The Art of Tim Burton Trivia Quiz

Answer: Vincent Price

"Vincent" is only six minutes long, and was created using stop-motion animation, a technique that Tim Burton has used more than once in his career. In the story, seven-year-old Vincent Malloy is a boy fascinated by the macabre, doing experiments on his dog and obsessing on the stories of Edgar Allen Poe.

The short film was made as a tribute to the veteran actor, and Vincent Price was reportedly thrilled to be part of it, later saying that it was "the most gratifying thing that ever happened. It was immortality-better than a star on Hollywood Boulevard." (source: Wikipedia)

Vincent Price would also go on to work with Tim Burton on "Edward Scissorhands"; it turned out to be his last movie appearance.

Answer: Pee-wee's Big Adventure

"Pee-wee's Big Adventure" was the big-screen edition of his stage show "The Pee-wee Herman Show". Reuben's character has his bike stolen, and subsequently travels the country trying to track it down. A year later, after the success of the film, "Pee-wee's Playhouse" became a regular Saturday morning show on CBS.

Apart from being Tim Burton's big break into the world of directing, "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" was significant for Burton for two other reasons. The first reason was the way the film became a success, reaping a decent profit over expenses (a budget of $7 million and a gross profit of nearly $41 million). The second reason, and in my opinion the more significant one, was that it marked the first time that Burton worked with composer Danny Elfman. Elfman has composed the score for nearly every Tim Burton film since then.

Paul Reubens later acted in Burton's film "Batman Returns" (1992) and he did a voice part in "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993).

Answer: Beetlejuice

"Beetlejuice" was another big hit for Burton, with the film grossing nearly $74 million after a $15 million budget. This marked the first time that Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder worked with Burton, both of whom would do so again.

And Keaton was (in my opinion) spectacular in his portrayal of the obnoxious and hilarious Beetlejuice. With the announcement of a "Beetlejuice" sequel made in 2012, the anticipation of Keaton and Burton working together again immediately became a hot button topic for fans.

In the story, Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin are a young couple who find themselves the victims of an automobile accident. They return home after the crash, not immediately realizing that they are dead. Soon enough, though, a new family moves in to their house, and they are dead set against having them there (see what I did there?). When their own efforts at haunting fall flat, they get the help of Beetlejuice, a self-promoting 'bio-exorcist', to get the job done.

Answer: Edward Scissorhands

Tim Burton brought together a couple of actors he had already worked with (Winona Ryder and Vincent Price) and introduced Johnny Depp into the mix, fresh off of his successful run with the "21 Jump Street" television series. It was also the fourth of his films with Danny Elfman behind the music.

In the film itself, Depp plays a young man who is actually the creation of an old inventor (Vincent Price) who dies of a heart attack before he can complete his work. What is left unfinished? Instead of having normal hands, 'Edward' is left with hands made of scissors. Years later, he is discovered by an Avon lady (Dianne Wiest), who takes him home with her. Once in 'normal' society, Edward faces fear and hatred from many because of his strangeness, despite his gentle nature. Winona Ryder played the part of Kim Boggs, the Avon lady's daughter.

The story of "Edward Scissorhands" grew from Burton's own past feelings of isolation as a teen. His co-writer on the story, Caroline Thompson, mentioned that "every detail was so important to Tim because it was so personal". (source: Wikipedia)

Answer: The Nightmare Before Christmas

"James and the Giant Peach" came out in 1996 and was based on the story by Roald Dahl. "Corpse Bride" was released in 2005 and was based on a Russian folktale. "Frankenweenie" was a 2012 release, and was based on Burton's own short film from 1984.

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993) was based on a poem written by Tim Burton himself back in 1982 (the same time he produced his "Vincent" short). The story is about a character from Halloween Town named Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon) who is tired of the Halloween routine. When he stumbles across a portal to Christmas Town, he is impressed with the way they do things, and tries to change things. Things go awry, however, when circumstances lead to the abduction of Santa Claus himself!

The poem is too long to print here in its entirety, but here are the first two stanzas to whet your appetite:

"It was late one fall in Halloweenland,
and the air had quite a chill.
Against the moon a skeleton sat,
alone upon a hill.
He was tall and thin with a bat bow tie;
Jack Skellington was his name.
He was tired and bored in Halloweenland

"I'm sick of the scaring, the terror, the fright.
I'm tired of being something that goes bump in the night.
I'm bored with leering my horrible glances,
And my feet hurt from dancing those skeleton dances.
I don't like graveyards, and I need something new.
There must be more to life than just yelling,
'Boo!'"

