"Alice": Behind-the-Scenes Image Galleries and Video

Times Online released their second series of exclusive Alice in Wonderland behind-the-scenes material.

Click here to see a short video with footage from the movie and input from Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, producer Suzanne Todd and senior visual effects supervisor Ken Ralston.

UPDATE: The video is now on YouTube:





Also from Times Online are these images that demonstrate the evolution of a few of the many wild characters of Underland, from sketches and illustrations by Tim Burton and Michael Kutsche to their final rendered, costumed, and realized forms. (Captions in quotes are directly from the Times Online galleries. Potential spoilers have been omitted in this article. Go to the original galleries to learn more about the characters, their relationships, and the storyline of the film.):


"The first animated character Alice encounters is the White Rabbit. Here, a storyboard sketch is done as the first step in creating the scene in the film."



"The artists at Imageworks create a low-resolution version of the CG character and place it in the CG environment - low-res allows the animators speed and flexibility while working on the scene."



"Once the character animation is completed, a high-res version of White Rabbit’s performance is checked on a more detailed model called a pit render."


"The performance approved, the Rabbit gets his fur and clothing. There are complex programs designed to make hair, fur and fabric move and behave as realistically as possible."


"This scene shot shows the final product, with all of the high-resolution elements including a furry and clothed Rabbit, his computer-generated surroundings, the matte painting background, the effects of moving leaves - all lit and textured. Elements are combined by a compositor."


"Here is the White Rabbit as illustrated by Michael Kutsche."


"Knave of Hearts sketch by Tim Burton."


"Knave of Hearts illustration by Michael Kutsche."


"The final product: Ilosovic Stayne, The Knave of Hearts, in the film," played by Crispin Glover.


"Red Queen sketch by Tim Burton."



"The final product: Helena Bonham Carter is the tyrannical monarch of Underland. With her oversized head, fiery temper and propensity to scream for people’s heads to be chopped off, she rules her subjects through fear."


"The iconic shot of Alice’s first meeting with the Cheshire Cat, who’s grinning at her from his tree limb, begins with what’s similar to a storyboard sketch, using an assemblage of low-resolution character stills."


"The scene moves to animation, where the character is dropped into a low-resolution environment: the images are kept low-res to allow Imageworks’ animators to create the Cat’s performance without having a lot of data to manipulate."


"The biggest challenge is to create a realistic cat that can generate the trademark exaggerated grin. Here, the all-important hair has been added, ensuring it behaves as it should, where it should be, with the Cat now curled on his limb."


"Here, final lighting is added, along with a full-resolution environment behind the Cat, including the flora and atmosphere added for visual effect."


All images are courtesy of Disney Enterprises.

Exclusive "Wonderland" TV Spots Coming Jan. 31st

Starting January 31st, several TV networks in the US will be showing some brand-new, exclusive footage of Alice in Wonderland. The promos will air for one week, and will be about 60 seconds long each. Here's a promo for the promos:



The final spot will appear during Super Bowl XLIV on Feburary 7th, which begins at 6 PM ET. According to Disney, the spot, entitled "Tick and Tock," will include "intense imagery and a few surprises".

"We wanted to kick off our television campaign for 'Alice in Wonderland' in a big way," says David Singh, executive vice president of worldwide marketing for Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. "With Tim Burton at the helm and a cast that includes Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter and rising star Mia Wasikowska, the film already has a passionate following. Fans are eager to step into the incredible 3D Wonderland that Burton has created and get a glimpse at what he's done with these brilliant characters, and we're ready to give it to them."

Here is a full schedule of the appearance of the rest of the spots:


ABC

* Desperate Housewives, Jan. 31, 9/8c
* The Bachelor, Feb. 1, 8/7c

ESPN

* 2010 NFL Pro Bowl, Jan. 31, 7:20ET
* NBA Nuggets/Lakers game, Feb. 5, 10:30ET

ABC Family

* Greek, Feb. 1, 10/9c
* The Parent Trap, Feb. 6, 8/7c

"Alice in Wonderland" US and UK Premieres Announced

From Johnny Depp News:

London (UK) Premiere Wednesday 24th or Thursday 25th February (TBC) Location: Odeon Leicester Square, London (TBC) Crowds Arrival: 12:00 noon Onwards Red Carpet Arrivals: 5:30pm Guests: Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Anne Hathaway, Stephen Fry, Christopher Lee, Michael Sheen, Alan Rickman, Matt Lucas, Timothy Spall, Barbara Windsor, Paul Whitehouse and many many More.

