Photos: Burton, Waltz, Schwartzman Filming "Big Eyes" in Vancouver

The Vancouver Sun has a gallery of photos featuring director Tim Burton and actors Christoph Waltz and Jason Schwartzman filming Big Eyes on Powell Street in the Gastown neighborhood of Vancouver, British Columbia on July 31st. Actors in 1950's attire and vintage cars adorned the street. Here are just a few of the image, but you can see the full photo gallery here.

Jason Schwartzman on set.

An actor on set as a 1950's journalist.

Christoph Waltz (in green shirt) being mobbed by crowd and press for a scene in Big Eyes.

Tim Burton and Christoph Waltz on set.

First "Big Eyes" Production Photos

Gossip website Just Jared has posted the first batch of (unofficial) images of Tim Burton, Amy Adams, Krysten Ritter, and Christoph Waltz filming Big Eyes in Vancouver, Canada on Thursday, July 11th. You can see the full gallery of photos here.

Danny Huston in Talks for "Big Eyes"

The Hollywood Reporter states that actor Danny Huston is in talks to be in Tim Burton's latest film, Big Eyes. The Golden Globe-nominated actor would play "a burnt-out, heavy-drinking gossip reporter."

Huston has recently appeared in two independent live-action films -- Boxing Day and Two Jacks -- and also provides a voice for Ari Folman's latest animated film, The Congress, which premiered at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

Big Eyes is the true story of the relationship between artist Margaret Keane (who will be played by Amy Adams) and her husband, Walter (played by Christoph Waltz). The drama, with a script by Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander (who previously worked with Burton on Ed Wood), centers on a decades-long dispute between the two after their 1965 divorce over who actually painted the picture. Principal photography on the low-budget film is expected to begin in Vancouver this July.

"Big Eyes" Begins Filming in Vancouver in July

The Province reports that Tim Burton is heading to Vancouver to shoot his next film, Big Eyes, with Christoph Waltz and Amy Adams. The low-budget film (at $20 million) is about the true story of artist Margaret Keane and her husband, Walter, who claimed credit for her popular sad-eyed paintings of little children in the 1960s.

Burton is a collector of Mrs. Keane's paintings, and even once had a specially commissioned painting done by Keane in her style of his former girlfriend, Lisa Marie.

Big Eyes will be filming in Canada for seven weeks starting in July.

Video: "The Art of Frankenweenie" Exhibition Preview

Here's a video providing us with a glimpse of the upcoming global exhibition, "The Art of Frankenweenie." Producer Allison Abbate gives us a preview, which includes some sightings of new characters and new footage from the stop-motion film.

"Frankeweenie" Art Exhibition Touring Worldwide

UPDATE: Click here to see a video preview of the art exhibition.

UPDATE #2: Listed below are the newest details on the global dates for the tour.

A new art exhibition for Frankenweenie will be touring select locations around the world, writes Disney Vault. The exhibition will display actual sets, puppets, and artwork revealing the process of making the hand-crafted stop-motion film.

Here is a list of the museums that will be visited by the exhibition:

Locations:

Barcelona: June 18-21
San Diego (Comic-Con): July 11-15
Mexico City: July 27 - August 7
Toronto: August 23-26
Anaheim (Disneyland Resort): September 14 - November 5
Madrid: September 9 - October 14
London: October 17-21
Paris: October 23 - November 2
Tokyo: December 5-26

Frankenweenie will hit theaters on October 5th, 2012.

"Dark Shadows" Now in Theaters

Dark Shadows, the fifteenth feature film directed by Tim Burton, is now in US theaters. Here are the release dates for other countries:

Belgium 9 May 2012
France 9 May 2012
Australia 10 May 2012
Croatia 10 May 2012
Denmark 10 May 2012
Georgia 10 May 2012
Germany 10 May 2012
Hong Kong 10 May 2012
Hungary 10 May 2012
Malaysia 10 May 2012
Netherlands 10 May 2012
New Zealand 10 May 2012
Philippines 10 May 2012
Portugal 10 May 2012
Russia 10 May 2012
Serbia 10 May 2012
Singapore 10 May 2012
Slovenia 10 May 2012
Canada 11 May 2012
Estonia 11 May 2012
Finland 11 May 2012
Iceland 11 May 2012
Indonesia 11 May 2012
Ireland 11 May 2012
Italy 11 May 2012
Lithuania 11 May 2012
Norway 11 May 2012
Spain 11 May 2012
Sweden 11 May 2012
Taiwan 11 May 2012
UK 11 May 2012
USA 11 May 2012
Vietnam 11 May 2012
Greece 17 May 2012
Kuwait 17 May 2012
Poland 18 May 2012
Romania 18 May 2012
Japan 19 May 2012
Chile 14 June 2012
Turkey 15 June 2012
Argentina 21 June 2012
Brazil 22 June 2012
Colombia 22 June 2012
Mexico 22 June 2012

