he has responded to that criticism, which people still argue about. He has also publicly backed past collaborators Johnny Depp and Paul Reubens against fan backlash, which some will weigh differently than others.
Lately he has spoken out against AI imitating his work. He said it gave him “a weird sort of scary feeling inside” and told the BBC he is a bit of a technophobe. That's a creator defending his craft and other artists' work, which is easy to back.
The good stuff is mostly the work and the loyalty. Venice gave him a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement in 2007, presented by Johnny Depp. Wednesday has become a hit with a new generation, and his next projects include the Ishiguro film and the Robbie remake.