Tim Burton on Embracing Criticism After His First Film

Today, Tim Burton stands as one of the most recognisable directors in the world, celebrated for his unmistakable blend of gothic visuals, eccentric personalities, and flamboyant costumes. With a career spanning two decades and a box office tally exceeding $4 billion, it’s easy to forget that even Burton had to begin somewhere. Those familiar with his work might be surprised to learn that his first feature-length project, released in 1985, was a far cry from the darkly whimsical tales he would later become known for. At just 26, Burton directed Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, a film starring the late Paul Reubens as the childlike Pee-Wee Herman, who embarks on a quest to recover his stolen bicycle. On the surface, it’s hardly the sort of story one would associate with Burton’s later output.

First Impressions and Harsh Words

As detailed in Mark Salisbury’s book Burton on Burton, the director’s relationship with his debut is rather complicated. While the film laid the groundwork for everything that followed, Burton himself felt it didn’t exactly set the right tone for his career.

“The reviews on Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure were really bad,”

he recalled.

“I remember one review, and I’ll never forget this, which said, ‘Everything is great, the costumes are brilliant, the photography is great, the script is fabulous, the actors are all great, the only thing that’s terrible is the direction’. One said, ‘On a scale of one to ten, ten being best, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure gets a minus one’. It’s the first minus one I remember seeing.”

Despite Burton’s recollection, the numbers tell a slightly different story. While some critics, including Gene Siskel, were less than impressed, many others found the film’s light-hearted humour and the director’s handling of Reubens’ character rather charming. Financially, it was a success, earning over $40 million from a modest $7 million budget. Over the years, it has only grown in stature, now regarded as a cult classic and a significant starting point for a major auteur.

Learning from the Lows

Burton, however, insists that even if the film had been universally panned, he would not have been bothered. In fact, he found a certain satisfaction in reading the less-than-glowing reviews.

“I’ve known people who’ve gone through that first film thing when they get ‘They’re the next Orson Welles’, and that can kill you,”

he explained.

“I’m glad I didn’t get that. I much prefer the kind of raking over the coals I got because it’s a mistake to believe any of it.”

There’s a certain wisdom in his approach. Many directors burst onto the scene with overwhelming praise, only to struggle to maintain that momentum. Burton’s experience, by contrast, allowed him to develop at his own pace, free from the burden of impossible expectations. Just three years after Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, he would release Beetlejuice, a film widely considered his true breakthrough, and from there, his career would only gather pace.