VIDEO: Tim Burton Receives BAF Award

Check out this recently uploaded video of Tim Burton receiving the 2013 BAF award from the Bradford Animation Festival.

"Frankenweenie" Awards and Nominations, Part One

Although it wasn't a box office smash, Frankenweenie has been a big hit with critics. It has been the best reviewed animated film of 2012, and has earned many nominations and wins already.

This morning, the film was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Animated Film. The awards ceremony will be broadcast on NBC at 8pm ET / 5pm PT.

Frankenweenie has already won acclaim among some major critics circles. The film was recognized as the best animated film of 2012 by both the New York Film Critics Circle and the Los Angeles Film Critics.

The animation world has also celebrated Frankenweenie. The film has received five Annie Awards nominations:

-Best Animated Feature
-Production Design in an Animated Feature Production: Rick Heinrichs
-Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production: Atticus Shaffer as "Edgar"
-Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production: Catherine O'Hara as "Weird Girl"
-Writing in an Animated Feature Production: John August


We will keep you posted on more developments soon!

Video: Burton Receives Empire Legend Award

Tim Burton was the recipient of the Empire Legend Award at the 2012 Jameson Empire Awards. Danny DeVito presented the award to the filmmaker, and opens by talking about his fond memories and hilarious anecdotes of collaborating with Burton on three films: Batman Returns (1992), Mars Attacks! (1996), and Big Fish (2003). Here is the video for DeVito's opening and Burton's acceptance speech.

"Alice" Nominated for 3 MTV Movie Awards

The nominees for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards have been announced. Alice in Wonderland and its cast are up for three categories: Best Villain (Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen), Global Superstar (Johnny Depp), and Best Movie. Click here to vote today! Winners will be announced in the live telecast on Sunday, June 6th, at 9pm eastern and pacific time, 8pm central time.

French Honor Tim Burton

Director Tim Burton went to Paris this Monday to be inducted into France's National Order of Arts and Letters alongside Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard.

France's Cultural Minister Frederic Mitterand named Burton an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters and Cotillard a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters at the ceremony held at the Cultural Ministry.

Burton called the award "one of the biggest honors I've ever received."

"From the beginning of my career, I always felt a very special place in my heart (for) France," he told the crowd of journalists and fans. "Because whether or not you liked the movies, I always felt that the French were looking for the poetry, looking for the meaning, looking for the things I was trying to do.

"France has such a special place in my heart and I feel much more at home here than I do in my own country, and I always have," he said, adding: "I thank you very much."

Burton will head back to France in May to serve as jury president at this year's Festival de Cannes. Cotillard thanked Burton. She said that Burton "in a way opened the doors to American cinema to me," thanks to her role in his 2003 film, Big Fish, "and has always been my idol," she said.

Burton's latest film, Alice in Wonderland, will have its French premiere on Monday, before hitting Gallic screens on March 24th.





All photos: AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere

Tim Burton's Japanese Horror Film

Tim Burton was awarded the Winsor McCay Award on Saturday, February 6th, 2010 at the 37th Annual Annie Awards ceremony. Jeffrey Katzenberg and Bruce Timm were also recipients of the prestigious award, which is given to those who have made an impact on the art and industry of animation. (Click here for a full list of past recipients.)

Burton was unable to attend the awards ceremony, so instead, he made a short film as his acceptance speech in the style of a Japanese horror film. Click here to view the J-horror parody:

Burton to Receive Winsor McCay Award

Animation Magazine reports that ASIFA-Hollywood will present three individuals with the 2009 Winsor McCay Award for career achievement in animation: Tim Burton, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Bruce Timm.

The awards will be given on February 6th, 2010 at the 37th annual Annie Awards ceremony at UCLA's Royce Hall.


Winsor McCay, to whom the world of animation owes so much.

The Winsor McCay Award was named after the extremely influential animator and comic artist, who is perhaps best known for Little Nemo (1911) and Gertie the Dinosaur (1914), among numerous other ground-breaking and dazzling animated films.

