‘Horrible Big Circus’: Tim Burton Doesn't Hold Back on Why He Won't Work With Disney Ever Again
Successful collaboration seems to have ended for good.
Tim Burton began working with Disney in the late 1970s. At first he was a character designer, then an animator, and soon he began to direct small projects. His first major work for Disney was the 1982 animated short film Vincent.
This was followed by full-length films, including The Nightmare Before Christmas, Alice in Wonderland and Frankenweenie. In 2019, the movie Dumbo was released, with which Burton decided to complete his Disney adventure.
The movie, starring Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito, did quite well at the box office and received good reviews. But working on Dumbo was the last straw for Burton.
The director admitted in one of the interviews:
“I was hired and fired like several times throughout my career there. The thing about Dumbo, is that’s why I think my days with Disney are done, I realized that I was Dumbo, that I was working in this horrible big circus and I needed to escape. That movie is quite autobiographical at a certain level.”
The problems, according to the director, are related to Disney's new approach. The company is focused on big franchises like Marvel and Star Wars.
Of course, there may be room for individual projects, but you have to work hard to get the attention of the producers. Burton doesn't like that concept. He doesn't enjoy working on standalone projects and doesn't want to join Marvel.
At the same time, Burton does not intend to go into independent cinema. He admits that he has only worked for major studios throughout his career. Tim doesn't even know what independent cinema is and apparently doesn't want to find out.
Now all fans of the director are waiting for one project – Beetlejuice 2, which will be a direct sequel to the 1988 comedy of the same name.
In the new movie, Lydia will return to the big screen, having grown up and started her own family, and Winona Ryder will reprise her cult role.
Her daughter will be played by Jenna Ortega, who became famous thanks to the show Wednesday, which was also directed by Burton. The poltergeist will also remain unchanged – Michael Keaton will return to the role of Beetlejuice.
The estimated release date for Beetlejuice 2 is September 6, 2024.
Source: Deadline