Tim Burton Reveals Why He Was Fired by Disney

in Disney, Entertainment

TIM BURTON

Credit: ABC

When you think of Tim Burton and Disney — many iconic films such as The Nightmare Before Christmas come to mind. But, did you know that before Burton blew Disney away with his fantastic filmmaking skills, the company fired him?

alice in wonderland tim burton
Credit: Disney

In 1984, Burton was actually fired by Walt Disney Studios. The company originally took on Burton after seeing his short film Stalk of the Celery Monster, as noted by Screenrant. But, after his 1984 short film of Frankenweenie, the company told Burton that the were going to “part ways”. It seems that the conversation between Burton and Disney was not so much a firing, but just a conversation that stated the two were going in different directions. Interestingly enough, in 2012 we would see Frankenweenie develop into a full-length feature directed by Burton and produced by the Walt Disney Company. 

Frankenweenie Movie Logo
Credit: Disney

Disney producer Don Hahn noted that the company did not know what to do with Burton’s eerie style. It seems that at that time, the two were not a good fit as Burton’s style was “too scary” after audiences proved to dislike Burton’s film, The Black Cauldron. Having Frankenweenie, another film of the similar genre and style come out that same year pushed Disney to have to separate from Burton.

As stated by Yahoo! Movies:

Back in 1984 Burton made a 30 minute live action short film about a boy who harnesses the power of science to resurrect his dead dog. Disney, the studio who paid for the film, immediately fired the director for wasting their money on a kid’s film that was too scary.

Shelley Duvall
Credit: Disney

It seems that Burton enjoys having a “revolving door” policy with Disney, as he has already been “let go” by the company five times since joining them after college. Now, Burton’s style has become something that Disney audiences have grown to love and anticipate. Most recently, Burton directed the live-action Dumbo for the Walt Disney Company. Burton is also known for iconic films such as Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands!

Are you a fan of Tim Burton’s directing style? Let us know in the comments below. 

 

in Disney, Entertainment

View Comments (14)