10 Weird Secrets Behind Tim Burton Movies

9. Based On A True Story

This might come as a shock to a lot of you, but Burton was a really strange kid. He didn’t really fit in and felt lonely most of the time. So, in an effort to distract himself from loneliness, he turned his focus to creativity.

Any child that has ever felt like the black sheep of their family or community can relate to Edward Scissorhands, and that’s exactly why he exists. Edward was based on a sketch Burton made as a teenager, and he wanted the ‘strange and unusual’ to be able to relate to a character, helping them feel less lonely.

The whole film is loosely based on true events, for example, the town Edward finds solace in is based on his hometown of Burbank, California.

However, Burton is not the only one who had a personal input into this story. Caroline Thompson, who was hired to write the script for the film after Tim read and loved her short story First Born, based the character of Peg on her mother, who was always bringing strangers home.

The two collaborated to create this dark, personal journey and it is evident here that teamwork did make the dream work.