Tim Burton has explained why his movies are full of white people as people are branding the Beetlejuice sequel ‘racist.’
Burton is a director known for pioneering goth culture into the American film industry, with his work being recognized for its distinctive visual style.
His most successful work by box office performance is Alice in Wonderland (2010), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Batman (1989), and Planet of the Apes (2001).
Even through his animated works, such as Corpse Bride and Frankenweenie, his characters are known for their ghostly white appearance and sunken pale faces.
And while Burton is considered one of the world’s most successful directors, with his unique take being praised, he’s also faced criticism for his lack of representation in films.
In particular, the director has been scrutinized for the lack of Black actors in his movies.
It’s become a recurring matter over the years, being noted multiple times – with one of the earlier mentions dating back to 1993.
Although directed by Henry Selick, The Nightmare Before Christmas was conceived and produced by Burton.
In the years following the cult hit, Caroline Thompson, a screenwriter on The Nightmare Before Christmas and various other Burton films, appeared on the film podcast Script Apart and discussed the breakdown of her relationship with Burton, reports The Independent.
She claims disagreements unfolded regarding the movie’s villain, Oogie Boogie, voiced by Black actor and singer Ken Page.
Oogie Boogie, depicted as a bug-filled burlap sap with a gambling addiction, is the main antagonist of the stop-motion movie. He lives on the outskirts of Halloween Town and is obsessed with outdoing Jack as the scariest ghoul.
On the podcast, Thompson said: “Oogie Boogie is a derogatory term for African Americans in the American South. I begged the powers that be to change something about that character, because of that.
“I said: this is so ugly and dangerous and antithetical to everything inside me. I did not win that fight… It was a troubling part of the film for me, to be frank.”
She claims she begged Burton to ‘reconsider’ the character’s name, adding: “I think it’s a fun segment of the story as it was executed but it’s a troubling one.”
