Tim Burton is a filmmaker, animator, illustrator, storyteller, and graphic designer. His understanding of visual communication has brought us such treasures as Edward Scissorhands, Nightmare Before Christmas, and Beetlejuice.

To understand how powerful a storyteller he is, you just have to see his films, look at his illustrations, or read his books. His portfolio of work is impressive.

Tim loves the beauty of the macabre, and knows how to lighten it up just enough for the masses to also enjoy. While his work may be dark and gothic, his goal is not to scare or disturb. His genre is not horror. In fact, the only way to describe his work is Burtonesque. Sort of a mix between animation, family, children’s, and fantasy (with a dash of horror thrown in.) Who else has come up with that formula?

Tim brings out the beauty in gothic while tempering it with humor always. His lead characters are just plain weird, but you end up loving them (Beetlejuice, Jack Skellington, and Edward Scissorhands.) Yet he expertly parallels the polar opposites of beauty and absurd into fantastic stories.

Like an expert graphic designer, Tim guides you through the story with visual and spoken cues. In the dark landscape of a looming gothic castle, he can draw you to a single perfectly healthy flower. When the horrific character smiles and does something nice, you’re forced to wonder why.

Burton’s visual style is both interesting and beautiful on many levels, but it’s his storytelling that makes him successful. After all, if you don’t “get” the message, its just another pretty picture.