The World of Tim Burton comes to Hong Kong: sketches and doodles

There’s a saying that all children are born creative, but we simply grow out, or worse, education removes it. Director Tim Burton is one of the very few who has retained the unrestrained imagination of a child and is able to project that onto the big screen.

In a touring exhibition that showcases mostly drawings and sketches, Hongkongers can now catch a glimpse of the creative mind behind films such as Beetlejuice (1988) and Corpse Bride (2005).

And a glimpse it is. “The World of Tim Burton” has visited six major cultural hubs including Paris, Shanghai, Tokyo and Toronto and drawn criticism, mostly for its superficiality.

The exhibition was originally curated for Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York in 2009, where Burton’s works were displayed alongside those of artists such as Claude Monet and William Kentridge.

A New York Times critic called the exhibition a “let-down” as “there is a sameness to all Burton’s two- and three-dimensional output that makes for a monotonous viewing experience.”

A critic from The Guardian said: “Impressive stuff for a teenager, no question, but it leaves the show feeling awfully samey.” And a Sydney Morning Herald review said: “It shows [visitors] some pretty costumes without much revelation about the creative process.”