(source: The Tim Burton Collective website)

Answer: Police officer

This film version of Irving's story does not resemble the original very much, but the main elements (the headless horseman haunting the town of Sleepy Hollow, newcomer Ichabod Crane and love interest Katrina Van Tassel) remain. In Burton's treatise, however, Johnny Depp's Ichabod Crane is a New York City police constable sent to look into the series of decapitations in Sleepy Hollow (in Westchester County). He discovers that the headless horseman is indeed a supernatural being, but that he is being controlled by someone in the village (who possesses the horseman's head).

With a supporting cast that included Christina Ricci, Michael Gough, Michael Gambon, Miranda Richardson, Christopher Walken and Casper Van Dien, it is no surprise that the film was a critical success. After a budget of only $30 million, the film grossed over $206 million worldwide.

Answer: Big Fish

"Big Fish" (2003) was based on the novel of the same name by Daniel Wallace. The main character of the story is Edward Bloom, played in the film by Albert Finney and Ewan McGregor. Finney, as the older Bloom, spends much of the movie telling the story of his life as a seemingly incredible fabrication, with McGregor playing the younger version of Bloom. Billy Crudup played the part of Will Bloom, Edward's estranged son, who finally comes to understand his father at his deathbed.

Helena Bonham Carter played a role in this film, her second Tim Burton film (the first was 2001's "Planet of the Apes", not covered in this quiz). It should be noted (if you don't already know) that Burton and Bonham Carter began a relationship at that time, and the two have a family together (a son in 2003 and a daughter in 2007).

Answer: True

As has already been established in this quiz, Tim Burton likes to work with some actors and actresses (or composers or cinematographers) over and over again. Depp and Bonham Carter have worked together on multiple Tim Burton films since this first one, and have even been cast together in a film that Burton was NOT involved in (2013's "The Lone Ranger"). One of those films, "Corpse Bride" (also 2005), had the duo acting together as voice actors.

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" tells of Charlie Bucket (played by Freddie Highmore), a boy from a very poor family (Bonham Carter played his mother), who wins a tour in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. This is significant because for a number of years, no one has been employed at the factory, yet it still produces the best chocolate in the world. Recluse owner Willy Wonka (Depp), unknown to the five tour-winning children, is looking for someone to inherit his amazing and wondrous factory.

Answer: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is a disturbing story about a Victorian era man falsely accused of a crime (barber Benjamin Barker) by a man who wanted his wife for himself (in the vein of the story of David and Bathsheba from the "Bible"). After escaping from his Australian exile, Barber (played by Johnny Depp) assumes a new identity as Sweeney Todd, and plans his revenge against the man who ruined his life. Believing that his wife committed suicide, Todd soon goes completely mad and begins murdering people almost indiscriminately, colluding with Mrs. Nellie Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), who bakes his victims into her meat pies.

The movie was a moderate financial success for Tim Burton, with the film grossing $152 million worldwide on a $50 million budget. It did, however, receive much critical acclaim, winning the Academy Award for Best Art Direction, and the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Johnny Depp also received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of the demon barber, while winning the Golden Globe for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

Answer: Alice in Wonderland

In developing the story for "Alice in Wonderland" (2010), Tim Burton combined elements of both of Lewis Carroll's "Wonderland" novels, those being 1865's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and the 1871 sequel "Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There". One specific and rather large change was the significance of the Jabberwocky, which is first found in the 1871 sequel novel and then only as a poem written in a book. In Burton's rendition of Alice's story, the Jabberwocky is the beast controlled by the Red Queen that Alice must defeat to restore the White Queen to the throne.

"Alice in Wonderland" was a huge success, taking in a gross of over $1 billion in worldwide sales. The production budget was $200 million.

Johnny Depp played the role of the Mad Hatter, while Helena Bonham Carter was the Red Queen. This was their fourth movie together. The White Queen was played by Anne Hathaway, and Alice (a 19-year old young woman, not a little girl) was played by Mia Wasikowska.