{"id":719,"date":"2024-10-23T12:36:17","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T12:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=719"},"modified":"2024-10-23T12:36:17","modified_gmt":"2024-10-23T12:36:17","slug":"tim-burton-explains-why-his-films-are-full-of-white-people-as-beetlejuice-sequel-branded-racist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=719","title":{"rendered":"Tim Burton Explains Why His Films Are Full Of White People As Beetlejuice Sequel Branded \u2018Racist\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Burton is a director known for pioneering goth culture into the American film industry, with his work being recognized for its distinctive visual style.<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

His most successful work by box office performance is\u00a0Alice in Wonderland<\/em>\u00a0(2010),\u00a0Charlie and the Chocolate Factory<\/em>\u00a0(2005),\u00a0Batman<\/em>\u00a0(1989), and\u00a0Planet of the Apes<\/em>\u00a0(2001).<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

Even through his animated works, such as\u00a0Corpse Bride<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Frankenweenie<\/em>, his characters are known for their ghostly white appearance and sunken pale faces.<\/p>\n

And while Burton is considered one of the world\u2019s most successful directors, with his unique take being praised, he\u2019s also faced criticism for his lack of representation in films.<\/p>\n

\"Tim
Tim Burton\u2019s movies are recognized for their distinctively gothic style. Credit: Alamy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In particular, the director has been scrutinized for the lack of Black actors in his movies.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s become a recurring matter over the years, being noted multiple times \u2013 with one of the earlier mentions dating back to 1993.<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

Although\u00a0directed by Henry Selick,\u00a0The Nightmare Before Christmas<\/em>\u00a0was conceived and produced by Burton.<\/p>\n

In the years following the cult hit, Caroline Thompson, a screenwriter on\u00a0The Nightmare Before Christmas<\/em>\u00a0and various other Burton films, appeared on the film podcast\u00a0Script Apart<\/em>\u00a0and discussed the breakdown of her relationship with Burton, reports\u00a0The Independent.<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

She claims disagreements unfolded regarding the movie\u2019s villain, Oogie Boogie, voiced by Black actor and singer Ken Page.<\/p>\n

Oogie Boogie, depicted as a bug-filled burlap sap with a gambling addiction, is the main antagonist of the stop-motion movie. He lives on the outskirts of Halloween Town and is obsessed with outdoing Jack as the scariest ghoul.<\/p>\n

\"Tim
A screenwriter said she found Oogie Boogie\u2019s name to be \u2018troubling\u2019 and asked Tim Burton for him to \u2018reconsider\u2019 the villain\u2019s name. Credit: Walt Disney Pictures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

On the podcast, Thompson said: \u201cOogie Boogie is a derogatory term for African Americans in the American South. I begged the powers that be to change something about that character, because of that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said: this is so ugly and dangerous and antithetical to everything inside me. I did not win that fight\u2026 It was a troubling part of the film for me, to be frank.\u201d<\/p>\n

She claims she begged Burton to \u2018reconsider\u2019 the character\u2019s name, adding: \u201cI think it\u2019s a fun segment of the story as it was executed but it\u2019s a troubling one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Selick previously stated the character was inspired by the Betty Boop cartoon\u00a0The Old Man of the Mountain<\/i>, elaborating to\u00a0The Daily Beast\u00a0that it \u2018didn\u2019t occur\u2019 to him it could be seen as \u2018racist.\u2019<\/p>\n

According to\u00a0Bustle, the first time a Black actor was cast in a lead role in a Burton movie was in the 2016 film\u00a0Miss Peregrine\u2019s Home for Peculiar Children<\/em>.<\/p>\n

In the fantasy film, Hollywood star Samuel L. Jackson plays the role of the villain Barron.<\/p>\n

\"Tim
Samuel L. Jackson defended Tim Burton when questioned on the director\u2019s work and its lack of diversity. Credit: 20th Century Studios<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

When asked about the lack of diversity in this particular movie, Jackson told Bustle: \u201cI had to go back in my head and go, how many Black characters have been in Tim Burton movies? And I may have been the first, I don\u2019t know, or the most prominent in that particular way, but it happens the way it happens.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s any fault of his or his method of storytelling, it\u2019s just how it\u2019s played out. Tim\u2019s a really great guy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

Again, Burton faced a backlash following the release of the hit\u00a0Netflix\u00a0series\u00a0Wednesday\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 he directed some of the episodes.<\/p>\n

Following the show\u2019s release, people took to social media and questioned why its\u00a0Black stars were portrayed as \u2018bullies.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Tim
Tim Burton was also criticized for Wednesday\u2019s representation of Black characters. Credit: Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

Bianca Barclay (played by Joy Sunday) is deemed a mean girl of the academy while Lucas Walker (Iman Marson) also plays a bully and the son of a corrupt mayor.<\/p>\n