Los Angeles (USA) Premiere February (TBC) Location: Pacific's El Capitan, 6838 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood Crowds Arrival: 2:00pm Red Carpet Arrivals: 5:30pm to 6:30pm Guests: Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, Mia Wasikowska, Helena Bonham Carter and many many More.

Hear "Almost Alice" 3OH!3 Song

Go to 3OH!3's official MySpace, and hear their song for the Almost Alice album, "Follow Me Down":

3OH!3's MySpace

Almost Alice will be released on March 2nd.



The album cover art for Almost Alice.

"Dark Shadows" on Track for 2011

The official "Dark Shadows" newsletter had this to report:

The "Dark Shadows" feature film finally is heading toward production later this year. It will star longtime DS fan Johnny Depp as "Barnabas." Director Tim Burton has completed the extended post-production of his most recent collaboration with Johnny, Disney's live-action/animated movie adaptation of "Alice In Wonderland." Johnny is starting to film "The Tourist" with Angelina Jolie. Variety 11-6: "Depp would play an American tourist drawn into a web of intrigue by a female Interpol agent (Jolie) who is attempting to locate a criminal who was once her lover." In the meantime, the DS script is being worked on and plans are on target for an expected 2011 release.

Tim Burton to Lead Cannes Jury

Tim Burton will be heading the nine-member jury of the prestigious international Cannes Film Festival. The filmmaker said that it will be a "great honor."

"After spending my early life watching triple features and 48-hour horror movie marathons, I'm finally ready for this. When you think of Cannes you think of world cinema. And as films have always been like dreams to me, this is a dream come true," Burton said in a statement in Paris today. The names of the other eight members of the Cannes jury will be announced in April.

"He's a magician," said Festival president Gilles Jacob of Burton. "We hope his sweet madness and gothic humour will pervade the Croisette," the celebrated seaside boulevard of Cannes, he added.

Some 20-odd films from all over the world will be seeking the coveted Palm d'Or at the 63rd annual Cannes Film Festival this year, which will be held from May 12th to 23rd.

Burton and Wasikowska on "Alice" Set

A new photograph of Tim Burton and Mia Wasikowska on the set of Alice in Wonderland has emerged.

Post-production has recently ended, and the film is finally completed. Alice in Wonderland will be released in theaters on Friday, March 5th, 2010.

Wahlberg on "Planet of the Apes"

Mark Wahlberg, who starred as Captain Leo Davidson in Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes, recently explained why he was in the movie. Wahlberg said he chose the role so he could "grow" and just to work with director Burton.

"I didn't necessarily think 'Planet of the Apes' would be the best movie to remake, but I wanted to work with Tim Burton," said Wahlberg. "At that point I was choosing roles that allowed me to grow, to learn from great artists."

Originally a musician and a model, Wahlberg was not taken seriously for his film roles. Now, as an Oscar-nominated actor, Wahlberg has now been appreciated more for his performances. But even early on, the actor was entirely committed to his roles, such as the one in Planet of the Apes.

"I was committed 110 per cent," Wahlberg said. "It was like, 'Oh I'll just try this'. I was obsessed with acting, making movies, studying film 24 hours a day."

Twentieth Century Fox had expressed interest in revamping their Planet of the Apes franchise. However, the new film, which was supposed to be a prequel, was recently shelved. Neither Burton nor Wahlberg are were attached to the project.

UPDATE: New York Magazine reports that the reboot of the Planet of the Apes franchise is actually in development, but neither Burton nor Wahlberg are attached.

New "Wonderland" Images

Courtesy of bscreview.com and Yahoo.com, some officially released Alice in Wonderland images:

Short Video Interview: Depp on Mad Hatter

Times Online has a brief, exclusive video interview with Johnny Depp. He discusses the various moods of the character and playing such an eccentric role.