Video: Tim Burton on "The Hour"

Tim Burton was on "The Hour" with George Stroumboulopoulos on CBC. You can watch the full interview on the official website of the CBC program.

Here are two excerpts, in which Burton discusses his love of monster movies, moving in with his right-wing grandma at age 10, and his return to Frankenweenie:

Interview: Burton on his Art, Personal Films

Reuters had an interview with Tim Burton to discuss his huge art retrospective. The art exhibition will be making its third stop in Toronto International Film Festival's TIFF Bell Lightbox on November 26th, and will remain there until mid-April.

Q: How does it feel to be honored like this?

A: "It's a very strange thing because usually this stuff happens when you're dead. This doesn't usually happen when you're still going, so it is quite an honor and strange because it's stuff I never expected to be up on a wall somewhere."

Q: Some of your original drawings and concepts are featured. What's it like for you to see scraps of paper with a drawing on it or an old letter you wrote on display?

A: "I never really went to museums, so the idea felt like an out of body experience. It didn't feel like me. It's kind of like "Oh, there's my dirty socks hanging on the wall." There's something strange about it. But I felt like I was in very good hands with (MoMA). I felt like they were presenting me in a way that made it more comfortable...cause I'd never thought I'd look at this stuff ever again. It's just strange, which is fine. I don't mind strange feelings."

Q: Going through the exhibit, your characters are somewhat bizarre and scary, but they are beautiful and often vulnerable at the same time. Is that how you view people and the world?

A: "I always liked the mixture of things. I always feel like things are never one thing. Funny and sad, pretty and ugly. Most are always a combination of things, so it's my way of juxtapositioning things that shouldn't necessarily be together. But that's what makes up everybody, really."

Q: When you look back at your own career, what films are you most proud of?

A: "Each one you spend time with so they're all a part of you. Even the ones that weren't successful, they're still a part of you. But there are certain films like 'Edward Scissorhands' that are more personal to me because the themes in that movie were very strong, personal feelings that were being explored when I was a teenager. 'Ed Wood,' the main character from the movie, is a character I kind of related to in terms of delusional qualities. I like 'Sweeney Todd' because he didn't say very much. With every character you try to find something personal in it."

Q: In the exhibit, there are sketches of projects that didn't get made, projects like "Trick or Treat". Will you be revisiting these projects any time in the near future?

A: "Not necessarily. At that time when I was doing those projects I was thrown in a room working on random projects. Some were more developed than others; some were ideas that Disney was thinking about. So a lot of that stuff became like a grey area to me. It's one of the things I like about the way they presented the exhibition because it shows the weird crossover of how things start out more abstractly and how one little sketch might turn into something for a bigger idea. It shows the weird process."

Q: Do you start with an image and develop it into a story?

A: "Often times, yes. I was never a very verbal person so I do a lot of thinking through sketches and doodles or drawings or whatever. I think coming from an animation background you tend to think visually, rather than intellectually."

Q: And how do you find your muse? Do you create a character based on an idea or one based on a particular actor or person?

A: "You try to keep open to things whether it's a person, an animal, a thing, a feeling, the weather. Whatever it is, the key is to always try to be open to see things differently."

Interview: Tim Burton's Art Retrospective Coming to Toronto

The massive Tim Burton art retrospective, which began its highly successful tour at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City last year, will make its third stop at Toronto's TIFF Bell Lightbox. The exhibition will open at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on November 26th, and will remain until April 17th, 2011, when it leaves for Los Angeles.

Us Magazine had an interview with Noah Cowan, the artistic director at the TIFF Bell Lightbox:

Q: First of all, tell Us about this marathon of movies called the “Burton Blitz.” It’s 36 hours, right? Sounds intense.
It starts with “Pee-wee’s Big Adventure” at 6 PM on Friday November 26 and ends around 10 AM on Sunday November 28 with “Alice in Wonderland.” Not even a 10-minute break. I think the end credits is when you pee. Back to back to back. The concessions will be armed with lots of coffee and snacks to keep people going. We have people looking forward to it!

