One of Tim Burton's most famous characters, Edward Scissorhands, is way older than you think. "It was an idea from when I was a teenager," says the director of Beetlejuice and the upcoming 3-D adaptation of Alice in Wonderland. "It had been in my mind for a long time." Ditto Jack Skellington, the leading ghoul in The Nightmare Before Christmas: "That was just a doodle I kept drawing over and over and over for no apparent reason." Those and other doodles (like the self-inflating cephalopod from 1994, below) are on display at the Museum of Modern Art through April. The show includes drawings a young Burton did for the local football team and for a litter-prevention campaign in his hometown of Burbank, California. Other memorabilia include original puppets from The Nightmare Before Christmas and severed head props from Mars Attacks! To unearth some of the forgotten gems, Burton sifted through boxes of old drawings he'd had shipped from a warehouse in the States to his home in England. "It helps ground you and gets you to remember what interested you to begin with," Burton says. "I've never really felt like a writer. It was always a visual thing for me."
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Self-inflating cephalopod, 1994
Cartoons drawing, 1980-1986
The Black Cauldron drawing, 1983. Burton sketched out scenes for Disney's 1985 animated film, but unfortunately, none of his 200 drawings were used for the final product.
The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories sketch, 1982-1984. Burton published a book of poetry and illustrations in 1997. This is one of the sketches he made for that book.
Frankenweenie drawing, 1982. In 1984, Burton made Frankenweenie, a short film, for Disney. Company executives promptly fired him when he completed the film, claiming Burton wasted resources on a film that was too scary for their young audience. They finally released the video 10 years later, after the success of Beetlejuice and Batman.
Edward Scissorhands, 1990. Johnny Depp says that it wasn't until he saw Burton's sketches that he understood who he was to play. "I instantly fell for the character — he made his way into my body."
Nightmare Before Christmas storyboard, 1993
The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories drawing, 1998
Trick or Treat drawing, 1980
Romeo and Juliet drawing, 1981-1984. During his four-year apprenticeship at Disney studio, Burton pitched several movie ideas, including a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet where the tragic romance is between a land mass and the ocean.
Number drawing, 1982
Blue Girl With Wine, 1997
Blue Girl With Skull, 1992-1999. Burton had some drawings he wanted to bring to life, so he grabbed a Polaroid for the first time and convinced his office mate Leticia Rogers and his costume designer Colleen Atwood to have a little fun with him. Some of the fun inspired the Sally character from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Trick or Treat drawing, 1980
Mars Attacks! watercolor and pastel concept drawing, 1995
Red Queen sketch, 2009. In preparation for his 3-D interpretation of Alice in Wonderland, Burton sketched the famed villain from the fable.