UPDATE: Video now on YouTube:

Burton to Make Twisted "Sleeping Beauty"?

Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News had this to say:

"I was chatting to a fella I know tonight, and this person heard that Tim Burton is developing another classic Disney fairy tale in a quasi Live Actiony kinda way. It seems that Tim has a hankering for SLEEPING BEAUTY... but not really... You see, he's going to tell the story from Maleficent's point of view. In fact, it'll be called MALEFICENT."

However, this is all of the information that currently exists, and at this point it may only be a rumor.

"Dark Shadows" Remains in Dark

For several months, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp have been attached to a feature-length adaptation of the TV drama series Dark Shadows. But producer Graham King says we may need to wait a little longer. According to CHUD, King said that they're still waiting for a script. King didn't say much else, but it's possible that matters concerning Dark Shadows will become clear once Alice in Wonderland is completed.

Elfman's "Wonderland" Soundtrack

Danny Elfman's soundtrack for Alice in Wonderland is now available to pre-order at Amazon.com. This album will only feature the score from the film, and not the songs on the Almost Alice CD.

The original motion picture soundtrack and Almost Alice will both be available on Tuesday, March 2nd.

"Almost Alice" Album Due March 2

Disney will be releasing a soundtrack for Alice in Wonderland on March 2nd, entitled Almost Alice.

Here's the full tracklist for Almost Alice:

1. “Alice (Underground)” performed by Avril Lavigne
2. “The Poison” performed by The All-American Rejects
3. “The Technicolor Phase” performed by Owl City
4. “Her Name Is Alice” performed by Shinedown
5. “Painting Flowers” performed by All Time Low
6. “Where’s My Angel” performed by Metro Station
7. “Strange” performed by Tokio Hotel and Kerli
8. “Follow Me Down” performed by 3OH!3 featuring Neon Hitch
9. “Very Good Advice” performed by Robert Smith
10. “In Transit” performed by Mark Hoppus with Pete Wentz
11. “Welcome to Mystery” performed by Plain White T’s
12. “Tea Party” performed by Kerli
13. “The Lobster Quadrille” performed by Franz Ferdinand
14. “Running Out of Time” performed by Motion City Soundtrack
15. “Fell Down a Hole” performed by Wolfmother
16. “White Rabbit” performed by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

According to the MySpace Music blog, most of these tracks are “re-imagining songs from the Disney classic.” The album will be an "inspired-by" compilation of songs, not unlike the Nightmare Revisited album from 2008 for The Nightmare Before Christmas.

There will also be a version of the album with two additional songs, exclusively available at Hot Topic.

New High Resolution "Alice" Poster

Click the image below to get the high resolution version of this new Alice in Wonderland poster:

Avril Lavigne to Release "Alice" Song

Avril Lavigne will be releasing a song for Alice in Wonderland, aceshowbiz.com reports. The song is entitled "Alice Underground." The song will be made available in March, in time for the film's release on March 5th in cinemas.


© Bob Charlotte/PR Photos

Johnny Depp on the Mad Hatter

Disney's Movie Surfers have released a new, brief video interview with Johnny Depp, who discusses the relationship between the Mad Hatter and Alice. The one-minute-long video also includes some new footage from Alice in Wonderland:

Samples of "Alice in Wonderland" Press Kit

Zap2It has provided a few images of the whimsical Alice in Wonderland press kit.



The press kit begins as a large book, bearing the poster of the film...



...Within that book are drawings and photographs of Tim Burton and Lewis Carroll. And inside of that book is a smaller book, with illustrations of the shooting locations and sets...



...This contains an even smaller book, with photographs of the stars of the film (Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter), and illustrations of the characters...



...Finally, inside of that third book, was a small key which worked as a USB. A very small note (which required a magnifying glass to be read) stated: "The USB key will take you beyond the gates of Wonderland and unveil the many secrets that await you." The USB key contained a new trailer and three new photographs from the movie.

"9" DVD and Blu-Ray Available Now

You can now purchase the post-apocalyptic animated thriller 9 on DVD and Blu-ray. Click the previous links to buy the film at Amazon.com.


According to DVDTalk.com, DVD extras include:

Feature-length commentary track with director Shane Acker, animation director Joe Ksander, head of story Ryan O'Loughlin, and editor Nick Kenway.

