Summary
Looking intoTim Burton’s decades-long, revered career, the most shocking element of his record comes from his lowest-rated works. Burton is now a connoisseur of all things spooky, but actuallygot his start working at Disney from 1981 to 1984. The director was infamously fired while making the short filmFrankenweenie, with the production company claiming that the bizarre short was too scary for children.Burton has since teamed up with Disneyagain on multiple other features, despite his friction with them in the ’80s.
Burton did not let the Disney firing slow him down, as he produced theFrakenweenieshort film anyway. From there, he went on to directPee-wee’s Big Adventurein 1985 andBeetlejuicein 1988. Decades afterFrankenweeniewas rejected by Disney, Burton made the film into an acclaimed 2012 stop-motion animated feature of the same name. His ghoulish featureBeetlejuiceis getting a new life this year with theupcoming sequelBeetlejuice Beetlejuice. While these are beloved works from Burton, not all of his films have gotten the same fate.
Every Tim Burton & Johnny Depp Movie, Ranked Worst To Best
Johnny Depp has starred in eight movies directed by Tim Burton, spanning over two decades. Here’s how these collaborations hold up against each other.
Tim Burton’s 4 Worst-Rated Movies On Rotten Tomatoes Are All Remakes
Burton’s Worst-Rated Film Is Dark Shadows
Looking at Burton’s worst-rated films on Rotten Tomatoes, the bottom four are all remakes. These poorly-received titles includeDark Shadows,Planet of the Apes,Dumbo, andAlice in Wonderland. All four of these films received rotten scores on the critics' aggregate site, with the lowest-rated film of his career beingDark Shadows, a vampire film that the director released in 2012.Alice in Wonderland isadapted from the Lewis Carroll book and classic Disney animated film of the same name.
2010
50%
55%
2019
46%
48%
Planet of the Apes
2001
43%
27%
2012
35%
WhileDark Shadowsmay be the lowest-rated work of Burton’s career, it isPlanet of the Apesthat has gained the most notoriety. Burton made a distinct stylistic choice with this remake in that he chose to use practical makeup effects instead of employing CGI technology for the primate characters, making the reboot more similar to the 1968 version. In 2001, this came across as far more uncanny than interesting, and led to the film being hated by critics and audiences alike. As thePlanet of the Apesfranchise continues to this day, Burton’s version is regularly cited as one of the worst.
Tim Burton Clearly Knows To Make Great Remakes & Adaptations
Other Burton Remakes Are Great
Looking more holistically at Burton’s career, this pattern is somewhat confounding. His track record with the likes ofDumboandAlice in Wonderlandwould, at first glance, imply that the director should stay in his lane and avoid covering classic works. However, it is not the case that all of Burton’s remakes have been poorly received. In fact, Burton’s versions ofBatmanandBatman Returnsare both Certified Fresh, the latter making it into his top 10 rated films.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factoryis another well-regarded Burton remake. While disregarded by some die-hard Gene Wilder fans,Charlie and the Chocolate Factorystill sits at no. 8 on the overall ranking of Burton’s films, with an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Focusing more heavily on Willy Wonka’s relationship with his father rather than just the children, Burton’s take on the story shows a desire to reimagine the story, rather than simply remaking 1971’sWilly Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. These projects show thatBurton is still skilled when it comes to remakes, despite some bad scores.
Tim Burton’s Biggest Flops Show He’s Willing To Take Risks
Burton Keeps Making Remakes And Adaptations
While it would be seemingly easy for a director to get discouraged by all the blowback to his remakes, this has not seemed to deter Burton. While the director has done some original works, includingBeetlejuice, he has continued to work on remakes throughout his career in general. Even beyond remakes themselves, alot of Burton’s films are at the very least adaptations.Big Fishis based on the novel of the same name, andWednesdayis a television spinoff ofThe Addams Family. So, even when Burton is not remaking past films, he is adapting.
Even when some of his films fall flat critically, a great aspect of Burton’s directing is that they are never bland, always offering a unique take on their source material.
Burton’s persistence in making remake films seems to imply that the director is unbothered by the negative reviews. Over the years,Burton has gone on making any projects he wants, whether that beFrankenweenie,Ed Wood,The Corpse Bride, or a live-action version ofDumbo. Even when some of his films fall flat critically, a great aspect of Burton’s directing is that they are never bland, always offering a unique take on their source material. Hopefully, this freshness will continue asTim Burtonembarks on his next projects,Beetlejuice BeetlejuiceandWednesdayseason 2.
