TIM BURTON AT LACMA!

If I have to give example numbuh 3,456 of why the fabulous Mrs. Warburton
is so fabulous it might be because she got us opening day tickets for the
Tim Burton exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

And I loves me some Tim Burton.

ESPECIALLY
ESPECIALLY
ESPECIALLY
The Nightmare Before Christmas.
After watching it for the first time I immediately ran
to the next theater and watched it again.
And then I spent the next month being bummed out that I'd never come up with something as awesome as that movie.

Yeeeeah... not all of Mr. Burton's movies are rock solid.
But between Nightmare, Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and many other flights of awesome...
I say the man kicks pretty darn hard.

So how about that exhibit?


Mr. Burton has kept an amazing record of his artistic life,
from his youngest days to his latest movies,
and has kindly hand-picked a HUGE selection to share with his fans.

Sketches, paintings, comics, puppets, costumes,
manuscripts, photos, sculptures...
you name it.
It's here.








Some highlights?
Sure.

• Everything by costume designer Colleen Atwood, especially the Headless Horseman's cape from Sleepy Hollow.

• The puppets and character designs from Corpse Bride.

• The entire Nightmare Before Christmas room. The Hanging Tree puppet was one of my favorites.

• The carousel and wall paintings in the blacklight annex.

• And these guys:



It's a sooper fun and inspiring exhibit and you'd be crazy to miss it.
Personally, I would have killed to go to the opening night party and maybe possibly meet Mr. Burton in person.

Although I kinda did once...
When I stood in line at Barnes and Noble to get him to sign my copy of this:


And he DID!
See?


But believe it or not, that's not my most prized bit of Tim Burton ephemera.
This is:


Si. si, senors and senoritas.

That IS a Jack Skellington head cast from the original mold!
The very first time I went to the Ottawa International Animation festival I met a stop motion animator who had worked at Skellingtom studios and he just so happened to have a couple of these in his pocket.
And for reasons I don't quite remember he was kind enough to give me one!
(perhaps I bought him a couple root beers?)
(or threatened him with my king-fu powers?)
I keep it in the pocket of a fancy schmancy going-out-on-the-town winter coat that I don't get to wear too often.
(especially here in LA)
But when I do wear it,
and reach into the pocket,
I can't help but smile when I find good ol' Jack in there.