U-Control PIP:
This picture-in-picture interactive feature takes recorded footage, some mentioned below in the special features and others recorded/taken at the same time, and pairs them within a green box at the lower-right portion of the screen. Interviews with Shane Acker, Tim Burton, Elijah Wood, Pamela Pettler, and others elucidate the process, while a sizable chunk of the dialogue recording footage mixes within raw concepts and behind-the-scenes footage.

9 -- The Long and Short of It (16:28, HD):
This feature discusses Shane Acker's process of assembling the short, and how it's adapted to the big screen. Discussion pops up about Acker's process of building the film as his college thesis, along with how earning an Oscar changed his life. It then shifts over into how the short film fell over into Tim Burton's hands as a producer. Then, Acker and screenwriter Pamela Pettler (Corpse Bride) guide us through the process of bridging that gap between his short to the feature length, as well as whether they wanted to include dialog or not in telling the story. Interview time crops up with Acker, Burton, Pettler, as well as with Elijah Wood and other members of the cast, taken from both original interviews and archive footage.

On Tour with Shane Acker (5:36, HD):
Shane Acker takes us through the Starz Animation workhouse for the construction of 9, illustrating each depart in great detail. He talks about editorials, the art department, modeling, animation, layout, effects work in "the dungeon", and lighting. Hearing discussion about the film itself is great, but the behind-the-scenes shots of the computer imaging and the concept sketches are the real draws to this featurette.

The Look of 9 (13:12, HD):
Composing the visual look for 9 falls into focus here, as Shane Acker and others discuss the time placement of the story. They discuss the "caution tale" elements of the film, as well as the Industrial Revolution look about the picture that slaps it in the middle between World War I and II. It also discusses the low-angle construction of the film, and how it allows for a lot of great up-glancing shots. They also discuss the beauty used behind the rust, garbage, and industrial grunge appeal to the film, and how the feel of the film reflects on its influences.

Acting Out (4:54, HD):
To round out the featurettes, this piece covers how the animators become actors themselves as they construct the burlap dolls in the film. It discusses how they have mirrors at their desk to see facial expressions, and the dual uses behind having the recorded dialogue footage of the actors for both lip sync and emotion purposes.

9 -- The Original Short (10:33, Letterbox 4x3 HD):
As a very special treat, Universal have also included Shane Acker's original short on the disc -- with a commentary featuring Shane Acker and animator Joe Ksander. The commentary is very dense, as they discuss the differences between the two features -- where elements of the short went into the feature, the dynamics between the two puppets, the lack of dialogue, etc. -- and the entire "guerilla" feel to the camera movement. What's a shame is that it's a letterbox HD version of the short; and, since it's in 1080p, most Blu-ray players and internal zoom televisions can't zoom in on it. Still, the simple inclusion of the piece itself is absolutely wonderful.

Also included on this disc are five Deleted Scenes (7:24, 16x9 SD), available in striking storyboard illustrations. This Blu-ray Disc has also been activated in order to hop onto Universal's online framework, as well as containing pocketBLU interactivity. However, the online functions weren't active yet as of this testing. It's also been incorporated with Chapter / Bookmarking of "favorite scenes", like all of Universal's other discs, and activated with D-BOX motion control.

New "Wonderland" Promo Art

This cut-out can be seen in some movie theaters today.

Click the image below for a high resolution version:

Wasikowska on "Wonderland"

Mia Wasikowska, the star of Alice in Wonderland, discussed her experiences working on the phantasmagorical film with the Los Angeles Times.

How did shooting the film feel to the 20-year-old actress? "Isolating," she said, considering that 90% of the shooting was in front of a green screen. Instead of conversing with a caterpillar or Chesire Cat, Wasikowska had to interact with a bit of sticky tape, a tennis ball, or, at best, a cardboard cutout of the said character.

"I was basically planted in this sea of green," the Australian actress said. "I really had to use my imagination."



While Alice is 7 years old in Lewis Carroll's original stories, the character is a young woman at the age of 19 in Burton's upcoming film. “She’s grown up a lot and is somewhat a different person, and she’s kind of going back to her roots and discovering herself," said Wasikowska.