Bonham Carter Wins Award, Burton Discusses "Alice"

The 2009 Jameson Empire Awards show was hosted this past Sunday in London's Grosvenor House. Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter attended.

Their film Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was nominated for five awards: Best Horror, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Soundtrack. The musical-thriller didn't take most of its potential awards home (including Johnny Depp's nomination for Best Actor), except for Helena Bonham Carter, who was honored for her portrayal as Mrs. Lovett.


Here is Bonham Carter's acceptance speech (watch the video of her speech in this link):

"Thanks so much. This is a real compliment, I'm very chuffed. I did work actually incredibly hard for that role, but I loved every bit of it, and it was so many dreams come true. Because I always wanted to be in a musical, to sing, to be in something written by Steven Sondheim - he's a genius - and I always wanted a baby girl. I actually got all that, thanks to Tim Burton. And I know he always wanted to be Best Actress, so this is as much his as mine. Thank you!"



At the show, the actress mentioned how she would love to do more musicals in the future: "I'd love to do it but no-one's asked, I would be really up for it though."

She also talked about the singing abilities of her co-star, Johnny Depp, versus her own skills: "To be absolutely honest, people are born to sing, I wasn't born to sing but I could just do it and I only did it after about six months of training. If I'd known I was going to play that part I should have started training years ago, it's a muscle that needs to be exercised."

She added: "I would love to do more, given the chance, and I loved every second of doing it."

And she continued to say how thankful she has been to be a part of Tim Burton's world. "I feel really lucky to still feature in Tim's imagination. I know I've borne his illegitimate children and we're very happily together but it's really fantastic that I still seem to occur in his imagination," she said.

Helena Bonham Carter will be playing the role of the Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland.

Michael Sheen and Helena Bonham Carter

While on the subject, Burton talked a bit about Alice in Wonderland:

"Way down the rabbit hole" was Burton's status report. "There's a long way to go."

Empire asked Burton how much CGI would be involved in the film: "I'm not quite sure yet - doing a big budget movie is an organic process and gives the opportunity to experiment. It’s something that was presented to me and I’d never seen really a movie version of [the story] that I like, so I thought I’d just give it a shot."



The director also gave his feelings about working with 3D: "I like the 3-D aspect of it, I think it fits the material very well, and it doesn’t give me a headache like it used to."

"I think it’s good for anything. There are other uses than having spears stuck into your face - I think there are more visceral, emotional uses, especially if you use lots of textures."


Michael Sheen, who will be in Alice in Wonderland, also attended the awards show. The British actor presented Helena Bonham Carter her award.



You can see more photos from the celebration in this link:

Michael Sheen with Gerard Butler


Tim Burton with fellow director Paul Greengrass (The Bourne Ultimatum, United 93)



Photo credits: Gareth Gay, Jeff Spicer / Alpha

Scream 2008 Recap

Spike TV's third annual Scream Awards took place this past Saturday in Los Angeles and were broadcast on TV on Tuesday.

At the 2008 event, Tim Burton was honored with the Scream Immortal Award, for his "unique interpretation of horror and fantasy."

Burton made a grand appearance to receive his award, complete with appropriate theme music. See a video of his entrance here.

Surprisingly, Winona Ryder, who played key roles in both Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, presented the filmmaker with his award.

Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was also honored. The film won two awards: Best Horror Movie and Best Actor in a Horror Movie or TV Show, thanks to Johnny Depp's hypnotic performance as the murderous barber.

Winona Ryder gives the Scream Immortal award to Tim Burton

All photos (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Tim Burton on "Alice in Wonderland," "Dark Shadows," and More!

Tim Burton took some time from shooting Alice in Wonderland to chat on the phone with Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times. In the detailed and lengthy interview, Burton talks about Alice in Wonderland, the possibility of making a cinematic version of Dark Shadows, Johnny Depp, the latest addition to the "Batman" series, The Dark Knight, his upcoming Spike TV award, and much more.

