BurtonVerse: Behind the Scenes

Abbreviations used are as follows:

Fw84 = Frankenweenie (1984)

PwBA = Pee-wee's Big Adventure

ES = Edward Scissorhands

BR = Batman Returns

TNBC = The Nightmare Before Christmas

EW = Ed Wood

MA! = Mars Attacks!

SH = Sleepy Hollow

POTA = Planet of the Apes

BF = Big Fish

CATCF = Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

CB = Corpse Bride

ST = Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

AIW = Alice in Wonderland

DS = Dark Shadows

Fw12 = Frankenweenie (2012)

BE = Big Eyes

MP = Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

It's best to watch the show before peeking backstage. Please click here to read my BurtonVerse theory.

For those who want to know, before I began exploring the possibility of a shared continuity, I set some rules: 1) Only films, including the two commercially available shorts, directed by Tim Burton are to be considered, but none merely produced by him with the exception of The Nightmare Before Christmas, because it is also based on his story and characters including design. Sequels to his films, such as Big Top Pee-wee and Alice Through the Looking Glass, might take place in the same universe, but were not explored and would be excluded if found to contradict. 2) What I call the Doppelgänger Clause explains the large number of repeat actors. Typically connected by an unknown common ancestor and usually distantly related, there are times the relation may be closer. It is also fitting for the mind of Tim Burton there would be so many doppelgängers. 3) All biopics have fictitious elements, so there is no inherent issue with the events of Ed Wood and Big Eyes sharing continuity with a Headless Hessian, Martian attack, etc. 4) Unless established by onscreen text or other visual clues, a film's year of release is its time setting. 5) Characters are the actor's real-world age at the time of release unless established otherwise. From these rules, I followed an intricate process including formulating a timeline as a foundation, generalizing each film's contribution to overall world-building, integrating these contributions, and finally watching each film while making both general notes and answering specific questions I had had during the process. 

A peek behind the curtain: Below is more or less the timeline I established. To estimate some dates, other sources were consulted, as noted. It was only tweaked a bit after my watch-through. The format is: year(s) / event(s) / film / (brief note if necessary).

1760 / The Collins family moves to America & establish Collinsport, ME / DS

1775-1776 / Barnabas Collins spurns Angelique Bouchard, who curses him to be a vampire & ruins his life before the town buries him / DS

1779 / Hessian Horseman beheaded in winter / SH

1789 / Gotham City founded / Batman

1799 / Events involving a Headless Hessian Horseman / SH

1831 / Benjamin Barker falsely convicted & exiled to Australia / ST

1846 / Events on Fleet Street in London / ST / (according to real-world musical)

1858 / Alice Kingsleigh's first visit to Underland / AIW

c. 1868 / Emily is murdered by Lord Barkis Bittern / CB

1871 / Alice returns to Underland / AIW / (Alice Through the Looking Glass: 1874)

c. 1871 / Events in English village & its Land of the Dead mirror / CB / (Victorian era, nearly arbitrary otherwise)

1919 / Events related to a flying elephant / Dumbo / (post-WWI)

1932 / Edward Bloom sees his death in the witch's glass eye / BF

1943 / Time loop of Miss Peregrine's home / MP

1944 / E. Bloom leaves Ashton, AL w/Karl & finds Spectre after taking different paths / BF

1948 / E. Bloom reunites w/Karl, they join Calloway Circus so he can learn a detail a week about Sandra Templeton from Amos Calloway / BF

1951 / E. Bloom discovers Amos is a werewolf & saves his life, A. Calloway tells him S. Templeton's name & that she attends Auburn / BF

1952 / E. Bloom drafted into Korean War, Ping & Jing help him escape North Korea / BF

1952-1956 / Events in Hollywood & vicinity / EW / (production of Glen or Glenda through Ed Wood's wedding to Kathy O'Hara)

1958 / Margaret Ulrich leaves husband, meets Walter Keane & they marry shortly after / BE

1959 / Oswald Cobblepot is dumped by parents shortly after birth / BR

1963 / E. Bloom unwittingly robs bank w/Norther Winslow / BF

1964 / Exploited by W. Keane for years, Margaret Keane is forced to paint mural for NY World's Fair, but they back out of exhibit / BE

1965 / M. Keane has left W. Keane & living in Honolulu, HI w/daughter Jane; sues W. Keane for slander & wins, proving herself the true artist / BE

1966 / Events in New Holland, PA / Fw12 / (based on technology and rereleased Bambi playing at theatre)

1967 / Thomas & Martha Wayne murdered by Jack Napier / Batman / (newspaper date: Thursday, October 19)

1968 / E. Bloom buys most of Spectre to save from bankruptcy / BF

1972 / Remainder of events in Collinsport, ME / DS

1982 / Vincent Malloy is diagnosed and reflects on his childhood through verse / Vincent

1984 / Events related to a missing bicycle / PwBA / (Tenth anniversary of Large Marge's death)

1984 / Victor Frankenstein releases his short film based on events in New Holland / Fw84

1985 / Willy Wonka opens his candy store, the precursor to his factory / CATCF

1988 / Events in Winter River, CT / Beetlejuice

1989 / Events involving Joker in Gotham City / Batman

1990 / Events involving a man w/scissors for hands / ES

1992 / Events involving Penguin & Catwoman in Gotham City / BR

1993 / Events related to the hijacking of a winter holiday / TNBC

1995 / Events related to a Martian attack / MA! / (Beginning Tuesday, May 9)

2000 / Will Bloom's wedding party & beginning of estrangement from father, E. Bloom / BF

2003 / W. Bloom reunites w/E. Bloom just prior to the latter dying from cancer / BF

2005 / Events related to Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket contest / CATCF / (Mike Teavee's wardrobe & FPS video game)

2016 / Remainder of events related to some peculiar children / MP

2029 / Capt. Leo Davidson & team investigate disrupting electromagnetic storm / POTA

2029A / Capt. Davidson crashes on an alternate Earth / POTA

c. 2050 / Kim Boggs tells the story of a man w/scissors for hands to granddaughter / ES

5021 / Events on Ashlar, a planet ruled by apes / POTA / (novelization)

Next week...the first part of BurtonVerse Stats & Trivia!