(Photo by Leah Gallo/©Walt Disney Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection)
Born in the morbid, decaying wonderland known as Burbank, California, visionary director Tim Burton showed a propensity for the dark arts from a young age, guiding him into a CalArts education, and then the prestigious honor of getting fired from Disney in the mid-’80s. The reasoning: Wasting company money animating things too scary to show kids. This only gave Burton the opportunity to let his imagination run unfettered on the big screen and, with the help of some choice partners-in-crime, produced one deranged hit after another: Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, two Michael Keaton Batman movies, Edward Scissorhands. (And if you’re later wondering why Nightmare Before Christmas isn’t on this list, though he’s often associated with the role, Burton is not credited as director on the film.)
After perhaps his finest hour — turning the cultural tide on the worst director ever with Ed Wood — Burton has oscillated between pet project curios (Frankenweenie, Dark Shadows) and bombastic blockbusters, such as Alice in Wonderland, which made a lot of money for, appropriately enough, Disney.
After an existential corporate crisis creating Dumbo, though, Burton has sworn off the Disney remakes for good. The turn seems to have done him some good as his sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is his first Certified Fresh movie since Frankenweenie in 2012, and his first live-action one since 2003’s Big Fish. Now, we’re ranking all Tim Burton movies by Tomatometer!
#1
Adjusted Score: 97237%
Critics Consensus: Tim Burton and Johnny Depp team up to fete the life and work of cult hero Ed Wood, with typically strange and wonderful results.
#2
Adjusted Score: 95400%
Critics Consensus: The first collaboration between Johnny Depp and Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands is a magical modern fairy tale with gothic overtones and a sweet center.
#3
Adjusted Score: 98534%
Critics Consensus: Frankenweenie is an energetic stop-motion horror movie spoof with lovingly crafted visuals and a heartfelt, oddball story.
#4
Adjusted Score: 92510%
Critics Consensus: Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure brings Paul Reubens’ famous character to the big screen intact, along with enough inspired silliness to dazzle children of all ages.
#5
Adjusted Score: 95380%
Critics Consensus: Full of pith and Grand Guignol grossness, this macabre musical is perfectly helmed and highly entertaining. Tim Burton masterfully stages the musical in a way that will make you think he has done this many times before.
#6
Adjusted Score: 93552%
Critics Consensus: Brilliantly bizarre and overflowing with ideas, Beetlejuice offers some of Michael Keaton’s most deliciously manic work – and creepy, funny fun for the whole family.
#7
Adjusted Score: 91357%
Critics Consensus: As can be expected from a Tim Burton movie, Corpse Bride is whimsically macabre, visually imaginative, and emotionally bittersweet.
#8
Adjusted Score: 91708%
Critics Consensus: Closer to the source material than 1971’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is for people who like their Chocolate visually appealing and dark.
#9
Adjusted Score: 90375%
Critics Consensus: Director Tim Burton’s dark, brooding atmosphere, Michael Keaton’s work as the tormented hero, and the flawless casting of Danny DeVito as The Penguin and Christopher Walken as, well, Christopher Walken make the sequel better than the first.
#10
Adjusted Score: 83789%
Critics Consensus: A charming father-and-son tale filled with typical Tim Burton flourishes, Big Fish is an impressive catch.
#11
Adjusted Score: 93145%
Critics Consensus: Michael Keaton’s devious poltergeist still has plenty of juice left in this madcap return to form for Tim Burton, marrying charming practical effects and ghoulish gags to provide a fun fun time.
#12
Adjusted Score: 90417%
Critics Consensus: An eerie, haunting spectacle, Batman succeeds as dark entertainment, even if Jack Nicholson’s Joker too often overshadows the title character.
#13
Adjusted Score: 81126%
Critics Consensus: Well-acted, thought-provoking, and a refreshing change of pace for Tim Burton, Big Eyes works both as a biopic and as a timelessly relevant piece of social commentary.
#14
Adjusted Score: 76382%
Critics Consensus: It isn’t Tim Burton’s best work, but Sleepy Hollow entertains with its stunning visuals and creepy atmosphere.
#15
Adjusted Score: 76257%
Critics Consensus: Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children proves a suitable match for Tim Burton’s distinctive style, even if it’s on stronger footing as a visual experience than a narrative one.
#16
Adjusted Score: 61883%
Critics Consensus: Tim Burton’s alien invasion spoof faithfully recreates the wooden characters and schlocky story of cheesy ’50s sci-fi and Ed Wood movies — perhaps a little too faithfully for audiences.
#17
Adjusted Score: 61487%
Critics Consensus: Tim Burton’s Alice sacrifices the book’s minimal narrative coherence — and much of its heart — but it’s an undeniable visual treat.
#18
Adjusted Score: 65874%
Critics Consensus: Dumbo is held partly aloft by Tim Burton’s visual flair, but a crowded canvas and overstretched story leave this live-action remake more workmanlike than wondrous.
#19
Adjusted Score: 50347%
Critics Consensus: This remake of Planet of the Apes can’t compare to the original in some critics’ mind, but the striking visuals and B-movie charms may win you over.
#20
Adjusted Score: 47542%
Critics Consensus: The visuals are top notch but Tim Burton never finds a consistent rhythm, mixing campy jokes and gothic spookiness with less success than other Johnny Depp collaborations.