Here is much of the interview (you can read the full article in its original context here):

I got Tim Burton on the phone the other day while he was on the set of Alice in Wonderland and I had to admit right off the bat that I was surprised that, with the filming just underway, he was taking the time to chat. "Yeah, well, me too," he said in his droll deadpan, and I wasn't sure whether to laugh or apologize and hang up. Then he let me off the hook. "Actually," he said in a sunnier voice, "we're just about to get going so we'll see how things go. Good, I hope."

I'm guessing things will go quite well for the 50-year-old filmmaker, who seems like the ideal auteur to bring Lewis Carroll's surreal 1865 classic "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" to the screen for a 21st century audience.

Young Aussie Mia Wasikowska will be Burton's Alice, while Johnny Depp is the inspired choice to play the Mad Hatter.

I told Burton that it seems as if Depp (who has other upcoming roles as an Old West hero, a pirate and a vampire) approaches his acting choices the same way a gleeful kid rummages through a trunk of dress-up clothes. The filmmaker let out a loud laugh. "It's true. Yeah we have a big dress-up clothes trunk here. We take it with us wherever we go."

More on a Depp and "Alice" in a moment, but first: This Saturday night Burton will be at the Scream 2008 Awards at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, an event that in just its third year has become a signature event in sci-fi, comics, fantasy and, yes, horror, which was is its original mandate but is now just part of its genre cocktail. Burton is getting something called the Immortal Award and the Scream people boldly say that Burton has "contributed more to the genres of fantasy, sci-fi and horror than any other filmmaker of his generation," and there's certainly an argument to made that they are completely right. Burton's film visuals -- a sort of cemetery cabaret ethos -- have put him on an short list (Alfred Hitchcock, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino and Woody Allen spring to mind) of filmmakers who have such distinctive on-screen traits that they become evocative brand names to even casual filmgoers.

Burton will be making quite the dramatic entrance on Saturday (which you can see yourself when the show airs on Spike TV on Oct. 21) but he has a reputation as a fairly shy fellow. I asked him if he was looking forward to the trophy night or dreading it.

"I haven't been to the event but I've seen a bit on TV and it looks quite fun, you know, which in itself is different from most of these kind of shows. It looks like a nice big Halloween party, which is always good. It seems like all the type of people that nobody liked in school all getting together for a nice big party. A prom for the kids that didn't go to prom."

I told Burton that, for the night, the venue should change its sign to read 'The Geek Theatre' and he laughed again. "That's very good! I like that. I can't use, that, I can't take credit for that." He said he had a better way to sum up the geek and Goth crowd that will attend: "We're all the people on the yearbook pages devoted to "the most likely to disappear before the semester ends and no one will notice..."

Burton was making "Batman" films when the cape genre was still viewed as a campy ghetto by serious Hollywood creators, so it must be interesting for him to watch the fringe entertainment move so squarely to the center of mainstream film and to finally do so with respectable reviews. "It is a different time now, yes. It's strange to me. At the time back in school when everybody tortured you, it didn't seem quite the same. It wasn't fashionable then. It didn't seem viable and vibrant and accepted at the time. But sometimes those things take a while."

With "Alice in Wonderland," the defining pop-culture version of the story for modern American audiences is the 1954 Disney animated adaptation with its little blond Alice in her blue dress with white pinafore. That film was met with acidic reviews by the literary world (especially in England) for its bland and blunted vision of the Carroll classic. Burton is not a fan of the film, either, and, as with "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," it appears his mission is to reclaim a children's classic, resharpen its edges and remind everyone that sapping the weirdness out of a tale often renders it flat and forgettable.

"It's a funny project. The story is obviously a classic with iconic images and ideas and thoughts. But with all the movie versions, well, I've just never seen one that really had any impact to me. It's always just a series of weird events. Every character is strange and she's just kind of wandering through all of the encounters as just a sort of observer. The goal is to try to make it an engaging movie where you get some of the psychology and kind of bring a freshness but also keep the classic nature of 'Alice.' And, you know, getting to do it in 3-D fits the material quite well. So I'm excited about making it a new version but also have the elements that people expect when they think of the material."