The actress also talked about her co-star, Johnny Depp, who plays the Mad Hatter.

“I think he’s so brave and smart with his choices. He can play a crazy character but still give it a core humanity which I think people can identify with,” Wasikowska said.



But as insane as he may be, Wasikowska assured that Alice and the Hatter are allies (and, evidently, are much in the spirit of Tim Burton's other outsider characters). "They"re on the same side," Wasikowska said. "They have an understanding about each other. They both feel like outsiders and feel alone in their separate worlds, and have a special bond and friendship."

Depp tends to prepare for his roles by drawing his characters, and sought the wild orange hair as an allusion to the mercury poisoning (many hatter used mercury to cure felt). Depp previously said, "I think he was poisoned, very, very poisoned, and it was coming out through his hair, through his fingernails and eyes."

Wallpapers from "Wonderland"

Four new Alice in Wonderland wallpapers have appeared online, featuring the March Hare, the White Rabbit, the Dormouse, and the Chesire Cat. Click the images below for the high resolution versions:

New Caterpillar Image

A new image of the Caterpillar has made an appearance on Facebook:

Facebook: Season's Greetings with Tim Burton Art!

If you're on Facebook, you can now send Christmas and holiday cards online with the art of Tim Burton!

UK "Alice" Trailer Contains More New Footage!

Check out the UK cut of the latest Alice in Wonderland trailer -- it contains some different footage from the new one released in the US:

"Alice in Wonderland": Trailer #2!

The second official Alice in Wonderland trailer has made its online debut!

See it in delicious high definition at Apple!

Johnny Depp as Batman?

There have been a few rumors floating around on the Internet regarding Johnny Depp playing the Riddler in Christopher Nolan's Batman universe -- but Depp almost played the Dark Knight himself for Batman Forever. The actor was recently interviewed by Robert Genola of ComicBookMovie.com:

Q: Are rumors true that you are playing The Riddler in the third Batman movie?

Johnny Depp: No, that was just one of those things that is speculated on the internet and what not. But I was fortunately considered to play Batman in "Batman Forever".

Q: Were you not interested?

Johnny Depp: Not at all, I was very interested. What happened was Tim (Burton) was producing it and he was trying to talk Joel Schumacher (the Director) and the movie bosses to give me a shot at the role but it just never really worked out.

Q: What if you were offered to play The Riddler in Batman 3?

Johnny Depp: I would not be quick to say no, yeah. I would certainly not turn it down right away, but I'm not sure I could do it justice. Especially after how well Heath did as The Joker, I think my playing Riddler would be a step back for the films. But hey, never say never.

Watch Tim Burton on "The Charlie Rose Show"

In case you missed it, here is the superb interview with Tim Burton on The Charlie Rose Show, which premiered on Thursday, November 26th, 2009. This is most of the episode. It begins with the three curators from the Museum of Modern Art discussing Burton's art, then goes to the man of the hour himself. Rose describes Burton as the "perfect guest", as they enthusiastically talk about a plethora of topics including his most personal films, being a parent, children's artwork, his creative process, and much more:

A Little More on "Dark Shadows"

Producer Graham King spoke with Shock Till You Drop's Perri Nemiroff on the current status of Dark Shadows and a bit of its development:

Can you talk a little about Dark Shadows?

King: [Laughs] I said to someone last week in L.A., I said, "You know, I think, you know the script's being rewritten – I know that the studios are hoping to move it next fall," suddenly it's on the internet everywhere I said the movie's going next October. Waiting for a script. I know Johnny wants to do it and Tim wants to do it and just has to get the script.

How'd you get introduced to the idea in the first place? Will you maintain the show's original tone in the film?

King: Through Johnny's company [Infinitum Nihil]. You know, I have a deal with Johnny's company and Johnny was really interested in it and we have a great great relationship. I didn't know of Dark Shadows. We didn't have it in the U.K., so I went out and got a bunch of DVDs. I started watching this thing and I said, yeah, I'd love to be involved. I'd love to come in and produce that. To answer your question, I think we have to wait to see.

There are over 1,200 episodes. Will you include a little of as many as possible or make an origin story?

