Tim Burton movies in order

From Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, and Batman, to Big Fish, Planet of the Apes, and Mars Attacks!, director Tim Burton has been responsible for some weird, whacky, and extremely popular movies, and a heck of a lot of colourful characters too. His strange viewpoint on the world, as well as his sheer creativity has made him a fan-favourite director, and he’s had a long and extensive career.

But what are all of Tim Burton’s films? Could you list them if asked?

Well, don’t worry – you don’t need to. Today I’m taking a look at Tim Burton’s directorial filmography, highlighting and listing all of his movies from his work in the 1980s through to the ’90s, the ’00s, and beyond.

But before all that, let’s get started with a quick mention for Burton’s shorts…

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Shorts

OK, before I look at Burton’s movies, it’s important to note that during the 1970s & 1980s the director worked on a number of shorts, including the likes of Houdini: The Untold Story (1971), Doctor of Doom (1979), Vincent (1982) and Frankenweenie (1984), amongst others. Vincent in particular is a great short – which can usually be found on YouTube – and is always worth a watch if you haven’t seen it!

And now onto the films…

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1980s

After overseeing a collection of shorts, Burton moved into films, first through television with Hansel and Gretel and then onto the big screen with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure – Burton’s feature-length debut. The film starred Paul Reubens, as Pee-wee Herman – a role the actor had previously played on television.

Following Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Burton took the helm on Beetlejuice, a movie which not only became a firm favourite with audiences, but is still fondly remembered today as one of the director’s best-loved films. It was also the first time Burton would work with actor Michael Keaton – a colleague he has teamed up with on a number of occasions.

Speaking of which, Burton’s final film of the 1980s is the film that cemented his career and saw him work with Keaton for a second time – and that film was Batman! Not only was Batman a huge hit with comic book fans, it was also the movie which made Burton a household name and helped drive his career forward in the proceeding decades.

Tim Burton’s movies during the 1980s included:

• Hansel and Gretel (1983)
• Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
• Beetlejuice (1988)
• Batman (1989)

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1990s

Into the ‘90s now with a very strong collection of movies.

The decade kicked off with Edward Scissorhands (the director’s first collaboration with Johnny Depp), then moved onto the much anticipated, Batman Returns. This movie marked the second and final time Burton would serve as director on a Batman film.

Burton then tackled Ed Wood (another Johnny Depp movie), followed by Mars Attacks! – a sci-fi black comedy based on a series of trading cards. Critics and audiences were a little mixed on Mars Attacks!, but it developed a loyal fan base.

And then to round out the decade, Burton teamed up with Johnny Depp once more for Sleepy Hollow – an adaptation of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Tim Burton’s movies during the 1990s included:

• Edward Scissorhands (1990)
• Batman Returns (1992)
• Ed Wood (1994)
• Mars Attacks! (1996)
• Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Now I know what you’re thinking – why doesn’t Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas appear on this list? Well, it’s because Burton didn’t direct it! In fact, it’s a common misconception.

The Nightmare Before Christmas was directed by Henry Selick. Burton’s name appeared on the poster/home video release/marketing information etc because he conceived and produced the movie – and his name helped to sell it to audiences.

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2000s

The ‘00s brought an interesting mix of movies for Burton, with some of his projects working and some not. The first of the ‘nots’ was Planet of the Apes – a reimagining of the classic Apes movie from the 1960s.

In Planet of the Apes, 20^th Century Fox was keen to rework the Apes property for a new audience, with Burton as the driving force. Unfortunately, critics disliked the film and the fan reception was lukewarm too.

Following on from Apes, Burton moved through the decade with Big Fish – an adaptation of Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions – as well as three Johnny Depp movies: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

Tim Burton’s movies during the 2000s included:

• Planet of the Apes (2001)
• Big Fish (2003)
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
• Corpse Bride (2005)
• Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)

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2010s

The 2010s offered up another eclectic mix of movies, bookended by pictures for Disney: Alice in Wonderland and Dumbo. For Alice, Burton reteamed with Depp, while in Dumbo he worked with Danny DeVito and Michael Keaton – actors he’d also worked with previously.

Tim Burton’s movies during the 2010s included:

• Alice in Wonderland (2010)
• Dark Shadows (2012)
• Big Eyes (2014)
• Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (2016)
• Dumbo (2019)

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2020

And finally onto the 2020’s and after decades of rumours and false starts, Burton returned to the world of Beetlejuice for the comedy sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. The movie reunited the director with Michael Keaton and proved to be a big hit with audiences.

Tim Burton’s movies during the 2020s included:

• Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2020)

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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about Tim Burton. For more posts be sure to check out the recommended reads below.