The Tim Burton Encyclopedia - by Samuel J Umland (Hardcover)

About the Book

Tim Burton has been a major director for a quarter of a century, producing both cult classics and blockbuster films including Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, Ed Wood, Batman, Mars Attacks!, Sweeney Todd, Alice in Wonderland, and Dark Shadows. An A-Z list of all things Bur...

Book Synopsis

Tim Burton is one of the most inventive filmmakers in the world. From his early work as an animator for Disney studios to his distinctive takes on iconic characters like Batman and Alice in Wonderland, Burton's skewed vision of the world has informed all of his films. Imbuing his films with a comically dark tone, Burton provides a twisted slant on conventional storytelling.

In The Tim Burton Encyclopedia, Samuel J. Umland looks at all aspects of this idiosyncratic storyteller's films, which frequently display childlike wonder and a macabre humor. Entries in this volume focus on Burton's artistic inspirations as well as creative personnel behind the camera, including writers, cinematographers, costume designers, art directors, and other collaborators, notably his frequent composer Danny Elfman. Recurring actors are also represented, such as Michael Keaton, Helena Bonham-Carter, Jack Nicholson, and, of course, Johnny Depp. Film entries include all of his features such as Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, Big Fish, and Dark Shadows. Each entry is followed by a bibliography of published sources, both in print and online.

Featuring entries focused on every stage of Burton's career--including early animated shorts like Frankenweenie and his work as a producer--this volume provides indispensable information about one of the most distinctive filmmakers of the past three decades. Comprehensive and entertaining, The Tim Burton Encyclopedia will appeal to scholars, researchers, and fans of this singular director's work.

Review Quotes

"This work spans the life and career (through 2015) of filmmaker Tim Burton. . . .This volume presents nearly 200 entries alphabetically and concludes with a selected bibliography and an index. The most informative entries relate to Burton's films and the primary production crew members and collaborators with whom he regularly worked. . . .[W]ell-written, this encyclopedia will mostly interest a general audience or collectors of Burton-related material and memorabilia. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers." --Choice Reviews

"[T]his is an interesting, valuable study of one of Hollywood's most innovative filmmakers." --American Reference Books Annual

"[T]he book is a worthy source of information about a unique film director. It will be useful for source material and as a reference work for libraries serving visual arts, film production and film history courses and will no doubt be appreciated by the fans of the director." --Reference Reviews

"Author Umland examines, in great detail, every aspect of Burton's kaleidoscopic work. . . .Fans of Burton, and of film in general, will find Umland's detailed work a bonanza, when it comes to more fully analyzing and appreciating one of modern cinema's most innovative storytellers." --Pop Culture Classics

"Chronicling his nearly 35 year career and impact on pop culture through his uniquely dark and whimsical tales, The Tim Burton Encyclopedia by Samuel J. Umland provides readers and film enthusiasts of Burton's colorful career a detailed overview of the artist, his many works and frequent collaborators. . . .The Tim Burton Encyclopedia serves its purpose as a solid reference of the Beetlejuice director's eccentric career with countless sections of enlightening material for Burton's most informed appreciators." --Mike's Pop Culture Playhouse

[T]he book is a worthy source of information about a unique film director. It will be useful for source material and as a reference work for libraries serving visual arts, film production and film history courses and will no doubt be appreciated by the fans of the director.

[T]his is an interesting, valuable study of one of Hollywood's most innovative filmmakers.

Author Umland examines, in great detail, every aspect of Burton's kaleidoscopic work. . . .Fans of Burton, and of film in general, will find Umland's detailed work a bonanza, when it comes to more fully analyzing and appreciating one of modern cinema's most innovative storytellers.

Chronicling his nearly 35 year career and impact on pop culture through his uniquely dark and whimsical tales, The Tim Burton Encyclopedia by Samuel J. Umland provides readers and film enthusiasts of Burton's colorful career a detailed overview of the artist, his many works and frequent collaborators. . . .The Tim Burton Encyclopedia serves its purpose as a solid reference of the Beetlejuice director's eccentric career with countless sections of enlightening material for Burton's most informed appreciators.

This work spans the life and career (through 2015) of filmmaker Tim Burton. . . .This volume presents nearly 200 entries alphabetically and concludes with a selected bibliography and an index. The most informative entries relate to Burton's films and the primary production crew members and collaborators with whom he regularly worked. . . .[W]ell-written, this encyclopedia will mostly interest a general audience or collectors of Burton-related material and memorabilia. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers.

About the Author

Samuel J. Umland is professor of English and department chair, University of Nebraska at Kearney. He is the editor of Philip K. Dick: Contemporary Critical Interpretations (1995) and coauthor of Donald Cammell: A Life on the Wild Side (2006).