Burton got fired from Disney for being “too weird,” then spent decades proving weird works. “Beetlejuice,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Corpse Bride”—his films are gothic, macabre, and oddly touching. Outcasts are heroes. Darkness is beautiful. Normal people are often villains. His aesthetic is instantly recognizable: striped patterns, pale protagonists, German Expressionist angles, Danny Elfman scores. He made Hot Topic a lifestyle, proved animation could be stop-motion art, and showed that Burton’s sensibility—dark, romantic, weird—connected with millions who felt like outsiders wanting to see their aesthetic celebrated.
