We were lucky enough to visit the World of Tim Burton exhibit at London’t The Design Museum!
Tim Burton is one of the most visually inventive filmmakers of all time, and his work doesn’t just have its own unique visual flair, it is also wonderfully macabre. He came to prominence in the early 1980s with short movies such as Vincent from 1982, and 1984’s Frankenweenie, and followed them up with classic films like Beetlejuice and Batman towards the end of the 80s. Burton went on to make numerous other weird and wonderful movies, and he’s currently putting the finishing touches to the second season of the well-received Wednesday from 2022. And, oh yeah, his latest movie, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice just grossed half a billion dollars!
I’ve always found Burton’s work to be hugely influential from a design perspective, and if you look at any of his creations, from Jack Skellington, to Edward Scissorhands, there’s no doubt that they’re Tim Burton characters. In October of this year, the Design Museum in London opened its exhibition on the filmmaker, called The World of Tim Burton. It’s an immersive deep-dive into the fantastical world of Tim Burton, which explores his remarkable creations, and key collaborations with designers. We’re all massive fanboys, and girls, here at JoBlo, and I recently had the opportunity to visit the exhibition to see what wonders lay in store. Is it worth investing your time to go and visit though? You bet it is!
The Design Museum, in London’s Holland Park, is a great space that’s devoted to contemporary design in every form, and the building itself has a very unique look. It also offers a range of exhibitions alongside the Tim Burton experience, including a look at Barbie, if that’s your thing! However, it’s the Burton exhibition that showcases the director’s work fantastically, and the range of his work on display is well worth checking out.
The opening of the gallery begins with a timeline of Burton’s life, which is quickly followed by a glimpse into his early work. There’s a ton of artwork, from his early film projects like 1980s Trick or Treat, to Hansel and Gretel from 1983, plus an indepth look at his college work. You can see glimpses of what would become A Nightmare Before Christmas in these, plus his pop-art infused college work is intriguing.
Once you’ve taken in his early work, plus the various sketchbooks of drawings, the exhibition continues with what I was most looking forward to seeing; the stop-motion models from his animated movies, plus a close look at some very special costumes from his most successful movies. I won’t spoil everything the exhibition has in store, but there are wonderful models of Emily the Corpse Bride, and General Bonesapart from 2005’s Corpse Bride, to name just two. There are also models from Frankenweenie, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and yes, The Nightmare Before Christmas, to enjoy.
If you’re a fan of Tim Burton, the exhibition is an immersive look into some of his most iconic work. The latter part of the experience is what I enjoyed the most, as it featured costumes and characters from Edward Scissorhands, and Batman Returns, two of my favorite Burton movies. The way the space is designed is also very Burton-esq. Towards the end of the exhibition, there’s a wonderfully disorientating corridor, with angled door frames designed to look like scenes from Beetlejuice.
I’m being greedy, because I would have liked to have seen some props and costumes from 1989’s Batman, but the exhibition overall is a unique, and rare glimpse behind Burton’s work. It’s an immersive look at one of cinema’s great auteurs, and if you’re in London, I highly recommend checking this out. The exhibition is running until April 21st, 2025, and tickets are apparently selling out quickly each day. So, what are you waiting for? Check out our video on the exhibition (EMBEDDED ABOVE), get your tickets booked, and treat yourself to what truly is an excellent look at the world of Tim Burton. Check out some more pics:
Originally published at https://www.joblo.com/__trashed-2/
