Most people will remember Tim Burton for such wild creations as Edward Scissorhands or A Nightmare Before Christmas. Comparing his earlier works to newer titles seems a bit unfair as Burton has largely left what made him famous as of late, wanting to explore new ideas in his partnership with Disney.

That all has changed, though, with the fortunate severance of his Disney partnership and the advent of Wednesday, the Netflix original series that already has fans demanding another season of the show. Now it seems obvious that Tim Burton is returning to topics a little closer to some of his most well-known projects that many grew up watching. What’s particularly interesting about this latest show is that Burton has been heavily involved with not only the series direction but also with making monsters in the new Wednesday series. No going through the motions for this project; Burton is apparently invested. Former devotees of Hot Topic should rejoice.

Tim Burton Takes on the Hyde Monster

     Netflix

As a recap, Wednesday Addams has not been making too many friends at her boarding school for odd folks, Nevermore Academy. After getting expelled from 8 different schools, her parents send her off to the high school they ended up attending in an effort to help give her a place that can handle her prickly demeanor. Amazingly enough, in a place for werewolves, gorgons, and vampires, Wednesday still manages to be the social outcast.

It’s near the end of episode 1 that she is attacked in the middle of the woods by an outcast of outcasts, Rowan, who believes her to be a harbinger of doom for the school. His attempted murder is interrupted, however, by what is later revealed to be a Hyde monster who attacks and apparently kills him, thus saving Wednesday from her fate in the process. While only briefly seen in this first episode, there is a little more to this monster design than a typical concept art pitch.

According to co-director Al Gough, Burton had become increasingly annoyed with the lack of solid progress in deciding what the creature should look like. In response, he took matters into his own hands as Gough explains to TVLine, “That literally is Tim’s design.” Burton, who directed the episode, grew frustrated when the team couldn’t settle on a final look after the 50 or 60 different versions that were sketched. He then drew a watercolor image of the monster, which became what we see on the screen.

Gough continued:

The result certainly speaks volumes.

Burton Is Back in the Saddle

It has been years since Tim Burton has been able to really flex his creative muscles in a spooky fashion. He’s had a slew of comparatively normal movies, such as Dumbo (2019), since his last real outing with macabre in something like Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007). Absent has been the creative direction of outlandish flash seen in Mars Attacks (1996) or the muted but spectacular Ed Wood (1994).

What’s great to see, though, is a director with a unique style stepping into the shoes again to design something audiences would not expect. He has also reportedly had influence over other big decisions on the show, such as insisting that Thing should be played by a real actor, not just greenscreened in at a later date. It’s a return to form for Burton, right where he belongs, designing bizarre things like this:

     Warner Bros. Pictures

The design he got out of the art team ends up being spooky, crazy, and above all, interesting. The closest description one could come up with would be that the Hyde monster ends up looking like an abnormally large werewolf crossed with unmasked Judge Doom from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It has shades of his earlier works with the cartoonish style of his iconic Martians and the huge eyes that defined his Corpse Bride characters, topped off with some gross-looking Gollum teeth.

Whether you love Tim Burton or love to hate Tim Burton, his talent to create a uniquely macabre atmosphere may very well be unmatched. Having someone to carry around that torch is important, creatively speaking. It’s exciting to consider what another season might hold if this is just the testing ground for Burton. With proven success in season one, much more could be done with additional time spent working with artists on how everything should develop.