Tim Burton Exhibition
Article originally published in Fiend Magazine, Issue 22, 2010
“Ooh that’s spooky ... and funny” said the girl to her younger brother.
“It’s cool!” he answered.
They were looking at a development drawing from Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice (1988) and their reactions describe the exhibition in a nutshell. It’s a stunning and long-overdue tribute to one of the most idiosyncratic filmmakers working in Hollywood over the last 25 years. All throughout the exhibition, Burton’s signature whimsy, with its nod to 1950s small town Americana, is mixed with a liberal dash of the macabre.
Currently at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) at Federation Square in Melbourne until Sunday 10 October, the exhibition is a broad retrospective of his career, starting with sketches and doodles from his high school years, through to his latest sculptures and large-format Polaroids produced last year.
His unique combination of playfulness and macabre is made apparent as soon as you walk down the stairs into the cavernous exhibition space on the lower level of ACMI, past the hulking power of the Batmobile from Batman (1989). A large video screen shows an image of the exhibition logo, his name in white characters on a stark red background. The letters are curled at the ends like the bare tree branches in The Corpse Bride. Take the time to watch the screen and eventually, the letter R in his surname reaches over and tickles the letter T next to it. A short time later, the T produces a machette and gleefully slices the top off the letter U, blood spurting everywhere.
Inside the exhibition space proper, the senses are overwhelmed by his attention to detail. There are items from all of his feature films, from Pee Wee’s Great Adventure (1983) to Alice In Wonderland (2010).
His earliest work, from high school sketches and home movies, to his class-topping short at film school, to the short films and development drawings done during his time at Disney in the early 80s, are fascinating. They highlight his obvious talent and the evolution of his unique style, with its nods to the horror and science fiction films of the 50s and 60s.
Of interest to hard-core fans is the showing of Burton's first live-action short film, Hansel and Gretel, produced for The Disney Channel. It’s a complete reworking of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, done with a Japanese theme, which climaxes in a kung-fu fight between Hansel and Gretel and the witch. This film was only aired once, on Halloween in 1983, and is a must-see, with its saturated primary colour design and manic performances.
Apart from the films and excerpts from his Hollywood motion pictures, there are a number of costumes that impress. Their attention to detail is stunning and Burton’s drawings are displayed along side, showing how the designers have faithfully taken his concepts through to production.
For Burton, everything starts with development drawings and there are hundreds in this exhibition.
As the ACMI space is much larger than that provided for the exhibition at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where the exhibition was shown last, Burton designed a new exhibit specifically for ACMI. Make sure you smile when you enter this particular space!
And make sure you don’t miss the exhibition of Burton’s large format Polaroids, upstairs in Gallery 2, away from the main exhibition space.
For children, there’s a drawing room, giving young Burton fans a chance to exercise their artistic sides.
This fantastic, inspiring exhibition is highly recommended for all those who love Tim Burton and his unique vision.
Did You Know Tim Burton...
Was a puppeteer on Jim Henson’s The Muppet Movie in 1979?
Made nearly 200 development drawings for Disney’s The Black Cauldron (1985) ... but they were never used for the final movie?
Originally had a cameo in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)? A deleted scene features a group of vampires playing hockey on the frozen pond with the decapitated head of Burton. The head was replaced by a jack-o'-lantern in the final version.
Is married to actress Helena Bonham Carter and they live in adjoining houses with a connecting doorway, because they feel they cannot live in the same house?
Location: Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), Federation Square, Flinders Street, Melbourne.
http://www.acmi.net.au/timburton.aspx
Phone (03) 8663 2583 for ticket enquiries and phone bookings.
Thursday 24 June - Sunday 10 October 2010
Open daily 10am-6pm. Special late night Thursdays until 10pm
Full $19 Concession $14
Family $55 (2 adults, 3 children) Each extra child $10