I told Burton he's right, the Disney movie is a meandering tour of a funhouse without any gripping story arc. "Yeah, I know, it's just, 'Oh, this character's weird' and 'Oh, that character's weird.' I can't really recall a version where I felt really engaged by it. So that's the goal, just to try to give it a gravity that most film versions haven't had."

How easy was it to persuade Depp to conjure up yet another enigmatic oddball? "He loves doing that. That's never a problem. He doesn't like to be the same way twice. That's good, it always keeps it fresh and all. And he likes the material we have here and he gets it. It's nice to have people involved that are fans of the material and all."

Is there a plan yet on Dark Shadows, based on the vampire soap opera, also set to star Depp? "Oh I don't know. Take one at time, you know? It's something I'm interested in of course. Definitely. But I'm going to start shooting this one first!"

I asked Burton if it's more than a coincidence that over the past decade his live-action films have often revisited and reimagined existing works, be they literature (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), musicals (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street), movies (Planet of the Apes) or television shows (Dark Shadows).

"Hmm. That's interesting. I don't know. I think we're all a product of our upbringing, you know, in a sense. I wasn't a very literary person. I loved movies. What you grow up with is what influences you. Whether you were a reader and there's a lot of books that you sort of want to translate to film or if it's other things that took in. I was definitely of a generation where the things I grew up watching still have impact on me. There's something about exercising that aspect of your personality or working with something that's meant a lot to you. It's just another way of processing ideas and all. So it's not really a conscious decision. I don't open up old 'TV Guides' and sit there and think, 'Hmmmm, 'Sanford & Son', that's the the movie I want to do. I watched that when I was a child...' "

Burton said he is ramping up his bravery for the Saturday night event with its hot spotlight and crowd. "I don't do it very often so it's not something I'm very used to. I'm not comfortable in big public situations, but at the same time it's a very nice thing. It's a very nice thing to do. But while it is nice, it's not the thing you think about a lot. For me, it's the people that come up to you on the streets, the people that say something to you in person, something nice and thoughtful, that's so much more interesting than connecting with a sort of staged event. you know? The types of people you grew up with, the people that enjoy certain kinds of movies, there's a connection with people like that. I certainly feel that. I mean, when someone comes up to me on the street and they have one of my drawings as a tattoo on their body, a real tattoo... I mean, that's pretty amazing. That's happened to me a few times."

Then there was a question I had to ask: What did Burton think of The Dark Knight? After a bit of fumbling around for words, Burton said: "I haven't seen it yet. I'm just, you know, busy. I do want to see it. I've heard it's very good. And I'm sure it is very good. Mostly everybody that I know that has seen it has said that it's very good and I take their word for it."

I thought it would be good to change the subject. There was a recent anniversary DVD of Beetlejuice, so I asked Burton how he frames that film in his mind when he looks back on it as both a career and creative moment.

"With that movie, I just remember that back then it was the second film I did and I felt very strange making it because everyone was thinking, 'This movie really has no story and it doesn't move along like a Hollywood movie.' It just felt very funny and strange having the opportunity to make that. I just remember that feeling every day: 'Wow, they're letting me make this, which is really weird.' And it continues to this day, that dynamic. It's still weird."

Seemed like a good place to stop. I thanked for Burton for his time and mentioned that I'm hoping to visit the Alice set soon. "That's great, I'll see you out here! I'll be on the green screen. Just look for a load of green. Take care."

-- Geoff Boucher

CREDITS:

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton in a November 2007 photograph by Liz O. Baylen/Los Angeles Times.

Illustration by John Tenniel from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland."

Michael Keaton as Batman from the 1989 Tim Burton film, image courtesy of Warner Bros.

Tim Burton in 2006 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, photographed by Ricardo DeAratanha\Los Angeles Times.

