Tim Burton Exhibit

I consider myself to be a very passionate person, inspired by art, photography and fashion, among others. The feeling that overwhelms me when I step into an art exhibit or museum is inexplicable. My emotions rush to the surface and I suddenly find my eyes misty.

That's exactly what happened on Friday when I visited the Tim Burton exhibit in Toronto. I have always been a fan but didn't realize to what extent this man's vision of the animated world could really inspire me.

Dark, grotesque but comical, strange, witty, carnivalesque... This is how I would explain the works of this incredible man. But what makes his characters memorable and thus his work timeless are the raw, human qualities that his characters portray.

Edward Scissorhands is by far my favorite; The tale of a lonely, robot-man who was left incomplete with scissors for hands when his master suddenly dies. Although in theory this character has the makings for the perfect villain, Tim Burton instead created an innocent and naive Edward, who we cannot help but feel empathy towards. Even Burton's early sketches of Edward suggest such character traits.

Being in the presence of the early artwork and written synopsis for such great films as Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice and Batman Returns was truly incredible. It was fascinating to read Burton's hand-written notes - it was a mere glimpse into the inner workings of this man's mind. 


Tim Burton is recognized for bringing back the "stop-motion" clay animation with his unforgettable The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. He also manages to bring this animated world to life in his blockbuster films Sleepy Hollow, Big Fish, and most recently Alice in Wonderland.

Amazingly, Burton's visions and unique insight into a world where the dead are represented in vivid color and the living are dull are grey, were combined with the traditional story of "Alice in Wonderland" and "Alice Through the Looking Glass". With the Lewis Carrol tale already containing elements of fantasy and dark, complex characters, Burton was able to bring new life to this classic story and accentuate the "over the top" characteristics that we all know so well.

 

As much as I enjoyed viewing the artwork for the films we all know and love, I equally enjoyed being introduced to Tim Burton's other characters and creatures. Burton has developed a number of unique characters, such as Stain Boy, who are as clever as they are strange. 

But again, they is something so human about these strange characters that you cannot help but feel an attraction and liking for them. 


It is incredible and inspiring that Tim Burton is able to combine such unnatural elements together and manage to provoke strong audience reactions - the images are dark and disturbing but with the addition of witty humor and modest, humanistic traits of the unique "characters", we fall for them and want them to succeed.

Overall, I left the exhibit inspired, moved and entertained. If anyone is in the Toronto area, you HAVE to experience this ONE OF A KIND EXHIBIT - Tim Burton fan or not, it is worth checking out. And of course, if you are a Tim Burton fan, this is a necessity. Click here for more info - hurry it ends April 17th!