How many people do you expect at the Tim Burton show?
Our projections show about 100,000. But it got 275,000 visitors in Australia. And 700,000 in New York. We’re arming the barricades. Tourists from all over the world come to see it whereever it plays. I’m looking forward to the first day we let the public in. So they see how unique it is.

Why this director?
He speaks to our interest in how films and the visual arts interact. Through his sketches, you really understand him as an artist -- even better than you do watching the films. He’s a great example of a filmmaker whose background in visual arts has allowed him to expand what’s possible in the medium.

How will the show be different than the one that ran in NYC?
We are reorganizing it. MOMA followed the parameters of a drawing and painting show. It showed the development of his craft as a visual artist. But the TIFF Bell Lightbox is a film-based institution, so the principal arc of the show will follow his film career. We have a large side annex that allows you to go deeper into his creative genius. You enter the doors and go to the source of the genius. We’re calling that area “Burbank” because that’s where he was born. You see his creative genius flowing as he grew up in the suburbs of LA. His upbringing was really central to the originality of his art.

We see you’re doing some really fun double bills.
We’re pairing his movies with unexpected influences. Alice in Wonderland is paired with John Waters’ Desperate Living. Another is the 1963 Jason and the Argonauts and Burton’s James and the Giant Peach. It’s been really fun putting it together. Some are more obvious, too – like Nosferatu and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

You’ll have lots of activities and workshops for kids too, right?
Every Saturday while it runs, kids can participate in activities like creating their own Burton-inspired creatures, or dabbling in stop-motion animation. Kids will be able to watch a clip of The Nightmare Before Christmas and create their own Jack -- and their own story. The various floors will all have presentations and exhibitions and areas for kids. We want families to be able to engage in all those activities, see a film retrospective and engage in hands-on youth activities. We suspect this will be really popular around Christmas.

Finally, we hear Tim Burton’s creating something original for your window?
He’s creating a special Christmas monster for us. It’s loosely based on a character from an abandoned project. All we know is it’s going to be a creature and he’ll be devouring Christmas. We’re working with the Tim Burton studio now to see if he’ll keep munching through various holidays.

Tim Burton Retrospective in Toronto: Press Release

The TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto will be the third of four locations to host the massive Tim Burton retrospective, which was first on display at the MoMA and then in the Australian Centre for the Moving Image in Melbourne.

The exhibition will run at TIFF from November 26th, 2010 until April 17th, 2011, when the retrospective will move to the LACMA in Los Angeles. Tickets go on sale October 26th.

Here is the official press release, which describes the vast array of artifacts and artworks which will be on display, as well as the films of Tim Burton and films that have inspired him. For more information, visit the official website of the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Here's a general overview:

Film Programmes
The film retrospective presents Burton’s cinematic oeuvre, from Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985) to Alice in Wonderland (2010). Audiences will have at least two opportunities to see each of the films, and one of the screenings will be double-billed with a film that has influenced, inspired and intrigued Burton as a filmmaker.

Burton Blitz
To celebrate the opening of Tim Burton, Burton’s films will screen back-to-back on the weekend of November 26 to 28 in the ultimate endurance test of unadulterated Burton love. From Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985) to Alice in Wonderland (2010), follow the evolution of one of the most creative visionaries of modern movies in a single marathon event.

Exclusive Engagements
Starting November 25, 2010, an exclusive engagement of Burton’s defining film, Edward Scissorhands (1990) will be presented, followed by a holiday engagement of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Exclusive engagements will run for at least one week.

Double Bills
Burton’s 14 feature films as director plus two as producer will have a double bill screening with a film that has influenced, inspired and intrigued him as a filmmaker. All films are directed by Tim Burton unless otherwise noted.

