Tim Burton

American film director and producer. Dark humor and a comic book-inspired aesthetic are the trademarks of many of his films, such as the fantasy comedy Beetlejuice (1988) and Batman (1989). Before directing his first feature, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985), Burton worked in the animation department of the studio Walt Disney. There he made several experimental short films, including the award-winning Vincent (1982), narrated by Vincent Price. In 1990 he released Edward Scissorhands, a suburban fable in which he unfolded his entire world of gothic fantasy. Ed Wood (1994), a black-and-white film about one of the worst directors in film history, was highly acclaimed by critics. His film Mars Attacks! (1996) is a satire of science fiction cinema. Other titles in his filmography include Sleepy Hollow (1999) and Planet of the Apes (2001), a new version of Franklin J. Schaffner's classic. In the early 1990s, Burton began combining directing with producing. At Disney he oversaw the production of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, directed by Henry Selick), based on his own story, which became the first stop-motion animated film made by the famous studio. Other titles he produced include Batman Forever (1995, directed by Joel Schumacher) and James and the Giant Peach (1996, directed by Selick).