Tim Burton in 2006 at the Hollwyood Wax museum, with a waxen Johnny Depp in the background, photographed by Ricardo DeAratanha\Los Angeles Times

Photo of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton on the set of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" by Peter Mountain/Dreamworks-Warner Bros.

image from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" courtesy of Disney

Burton To Be Honored at "Scream 2008"

Filmmakers Tim Burton and Wes Craven will be honored with awards for their contributions to the horror, fantasy, science-fiction, and comic book genres by Spike TV during "Scream 2008."

The third annual televised event will be broadcast on October 21st at 9/8c on Spike TV.

Fans can vote for this year's other awards at scream.spike.com. Click that link to participate for free!

Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street has been nominated in the following categories:

Best Horror Movie
Best Actor in a Horror Movie or TV Show - Johnny Depp
Best Actress in a Horror Movie or TV Show - Helena Bonham Carter
Best Villain - Alan Rickman
Best Director - Tim Burton


Voting ends on Friday, October 17th.

Vote today, and stay tuned for the televised event!

"Sweeney Todd" Wins Two Saturn Awards

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street took home two Saturn awards on Tuesday, June 24th.  The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Horror Films honored Tim Burton's musical thriller with the awards for Best Horror Film and Best Costumes, recognizing Colleen Atwood's work on the film.

The film was also nominated for Best Direction (Tim Burton), Best Actor (Johnny Depp), Best Actress (Helena Bonham Carter), Best Supporting Actor (Alan Rickman), Best Writing (John Logan), and Best Make-Up (Peter Owen and Ivana Primorac).  

Frequent Burton collaborator Ve Neill (Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and make-up and hair stylist for Johnny Depp on Sweeney Todd, among other Burton films) was awarded with a Saturn award for her work on Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.  She shared the prize with Martin Samuel.

For a full list of the winners, click here.

Amsterdam to Honor Tim Burton

Tim Burton will receive a career achievement award at this year's 24th annual Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival.

Director of the film festival director Phil van Tongeren is delighted to welcome Burton. "I consider him as one of the most remarkable, recognizable and innovative directors of our time," he said. During his stay in Amsterdam, Burton will give a public interview on his career and a selection of his films will be presented (which ones have not been officially announced yet).

The AFFF starts on April 9th and ends on April 20th.

Read more about the festival and previous honorees in this link.

2008 Oscars Results

The winners from the 80th Annual Academy Awards have all been announced. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was nominated for three awards, and won one Oscar for Best Achievement in Art Direction. Italian production designer Dante Ferretti and his wife, Francesca Lo Schiavo, who was the set designer on the horror-musical, each won an award.

Here are the acceptance speeches by the pair (and more information on their nomination history in this link):

Dante Ferretti:
Thank you to the Academy. And thank you to Tim Burton, fantastic director. Thank you to Richard Zanuck. Thank you to everybody, thank you to my team, all the department, everyone. Thank you, Johnny. And I'm sorry, i forgot something, but I'm very -- thank you anyway.

Francesca Lo Schiavo:
Just i would like to say, this time, thank you, thank you to the Academy. I'm so happy, so grateful. And thank you to Tim Burton. Great director. Johnny Depp and all the actors, Everybody, for this fantastic movie.

Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo hold their Oscars
for their work on the art direction in Sweeney Todd (OSCAR.com)

You can watch a "Thank You Cam" video of the two on the official Oscars website.

Colleen Atwood's costume designs for Sweeney Todd were also nominated, but ultimately lost to Alexandra Byrne's costumes used in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Johnny Depp was also nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role. However, Daniel Day Lewis, who was predicted as the front runner for the award, received the Oscar for his performance in There Will Be Blood. Previous Burton collaborator Marion Cotillard (who played Josephine in Big Fish) won Best Actress for her performance as Edith Piaf in La Vie en Rose (a.ka. La Mome). Neither Tim Burton nor Helena Bonham Carter were present at the awards ceremony. It is likely that they were with their children in London at the time.

