Iconic filmmaker Tim Burton is so closely ᴀssociated with 1993’s The Nightmare Before Christmas that many people think he directed it but he actually didn’t helm his first animated film until over a decade later. Both a Halloween and Christmas movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas was actually directed by Henry Selick, who went on to make James and the Giant Peach, Coraline, and Wendell & Wild, yet it was Burton who conceived the story and acted as a producer.
Tim Burton was a big part of The Nightmare Before Christmas even if he didn’t direct it but he did helm several animated short films dating back to the ’70s. It wasn’t until 2005 that Burton directed a feature-length animated film and it has some notable connections, especially spiritually, to the 1993 classic, forever tying them together even if their shared universe is only a theory.
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride Was His First Animated Movie As A Director
He Co-Directed The Oscar-Nominated Film
As noted, Tim Burton directed a handful of short animated films while he was getting started as a filmmaker. His first was back in 1971 with an adaptation of The Island of Doctor Agor before moving on to work on projects like Vincent and his most famous short, Frankenweenie, in 1984. After getting his big break with Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, and Batman, he went on to produce some animated films like The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach.
Despite all that, Tim Burton didn’t tackle directing an animated film until 2005’s Corpse Bride, and even then, he co-directed it alongside Mike Johnson. The movie shares a lot in common with The Nightmare Before Christmas, including the animation style, the goth vibe, a Danny Elfman score, and some similarities between key characters, namely Victor Van Dart and Jack Skellington.
Burton Has Surprisingly Only Made One Other Animated Movie Since Corpse Bride
He Directed A Feature Version Of One Of His Short Films
Following Corpse Bride, Tim Burton had some major projects to handle, including Oscar nominees like Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and billion dollar blockbusters like Alice in Wonderland. After those releases, he directed his second (and to this day, last) animated feature film, Frankenweenie. The movie was indeed a feature-length remake of the short he put out back in 1984.
Like Corpse Bride, this was also up for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.
Again, there are connections and similarities between Frankenweenie, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Corpse Bride that make people think there’s a Tim Burton shared universe theory. The movie is an interesting retelling of the legendary Frankenstein story as it sees a young boy using the power of electricity to bring his dog back to life. Like Corpse Bride, this was also up for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars.
Tim Burton Has A Long Legacy With Stop-Motion Animation
Whether Directing Or Producing, Burton Loves This Animation Style
It’s rare for someone to only direct two films of a specific style, yet be so closely tied to that format. Tim Burton may have only helmed two feature-length stop-motion animated movies but he’s often the first person you think of when any film has that style. The work that he’s done as a filmmaker, producer, and animator has shaped the future of stop-motion animation.
Tim Burton’s influence on the format has even shaped what major companies like Disney have done with the format and he helped introduce the world of one of the best filmmakers in the genre, the aforementioned Henry Sellck. Great stop-motion animated movies like Fantastic Mr. Fox, ParaNorman, Kubo and the Two Strings, and more owe a lot to Burton’s work. He also hasn’t moved away from the format, as even his latest live-action film, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, featured a stop-motion animated scene.
