Everyone knows that Tim Burton is a little on the Wacky side, especially due to his extremely strange films, like Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands. However, nobody can deny the genius of his work. This incredible Illustrator, Painter, Producer, Screenwriter and Director was born on August 25, 1958. He studied at the California Institute of Arts, played around with Disney animations for a while, and then finally decided to make a name of his own. At present, he is known, and appreciated for his horror & fantasy themes (movies like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and Batman).  To honor Tim Burton we decided to share 6 things that you will probably see in almost every movie directed by him.

1. The Flashbacks

There is no better way of explaining a character’s pain, emotions and suffering than with a flashback. And Tim Burton sure loves his flashbacks. Let’s take a look at a few examples:

In Sleepy Hollow, Ichabod Crane dreams about his mother’s death. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Willy Wonka has several flashbacks of his sad candy-free past. The epitome of flashbacks is the Big Fish movie where everything is a flashback. The same thing happens in Batman (Bruce Wayne dreams of his parents), in Alice in Wonderland (Alice remembers her past), in The Corpse Bride (where Emily sings about her death) etc.

2. The Incredibly Kind Parent Figure

Tim Burton’s movies may be teeming with insane creatures and strange events, but it also has some great parent figures. There is always someone there to support and encourage the neurotic artist or sad protagonist. In Edward Scissorhands we have The Inventor, in Beetlejuice there are Barbara and Adam, in Planet of the Apes we see Karubi, in Batman & Batman Returns we have the faithful Alfred, and in the Corpse Bride we recognize Elder Gutknecht.

3. The Innocent Blonde Beauty

I can’t remember how many blonde beauties I have seen in Tim Burton’s movies. He seems to have such an obsession with them that he would use wig on countless brunettes and have them get the perfect bleached, sin-free look. Here are a few examples of Blonde Ingenue characters: Kim (Edward Scissorhands), Johanna (Sweeney Todd), Daena (Planet of the Apes), Sandra Bloom (Big Fish), Katrina Van Tassel (Sleepy Hollow) and The White Queen (Alice in Wonderland).

4. The Skittish Outcast

Number four on our list of things you will see in Tim Burton movies is the twitchy outcast. There is no need to elaborate more on this subject. Let’s simply remember the names of Beetlejuice, Pee Wee, Ichabod Crane, Willy Wonka, Sweeney Todd, Barnabas Collins and the unforgettable Edward Scissorhands.

5. The Witch

Another type of character that appears in nearly every Tim Burton Movie is the witch. Whether she is good or evil, the witch is always present to entertain. Each and every one of Tim Burton’s witches is unique and intimidating. They are also extremely powerful. We have Angelique Bouchard in Dark Shadows, The Witch in the Big Fish, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Catwoman in Batman Returns, The Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland, and of course, Lady Van Tassel in Sleepy Hollow.

6. The Same Actors

Like Quentin Tarantino, Tim Burton also loves to cast the same actors in his many movies. Here are a few guys, and ladies, that pop up in nearly every one of his movies: the impossibly sexy Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham-Carter, Jeffrey Jones, Cristopher Lee, and Winona Ryder (who only appeared in two or three movies).

These are the six things that appear in almost every Tim Burton movie. There are several other examples of recurring themes like the Monster which is always present, the Scary face and the Rebellious Young Lady.