Tim Burton is one of those directors with a style that is so distinct, his films can be spotted a mile away. Whether it’s a creepy stop-motion horror movie or an adaptation of a Roald Dahl book, Burton’s personal stamp is on it. His style is characterized by dark, gloomy visuals, German expressionist influences, and gothic-inspired storytelling. Along with that style comes a very specific type of character.
Across his career, Burton has brought many quirky creations to the screen (most of them played by Johnny Depp). So, without further ado, here are the 10 most memorable Tim Burton characters, ranked.
Willy Wonka In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Gene Wilder gave its lead character being beyond quirky – not to mention unforgettable.
The Penguin In Batman Returns
Lately, there’s been the bleak, melancholic visual style of Burton’s films, so the two went hand-in-hand to deliver one of superhero cinema’s all-time great villains.
The Headless Horseman In Sleepy Hollow
Originally, Kevin Yagher was set to direct Burton’s film drops the comedy in favor of creating a sense of straight-up terror in the audience. Burton’s Headless Horseman, played by both Christopher Walken and Ray Park, is as memorable a foe on the screen as he is on the page.
Sweeney Todd In Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
In this day and age, that line between the whimsical and the gruesome, it’s Tim Burton.
He faithfully adapted the Stephen Sondheim stage musical while bringing his own cinematic flair to it. But of course, this would all be meaningless if the title character himself was poorly represented. Fortunately, Johnny Depp brought a seldom-seen ion to the part of the cold-hearted, murderous Mr. Todd.
Miss Alma Peregrine In Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
With Johnny Depp’s public image crumbling and the director’s relationship with Helena Bonham Carter coming to an end, Tim Burton recently found himself in need of a new muse. Fortunately, he found that muse a little weak and promises more than it delivers, Green’s performance as Miss Peregrine more than makes up for it. She’s also brilliantly drawn by Burton’s direction and Jane Goldman’s script.
Sparky In Frankenweenie
Tim Burton’s feature-length remake of his spooky stop-motion animated 1984 short of the same name was an unusual little movie that a lighthearted take on the Frankenstein story. Instead of a mad scientist reanimating various corpses mashed together, a boy who misses his pet dog Sparky brings him back to life. And while the boy, Victor, is technically the lead character of the film, it’s his reanimated canine that makes the greatest impression on the audience.
The Joker In Batman
While the definitive screen version of the Joker will always be Heath Ledger’s turn in The Dark Knight, Jack Nicholson’s iteration from Tim Burton’s 1989 a close second. This version of the Joker was given an origin story: he’s a gangster who falls into a vat of chemicals that permanently stains his skin in the colors of clown makeup.
In a shocking third-act twist, he’s also revealed to be the guy who murdered Bruce Wayne’s parents. From waking up in a dark room and laughing at his appearance in the mirror to dancing with Vicki Vale in the pale moonlight, Nicholson’s Joker has a ton of iconic moments.
Edward Scissorhands In Edward Scissorhands
Inspired by a picture Tim Burton drew as a teenager growing up in a sunny suburban town, one of his sweetest and most heartfelt works. The sight of a pale-skinned man with messy hair and blades for fingers would traditionally suggest a monster, but Burton flipped that expectation on its head and gave us a character that we could feel sorry for. It’s not Edward’s fault that he’s different, but at the same time, the fact that he has scissors sticking out his hands inherently presents a real danger, so there’s a double-edged conflict (no pun intended) to his very existence.
Jack Skellington In The Nightmare Before Christmas
Tim Burton didn’t direct then tries to bring the two towns together. This is a guy whose whole existence and occupation is built around instilling fear into people and a fascination with the macabre, and yet he just wants to introduce his friends to the wonders of Christmas. It’s actually pretty adorable.
Betelgeuse In Beetlejuice
It’s not easy to make a parasitic ghoul who takes glee in tormenting the recently deceased a likable character, but a character who is absurd without ever getting annoying. Plus, the work of the costume designers and makeup artists can’t be discredited, since they created a look for the character that audiences would never forget. Like all the best movie characters – Indiana Jones, Darth Vader, Freddy Krueger etc. – Betelgeuse is instantly recognizable.
