Burton and Depp have worked together on seven different movies so far, ranging from animation to science fiction to dark comedy to horror films. Depp’s range of characters and mastery of accents make him the perfect muse for Burton’s brooding visions portraying society’s misfits. Part of the fun is watching how Burton transforms Depp's natural good looks into a darkly distorted version of the filmmaker himself.
Dark Shadows (2012)
This comedy fantasy film (based on the popular 1970's television series) focuses on a vampire (Depp as Barnabus Collins) and his descendants in a tiny shipping town. A werewolf, witch, and woman who talks to spirits are among the characters populating the area.
- Additional cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Michelle Pfeiffer, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Bella Heathcote, Chloe Grace Moretz
- MPAA Rating: PG-13
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
In this fantasy film based on the Lewis Carroll novel, Depp takes on the role of The Mad Hatter who aids Alice in her adventure through Wonderland. (Also released in IMAX 3D).
- Additional cast: MIa Wasikowska, Michael Sheen, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Christopher Lee, Alan Rickman.
- MPAA Rating: PG
Depp, in the title role, stars as The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, a London barber who unfairly loses everything he treasures. When he returns after more than a dozen years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit, Todd sets his vengeful plans into motion with the aid of a woman baker. The film includes many of the popular songs from the Broadway musical stage show on which this bloody horror film is based.
- Additional cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alan Rickman
- MPAA Rating: R
Corpse Bride (2005)
Co-directed with Mike Johnson, Burton and Carlos Grangel create animated characters involved in a wedding mixup. A shy groom (voiced by Depp) retreats into the woods to practice reciting his wedding vows and putting the ring on his bride’s finger, but accidentally marries a dead woman. This corpse bride takes her new husband to the Land of the Dead where he has problems deciding which wife to choose.
- Additional cast: Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman
- MPAA Rating: PG
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Depp plays Willy Wonka, an eccentric candy maker who takes a small group of children on a tour of his factory. Based on the book by Roald Dahl, this updated version of the 1971 musical Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory includes musical numbers confined to the Oompa-Loompas who run the factory. Depp’s performance combines humor, eccentricity, and maliciousness to depict the hurt child residing inside the grown man.
- Additional cast: Freddie Highmore, Helena Bonham Carter, Deep Roy
- MPAA Rating: PG
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Based on the story by Washington Irving, Sleepy Hollow stars Depp as the squeamish Ichabod Crane, sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate horrific decapitation murders. A man of science, Ichabod faces the possibility that evil exists in other forms. During his visit, a young woman appears to alternately help and hinder his investigation. As in many Burton films, the character’s past demons come back to haunt him in the present. The film contains a mix of horror, mystery, comedy, and romance.
- Additional cast: Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gambon
- MPAA Rating: R
Ed Wood (1994)
Starring in the title role of this black-and-white biopic, Depp portrays the director and writer Edward D. Wood, Jr., known as The World’s Worst Movie Director. Working in the 1950s during the science fiction craze, Wood wrote and directed Plan 9 From Outer Space (often considered the worst movie of all time for its low budget, bad acting, and lack of continuity). His colorful personal life includes cross-dressing, alcoholism, and a close friendship with horror star Bela Lugosi.
- Additional cast: Martin Landau, Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette
- MPAA Rating: R
In this dark romantic fairy tale, Depp portrays Edward Scissorhands, the prized creation of an old inventor who dies before he can attach the hands. Edward has an assortment of scissors at the end of his arms, used for creating (ice sculptures, topiaries, dog grooming) or destroying (puncturing, ripping, stabbing). Taken from isolation and brought into middle-class America by a kindly Avon lady, Edward finds the sex and violence of the outside world too much to handle. Although his spoken lines are few, Depp commands each scene with his physical presence and highly expressive face.
- Additional cast: Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Alan Arkin
- MPAA Rating: PG-13
Find out more information about Tim Burton and Johnny Depp at Internet Movie Database.
Leslie C. Halpern - Leslie C. Halpern, Romantic Films/Comedies Topic Editor, authored Passionate About Their Work, Reel Romance, & Dreams on Film.
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