Referencing the characters on X, formerly\u00a0Twitter, one fan said: \u201cI\u2019m loving the new\u00a0Wednesday<\/em>\u00a0series, but why are all the Black actors lit so terribly?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

Another added: \u201cWhy are all the Black characters in\u00a0Wednesday<\/em>\u00a0antagonists? Or did I miss something?\u201d<\/p>\n

Amid the backlash, some came to Burton\u2019s defense, with one fan pointing out: \u201cThe Black girl was also classified as the prettiest most popular girl in the school. A Black girl with NON-Eurocentric features.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, Burton\u2019s work is once again facing scrutiny following the release of\u00a0Beetlejuice<\/em>\u00a0Beetlejuice<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Tim
Tim Burton\u2019s work is once again facing scrutiny following the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One particular scene of the sequel is being called out on\u00a0TikTok, with viewers branding it \u2018racist.\u2019<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I was watching the movie, my thoughts were \u2018He finally hired a lot of Black actors but why only for this segment of the movie?\u2019\u201d one viewer questions.<\/p>\n

Another adds: \u201cDuring those scenes, I felt like it was weirdly disjointed and weirdly shoehorned into the story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

A third TikToker comments: \u201cI\u2019m not Black but I felt like the scene was kind of racist.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I watched it I said \u2018Ohhhhh, okay,\u2019\u201d says someone else.<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

While a fifth person asks: \u201cIsn\u2019t this kind of racist, or is it just me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tim
Some Beetlejuice Beetlejuice viewers were left unimpressed by the film\u2019s \u2018Soul Train\u2019 sequence. Credit: Warner Bros. Studio<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The\u00a0Beetlejuice Beetlejuice<\/em>\u00a0scene in question follows Astrid Deetz (played by Jenna Ortega) as she\u2019s doomed to the \u2018Soul Train\u2019 on the way to the Great Beyond \u2013 where you go where you\u2019re dead\u00a0dead<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

While the \u2018Soul Train\u2019 scene may simply seem fun, it\u2019s actually a nod to the musical variety TV show\u00a0Soul Train<\/em>, which debuted on a local Chicago network in 1970.<\/p>\n

Throughout its history, the program featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip-hop artists, highlighting the joy of Black Americans through dance, style, and culture.<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

In a 2023\u00a0CNN explainer, Brooklyn White-Grier wrote: \u201cIn the middle of the Black Power era and feeding from the civil rights movement,\u00a0Soul Train<\/em>\u00a0provided a fresh opportunity for Black people to see and celebrate themselves. It was the most prominent stage displaying the mingling of sociocultural and political progress \u2013 and an imagining of life unencumbered by white supremacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yet for some, taking into account Burton has frequently been called out for his lack of representation, this \u2018Soul Train\u2019 sequence has come across as disingenuous.<\/p>\n

As one TikToker puts it: \u201cThis whole scene felt like Tim Burton saying \u2018Here, damn!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tim
Tim Burton has been questioned about his films\u2019 lack of diversity. Credit: Alamy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Amid the criticism regarding the \u2018Soul Train\u2019 scene, previous quotes from Burton have surfaced, in which he was asked why his work predominantly features white actors.<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

When questioned by Bustle on his works\u2019 lack of diversity, the director responded: \u201cNowadays, people are talking about it more,\u201d elaborating that \u2018things either call for things, or they don\u2019t.\u2019<\/p>\n

He continued: \u201cI remember back when I was a child watching\u00a0The<\/i>\u00a0Brady<\/i>\u00a0Bunch<\/i>\u00a0and they started to get all politically correct. Like, okay, let\u2019s have an Asian child and a Black. I used to get more offended by that than just\u2026 I grew up watching blaxploitation movies, right? And I said that\u2019s great. I didn\u2019t go like, okay, there should be more white people in these movies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amid the\u00a0Beetlejuice Beetlejuice<\/em>\u00a0criticism, some viewers have leaped to Burton\u2019s defense and praised the \u2018Soul Train\u2019 sequence, with one penning: \u201cI actually felt a piece of amazing Black culture come from the \u2018Soul Train\u2019 scene.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/span><\/p>\n

Agreeing, a second adds: \u201cIt\u2019s literally an innocent scene, this is reaching. I thought this was one of the best scenes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Burton is a director known for pioneering goth culture into the American film industry, with his work being recognized for its distinctive visual style.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":720,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"yoast_head":"\nTim Burton Explains Why His Films Are Full Of White People As Beetlejuice Sequel Branded \u2018Racist\u2019 - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=719\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tim Burton Explains Why His Films Are Full Of White People As Beetlejuice Sequel Branded \u2018Racist\u2019 - 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