Although the famed costume designer did not take home an Academy Award this year, Oscars.com did have a special treat from Colleen Atwood. Atwood filled out a questionnaire. See her personal answers and stories, in her handwriting (click on the image for a closer view):





Information on the other winners and nominees can be read in this link.

Eight Saturn Award Nominations for "Sweeney Todd"

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films has given a lot of attention to Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The non-profit organization, now celebrating its 34th Annual Awards season, has nominated the musical thriller for eight Saturn Awards:

-Best Horror Film
-Best Actor (Johnny Depp)
-Best Actress (Helena Bonham Carter)
-Best Supporting Actor (Alan Rickman)
-Best Direction (Tim Burton)
-Best Writing (John Logan)
-Best Costume (Colleen Atwood)
-Best Make-Up (Peter Owen and Ivana Primorac)


You can read the complete list of this year's nominees and read more about the organization on this link.

This year's show will take place on Tuesday, June 24th, 2008, in Universal City, California.

Atwood's "Todd" Costumes Win Award

Last night, the winners of the 10th annual Costume Designers Guild Awards were announced. Among the recipients was Colleen Atwood, who won a best costume award for the period piece category for her work on Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Atwood and Todd are also up for an Academy Award for costume designs.

"Sweeney Todd" Honored for Editing

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street was honored with the award for Best Editing (Comedy or Musical) at the 58th annual ACE Eddie Awards. Editor Chris Lebenzon received the award for his work on Burton's horror-musical.

Lebenzon first worked with Tim Burton on Batman Returns in 1992. Since then, he has held the position of editor on all of Burton's film, from Ed Wood to Corpse Bride, as well as consulting editor on The Nightmare Before Christmas. Lebenzon is likely going to be editor for Burton's two upcoming feature films: Frankenweenie (2009) and Alice in Wonderland (2010).

Lebenzon was last nominated for an Eddie Award for his work on Burton's Charlie in the Chocolate Factory.

Read more about the winners and nominees of the Eddie Awards (in film and television alike) in this link.

BAFTAs Results

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street managed to receive two BAFTA nominations this year, but ultimately failed to win. The biography La Mome beat out Todd in both Best Costume Design (Colleen Atwood was nominated) and Best Makeup/Hair.

You can read more on the BAFTAs results here.

BAFTA Nominees Announced

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street has been nominated for two BAFTA awards: Best Make Up & Hair (Ivana Primorac and Peter Owen), and Best Costume Design (Colleen Atwood). The results from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts will be announced on February 10th, 2008.

Johnny Depp Tastes Like Frogs' Legs

At the Tokyo, Japan premiere of his latest movie, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Johnny Depp was asked to consider what he would taste like if he was a real life cannibal. Depp's answer: "Frogs' legs," and adding he would taste a little bitter. "I would suggest deep frying," the actor said with amusement. Director Tim Burton pondered his answer for a while before coming to the conclusion of chicken, but producer Richard D. Zanuck did not hesitate with his response: "Shark!" the producer exclaimed enthusiastically, laughing. The trio said this at a press conference in front of 600 media. More than 6,000 fans were at the premiere.

Three very enthusiastic Japanese fans. (AP)

Depp and Burton were also asked about what they thought of the Golden Globes Awards ceremony being cancelled this year, due to a writers' strike.

"I'm just torn into pieces about it. I feel really disappointed," he said, grinning, while Burton added: "I'm just happy. I don't have to make a trip to Los Angeles. That's all I feel."

Sweeney Todd was nominated for Best Picture (musical or comedy), Johnny Depp for Best Actor, Helena Bonham Carter for Best Actress, and Tim Burton for Best Director.

Sweeney Todd's Tokyo premiere took place on Wednesday, January 9th, 2008. The film will be released throughout Japan on January 19th, 2008.

Tim Burton and Johnny Depp at the Tokyo premiere.
(AP/Katsumi Kasahara)


(AP/Katsumi Kasahara)