King: I'll know as soon as I get the script.

So you're not dictating how this will come together?

John August is writing it. Yeah, again, this is me and more notes and I think when Johnny and Tim – I've never made a movie with Johnny and Tim - but when they make a movie, they've got it down pretty much what they want and you don't really get involved in that process.

DeVito: Being the Penguin "Fun"

MTV News got a hold of Danny DeVito at the MoMA retrospective of Tim Burton's art in New York. DeVito enthusiastically reminisced about his role as the twisted Penguin in Burton's Batman Returns:

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

"I loved being with [Burton] on the set. We love hanging out," DeVito told MTV News during the red carpet opening of the exhibit. "I love to watch where he's going, what he's trying, all the different things he does."

"Talking about 'Batman Returns,' he's got me in this armadillo suit and I'm in a place that's so freezing — the stage was so cold — I was the only one comfortable," he laughed. "Everyone's walking around in scarves and hats ... I'm in pounds of latex or whatever the hell it was."

"I had a great time with him," said DeVito.

An Interview with Tim Burton

An interview with Tim Burton from Wired, in which the filmmaker discusses the new generation of 3D cinema, original ideas vs. remakes, his creative process in creating characters, and anthropomorphic objects, among other topics:

Wired: How did you find a life’s worth of work to give to the MoMA?

Tim Burton: I’m not a very organized person. Luckily I had a bunch of stuff that had just been moved to England from a warehouse in America. I don’t really go through things very much, so it was interesting for me to go back through it all.

It was an interesting process. It helps ground you and gets you to remember what interested you to begin with. It’s you, but a different you. You can look at yourself objectively.

Wired: Not many directors have retrospectives of their artwork and illustrations. How did having a fine arts background influence your directorial visions?

Burton: The films I grew up loving were very visual. They were the kinds of things that get etched in your memory. To me, film is a very visual thing, so I’m very grateful for my animation background. It’s kind of everything. It’s art, it’s design, it’s film. At that time all I wanted to be was an animator, but through the backdoor you learn how to do everything else. When you make an animated film you have to act it out, design the layouts, shoot it, and edit it. It was a great overall experience.

Wired: What’s your creative process? Do you find yourself doodling and suddenly you’ve got a character for a movie?

Burton: The whole sketching and drawing process to me is the equivalent to how some people write notes. I’ve never really felt like a writer. It was always a visual thing for me. With Jack Skellington, for example, that was just a doodle I kept drawing over and over and over for no apparent reason.

Things can grow from an image that keeps coming up, like the Scissorhands image. They just come as ideas or thoughts, and sometimes they go on to something.

Edward Scissorhands came from a feeling that became a sketch of different forms over the years. It was an idea from when I was a teenager, so it had been in my mind for a long time.

Wired: A lot of your films are original ideas, but you have dabbled with remakes, such as Planet of the Apes and now Alice. Is it easier to get support from Hollywood to remake a film than to start something from scratch?

Burton: There’s a trend right now, where every TV show is remade, and there’s a certain idea of safety in certain properties. At the same time, they can be equally as dangerous. Something like Alice in Wonderland, with the opportunity to do it in 3-D and to experiment, it actually feels like a completely new property.

Wired: Is it more intimidating to take a story people are familiar with and make it your own?

Burton: The reason Alice in Wonderland isn’t as daunting as past productions is that every version I ever saw of Alice in Wonderland was of a girl walking around passively with a bunch of weird characters. It never really had any feeling or grounding to it. It felt like a new challenge to me. There isn’t a great version that I have to live up to.

Wired: Did you feel like Alice was the perfect story for you to debut a live-action movie in 3-D?

Burton: The element that intrigued me was Alice in Wonderland in 3-D. Nightmare Before Christmas was converted to 3-D, and it was really good. I was really amazed. It showed me that this was exactly the way Nightmare was meant to be seen. Now, 3-D just seems to really lend itself to the Alice story. The thing about Alice for me was not so much the literalness of the story, but the trippy nature of it and still trying to make that compelling.

Wired: How hard is it to continue working in more traditional special effects, like stop motion animation, when the rest of Hollywood is drinking the CG Kool-Aid?

