The World of Tim Burton Exhibition London
Dreamlike settings, eerie atmosphere, elongated shapes and Gothic overtones. Welcome to ‘The World of Tim Burton’; a bizarre and brilliant exhibition of the master filmmaker behind much loved cultic films, such as ‘Edward Scissorhands’, ‘Sleepy Hollow’, ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ and ‘The Corpse Bride’.
The World of Tim Burton exhibition at Design Museum is now open and tickets selling fast.
@urbanadventurerldn 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙞𝙢 𝘽𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙤𝙣 @the Design Museum [BLOG POST IN BIO] Welcome to ‘The World of Tim Burton’; a bizarre and brilliant exhibition of the master filmmaker behind much loved cultic films, such as ‘Edward Scissorhands’, ‘Sleepy Hollow’, ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ and ‘The Corpse Bride’ 🖤 The World of Tim Burton exhibition showcases over 600 items from the director’s personal archives as well as artworks and movie props 🖤 #theworldoftimburton #timburton #timburtonexhibition #thenightmarebeforechristmas #wednesday #beetlejuice
♬ Wednesday Main Titles (Single from Wednesday Original Series Soundtrack) – Danny Elfman
From Burbank to Hollywood Fame
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‘The World of Tim Burton’ exhibition has been touring for a decade and now it reached its final destination, London.
The exhibition showcases over 600 items from the director’s personal archives as well as artworks and movie props used in ‘Beetlejuice’, ‘The Corpse Bride’, ‘Wednesday’ and ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’, just to name a few.
Photo: Urban Adventurer
The exhibition starts with Burton’s childhood in Burbank, California, a suburban American neighbourhood, he called “Anywhere, USA” in an interview.
Young Tim Burton has become interested in horror and science fiction from an early age that fuelled his artistic style over the decades.
At age nine, he asked his mother to make him a skeleton Halloween outfit that later inspired Jack Skellington, the protagonist of cultic stop motion animation film: ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’.
The exhibition showcases Burton’s early works that eventually have never been used because they halted at various stages of the projects.
There is an original letter, the 18-year-old Tim Burton sent to Disney with one of his projects, called ‘The Giant Zlig’. The response letter came from Jeanette Kroger, Editor of Walt Disney productions is also on display. In the letter, the editor rejects Burton’s work, but includes some positive feedback regarding the story and the art and finishes the letter saying “keep up the good work, and good luck”.
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There is also a recreation of Burton’s studio which gives visitors a glimpse into his working process.
If you take a closer look to the wall, you will spot some illustrations and drawings from recent projects, such as ‘Wednesday’ he produced during the Covid_19 pandemic.
Sketchbooks, Movie Props and Costumes
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The exhibition continues with a selection of 14 sketchbooks containing a wide variety of drawings and the most different character ideas.
On the walls, there are original drawings of the most famous scenes from ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’, character sketches of ‘The Corpse Bride’ and ‘Fankenweenie’, and a series of drawings drawn on napkins.
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Original puppets used in ‘The Corpse Bride’, ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ and ‘Frankenweenie’ are also on display. You can meet face to face with Jack Skellington, Sally, Oogie Boogie, Victoria Everglot, Emily the Corpse Bride and Victor Van Dort, among many other well-known characters.
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The next room is probably the most fascinating for movie fans.
Here, original costumes and movie props are on display, including Edward Scissorhands’ outfit and scissors worn by Johnny Depp, Katrina Van Tassel’s black-and-white striped dress, worn by Christina Ricci, and the Headless Horseman’s costume worn by Christopher Walken.
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Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman outfit is also on display from ‘Batman Returns’, 1992.
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Don’t miss Wednesday Addams’ school uniform with her school bag and her famous ball dress if you’re a fan of the series.
Did you know that the shirt was sourced from a vintage shop on London’s Carnaby Street?
There are also original sketches, drawings and storyboards.
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There is a section dedicated to ‘Beetlejuice’ with puppets and character concepts, including The Shrinkers and a Beetlejuice maquette.
Twist and Turn
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A long neon lit corridor leads visitors to the next exhibition room.
The corridor is twisted and turned, just like the scenes and characters in a Tim Burton film.
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Tim Burton depicts physical reality as it is personally felt, not as it appears, distorting perspective and the human figure itself. His drawings, paintings, and sculptures often reflect the director’s childhood belief that he was a ‘misunderstood outcast.’
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During your journey in the twisted corridor, you will encounter with giant sculptures and paintings before coming across an eerie Gothic merry-go-round in the final room.
‘The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories’
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The final exhibition room showcases Burton’s various other projects, including music videos, photography and illustrated books, such as ‘The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories’ (1997)
The characters of the above projects are now on display at Harvey Nichols, Knightsbridge.
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Luxury department store Harvey Nichols is currently running a collaboration with the Design Museum and created a whimsical Tim Burton-themed Christmas window display.
The centre stage of the display is the five sculptures from ‘The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories’ that have been borrowed from Burton’s personal collection.
As part of the collaboration, Harvey Nichols is offering Tim Burton-themed afternoon tea until the 28th December 2024.
Photography
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Tim Burton is primarily known as filmmaker; however, he is also a passionate photographer.
His photo projects are deeply personal and separate from his professional work. The exhibition highlights a bunch of photographs taken over a span of 5 years (2019-2024), highlighting recurring motifs and Burton’s signature style.
Tim Burton-Inspired Topiary
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On your way home from the exhibition, don’t forget to visit the Burton-inspired topiary for a surreal touch inside Kensington Arcade that connects the tube station and High Street Kensington.
Practical Info
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Address
Design Museum | 224-238 Kensington High St, London W8 6AG
Opening Times
25 October 2024 – 21 April 2025
Open daily from 10am to 5pm
Tickets
Tickets can be booked on the Design Museum’s official website.
Adult tickets from £19.69
Children (aged 5-15) tickets from £9.89
Kids under 6s go free
Concession/student tickets from £14.77
Ready for your next adventure? Marvel at London’s most beautiful Christmas lights from Covent Garden to Battersea Power Station.