Burton, Tim (1960- )

US film director and producer. Black humour and a visual sensibility inspired by comic strips characterize such films as Beetlejuice (1988) and Batman (1989). Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Sleepy Hollow (1999) gave full rein to Burton's penchant for Gothic fantasy.

Before directing his first full-length feature film, Pee Wee's Big Adventure (1985), Burton worked as an animator with the Walt Disney Company and made several short experimental films, including the award-winning Vincent (1982) narrated by Vincent Price. Burton's other directorial credits include the critically acclaimed biopic Ed Wood (1994), the science-fiction satire Mars Attacks! (1996), a remake of the 1974 film Planet of the Apes (2001), and the fantasy adventure Big Fish (2003).

The early 1990s saw Burton adopt the role of producer, and at Disney he oversaw the production of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), based on a story he had written, and the first feature-length stop-motion animated film to be released by the company. Other films include the Batman sequels Batman Returns (1992) and Batman Forever (1995), and the Roald Dahl adaptations James and the Giant Peach (1996) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).