Ada Carter.
Tim Burton’s assertions regarding compelled inclusivity are clearly untrue.
Tim Burton, the celebrated director and writer, is often hailed as one of Hollywood’s great talents. His art is easily identifiable, capturing hauntingly beautiful air in all of his films. One could even say that he has invented his own genre. He has produced such classics as Edward Scissorhands, Corpse Bride, and Beetlejuice.
Tim Burton has been criticized for the lack of diversity in his movies, where he casts all-white actors for his animated movies and includes only his voice actors and animations. In “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” the main antagonist, called “The Boogeyman,” is voiced by a Black person, who is the only character of color in Burton’s movies. This character, named after a historically derogatory term used against Black people, is also presented as an unappealing food monster that feeds on gumbo.
The concept of “compelled variety” is a misconception.
Over the course of his profession, Burton has frequently been questioned about his aversion to minorities in numerous interviews, and has provided insubstantial justifications. He has asserted that any character that does not explicitly necessitate a person of color is essentially a role meant for white individuals. During an interview with Bustle News, Burton argued that “diversity is either necessary or unnecessary” for certain projects. Additionally, Burton elaborated that his movies are inspired by his personal dreams, which solely feature individuals of Caucasian descent.
This brings into question the idea of “forced diversity,” a term often used when there is representation of racial minority groups in films that do not entail plotlines directly related to race or racism. The concept of “compelled variety” is a misconception. To claim it to be real, one would have to believe that movies are inherently white, and therefore that the world is inherently white. Burton is one of these ignorant people that believes that his fantastical, dream-like cinematic experience could only feature white people. This mindset is simply narrow-minded and racist.
It is understandable that diversity is “forced” in this case where the concept of race in general seems to be nonexistent in a town that constantly celebrates its Confederate history. Now, it is not to say that her plotline needed to be centered around racism. She is written in order to not be criticized for the lack of diversity, and to not be criticized for the white people in charge. Without the character of Bonnie, the show would be completely white, which has been spoken up by Black audiences who felt more offended. Bonnie doesn’t care about constantly celebrating the fact that her classmates’ ancestors owned slaves. The show is set in a town in the South that proudly celebrates its Confederate history. Except for one white main cast member, the character of Bonnie is played by a Black woman. This is one example of a popular teen drama show from the early 2010s, The Vampire Diaries. Many times, nonwhite characters are incorporated in very inauthentic ways that make POC audiences uncomfortable. Many franchises have attempted, both unsuccessfully and successfully, to become more racially inclusive.
The inclusion of people of different races and ethnicities in filmmaking should be a natural and intuitive aspect. However, it is often argued that the drive for diversity in movies, especially when it comes to minorities, is forced and not always successful. In reality, diversity is frequently mishandled and Hollywood’s elite could easily improve the situation by including more people of color.
This article also appears in our print edition for May 2022.