Burton: I think stop motion has proven itself as a valuable art form, as has animation. A few years ago it was a dead medium, and while there’s still a lot of uncertainty, there’s enough diversity now. If people like the movie, it doesn’t matter what medium it’s in. It’s actually better now than it was a few years ago, when CG was really kicking in.

Wired: You love stop motion. What’s your fear of CG?

Burton: Take Nightmare Before Christmas, for example. I was offered to do it in drawing animation and I held out for stop motion, because that was the right medium for that project. It’s up to each project and what you’re technically trying to achieve that decides what medium should be used, whether it’s stop motion, animation, or CG.

Wired: From Pee-wee’s Big Adventure to Beetlejuice, furniture, inanimate objects tend to come to life in your films. Do you anthropomorphize objects on a daily basis?

Burton: Well, I’m lying in bed here with my coffee pot… That’s where you need free time to space out. People don’t do that enough in life. Those are the moments where a tree turns into a little character.

Wired: Are you excited about the retrospective?

Burton: It’s such a strange and surreal event to me. I haven’t quite grasped it. I might as well put my dirty laundry basket in there as well.

"Dark Shadows" Begins Production Fall 2010

Tim Burton is keeping plenty busy as of late. Producer Graham King has announced that he'll begin production on Dark Shadows, his next live-action feature, in the fall next year:

We're actually going to shoot that film next September/October with Tim Burton and Johnny [Depp].

We've been working on the script a lot, even though he's working on Alice. We've been given a script. John August wrote the first screenplay. We're making some changes, but the film's going to be in production, as I say, September or October of next year.

Depp was a huge fan of the original TV series, and will be playing the lead role of the vampire Barnabas Collins.

"The Art of Tim Burton" Now Available

The Art of Tim Burton is now available to purchase directly from SteelesPublishing.com -- and ONLY from SteelesPublishing.com in the U.S. This book is not available in bookstores, Amazon.com, or any other online shops.

Quantities of this lavish, comprehensive book are limited. So order it soon!

"Frankenweenie" Character and Plot Details Revealed

Casting has begun on the new stop-motion animated version of Frankenweenie. Right now, Disney is looking for voices for characters between the ages of eight and eleven years old. Bloody-Disgusting.com has provided some information from an official fax. There are a few minor SPOILERS, but it gives you a good idea of how the new film will differ from Burton's original 1984 short:

[EDGAR] A Caucasian Male 8-11 years old. Edgar is a needy little kid who wants desperately to be accepted by the cool kids in his class. Naturally a little nerdy, he gravitates to Victor and basically annoys him until he agrees to let him be his lab partner. He is more than a little gullible and is easily tricked into giving away Victor’s precious secret and unwittingly starting the whole mess with the other monsters.

[TOSHIAKI] A Japanese Male 8-11 years old. Toshiaki is the natural leader of the cool kids in Victor’s class. He is a good athlete, and an avid little league baseball player but Toshiaki has a mischievous side. He is the one that ultimately manipulates E into giving up the secret of Sparky and it is his idea to turn the other animals into monsters. He is Japanese and his monster creation is a little Godzilla lizard.

[BOB] A Caucasian Male 8-11 years old. Bob is the dumb, jockey kid. He has more brawn than brains. He follows Toshiaki and Nassor around even when it means that he has to be the one to test the home made jet pack that Toshiaki has created.

[NASSOR] A Middle-Eastern Male 8-11 years old. Nassor is the star of the little league team and just goes along with Toshiak’s plan. He is a bit more serious than the others but still doesn’t see the impending chaos when he chooses to bring his hamster mummy back to life.

[WEIRD GIRL] A Caucasian Female 8-11 years old. She has a very dark and ominous take on even the most mundane occurrences and jumps at the chance to bring some dead animals back to life.

[ELSA] A Caucasian Female 8-11 years old. Elsa is a sweet girl who likes to follow the rules and not cause too much trouble. A bit of a “goody two shoes,” she is not afraid to speak up and even corrects the teacher when he makes a mistake. She is excited about the festivities planned for the town’s Dutch Day parade and even has a solo dance number in the show.


A shooting date has not been announced yet. John August (Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) will be writing the screenplay.