* Alice in Wonderland (2010) followed by Desperate Living (John Waters, 1977)
* The Man Who Laughs (Paul Leni,1928) followed by Batman (1989)
* 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Richard Fleischer, 1954) followed by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
* Ed Wood (1994) followed by Bride of the Monster (Edward D. Wood Jr., 1955)
* Marty (Delbert Mann, 1955) followed by Edward Scissorhands (1990)
* Gojira (Ishiro Honda, 1954) followed by Mars Attacks! (1996)
* Nosferatu (F.W. Murnau, 1922) followed by The Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick, 1993)
* First Men in the Moon (Nathan Juran, 1964) followed by Planet of the Apes (2001)
* Horror of Dracula (Terence Fisher, 1958) followed by Sleepy Hollow (1999)
* Artists and Models (Frank Tashlin, 1955) followed by Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985)
* Jason and the Argonauts (Don Chaffey, 1963) followed by James and the Giant Peach (Henry Selick, 1996)
* Repulsion (Roman Polanski, 1965) followed by Batman Returns (1992)
* Theatre of Blood (Douglas Hickox,1973) followed by Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
* The Lost World (Harry O. Hoyt, 1925) followed by Corpse Bride (with Mike Johnson, 2005)
* The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1947) followed by Big Fish (2003)
* 8 1/2 (Federico Fellini, 1963) followed by Beetlejuice (1988)

Weekend Family Activities
Celebrating the imaginative and creative works of Tim Burton, TIFF will host a wide variety of Burton-themed drop-in and registered workshops. Starting November 27, every Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm, parents and children can drop by to participate in the following free activities. Age recommendation: 8 and up

Crafty Characters – Create your own Burton-inspired creatures and characters from quirky parts, pieces and craft supplies.
Animation Station – Design and bring to life a favourite toy or creature through the magic of stop-motion animation.
Be in the Scene – Through the wonder of green screen technology, immerse yourself in the stunning sets of Tim Burton’s films.

Registered Workshops – Age recommendation: 12 and up

December 4 and 5
Tall Tales – Work with a professional screenwriter to develop your simple script idea into a magical masterpiece.

December 11 and 12
Micro Set Construction – Learn to build small sets (stop-motion appropriate) in the style of Tim Burton.

December 26 to 30
3 Days to Make a Movie (Live Action) and 3 Days to Make a Movie (Stop Motion) – Participants will work as a team to script, storyboard, set design, prop design, costume/craft, edit and screen a short film in 3 days of fun, fantastical filmmaking.

January 8 and 9
Quirks & Chords – Learn how to enchant a listener by exploring and emulating the musical stylings of Burton's longtime musical collaborator Danny Elfman.

Burton Retrospective at LACMA in May 2011

The massive Tim Burton art retrospective will be coming to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, reports the Los Angeles Times.

The huge exhibition began in late 2009 at MoMA, and is currently in Melbourne. It will then move on to Toronto's Bell Light Box before coming to LACMA. The exhibition will be at LACMA from May 29th until October 31st, 2011.

Seaweed Named After Burton

(CBC)

Tim Burton has left his name in film, animation, and modern art. Now, thanks to a Canadian researcher, he can count his name as a (small) contribution to biology.

When Bridgette Clarkson, a University of New Brunswick researcher, identified a "new" species of aquatic plant, she decided to name it after someone who inspired her. She gave the newly-discovered seaweed the official name Euthora timburtoni.

"I decided to name this new species in honour of film director Tim Burton because I grew up watching and loving his films, and I think they had an influence on my imagination," Clarkston said.

"And so when I'm scuba diving in British Columbia and I see this new species and I was collecting it, to me it looked like some kind of strange underwater flower and it always makes me think of Nightmare Before Christmas when I see it, so I thought, why not?"


(Francois Mori/Associated Press)

Burton Retrospective Leaves MoMA, Heads to Melbourne

Yesterday, the massive retrospective "Tim Burton" ended its five-month run at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

During the run of the show, which opened on November 22th, 2009, and closed on Monday, 810,500 visitors came to see an enormous range of artifacts, from movie props and conceptual illustrations to paintings and sculptures from the filmmaker's personal archives to rare films that Burton made as a teenager.

Burton's retrospective was the third most successful of its kind in the history of the MoMA. Pablo Picasso, whose 1980 retrospective at MoMA remains the museum's most popular to this day(with 976,800 visitors), and Henri Matisse, whose 1992 retrospective is still the runner-up (with 940,000).

For those of you who missed it in the United States, the Tim Burton exhibition will be at the Australian Center for the Moving Image in Melbourne from June 24th through October 10th, and at the Bell Lightbox in Toronto from November 26th through April 17th, 2011.


Photo Credit: Marilyn K. Yee/The New York Times.

MoMA Exhibition Coming to Canada in Nov. 2010

Good news for Tim Burton fans in Canada: Forbes has stated that the Tim Burton MoMA exhibition will be coming to the Bell Lightbox in Toronto, Canada, from November 22nd, 2010 to April 27th, 2011.