20 Best Tim Burton Movies Ranked (2020)

Whether or not you're a fan, there is no mistaking the mark of Tim Burton. When you see a film by Tim Burton, you can't help but wonder where his imagination has taken him, and you are guaranteed a visually stunning and unique film.

I've compiled a list of his top 20 films:

20. Dark Shadows

Set in 18th-century Maine, Barnabas Collins, played by Johnny Depp, is a rich and powerful playboy, When he breaks the heart of a witch named Angelique, played by Eva Green, she turns Barnabas into a vampire and buries him alive. Barnabas escapes from his tomb 2 centuries later in 1972 and finds his town of Collinsport a very different place.

19. Planet of the Apes

Three astronauts are marooned on a futuristic planet where apes rule and humans are slaves. The astronauts discover that these highly intelligent creatures can walk upright and talk, and they have even established a class system and a political structure. Suddenly, the astronauts realize they are part of an unimportant species and become trapped and imprisoned by the apes.

18. Alice in Wonderland

As a sequel to the original Alice in Wonderland animation, Alice Kingsleigh, played by Mia Wasikowska, is now a teenager with no memory of the place aside from her dreams. While at a garden party for her fiance and herself, she spots a particular white rabbit and falls into a hole after him where she becomes reunited with her friends, the Mad Hatter, played by Johnny Depp, and others. Alice discovers it is her destiny to end the Red Queen's reign of terror.

17. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie Bucket, played by Freddie Highmore and his Grandpa Joe, played by David Kelly, join a small group of Golden Ticket contest winners who get to tour Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. With his Oompa Loompa workers' help, Willy Wonka, played by Johnny Depp, has a hidden reason for the tour, one that he will reveal only after the children show their true nature.

16. James and the Giant Peach

James Henry Trotter, a young orphan, is forced to live with his horrible aunties after his parents are killed by a rhinoceros. James dreams of escaping to New York City.

15. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

This film was based on the novel "Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children," written by Ransom Riggs. When his grandfather leaves, Jake discovers a mystery that spans different worlds and times, a magical place known as Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children. Mystery and danger increase as he gets to know the people of this place and learns about their powers and their enemies. Jake discovers that his own unique peculiarity is the only way he can save his new friends.

14. Sleepy Hollow

In 1799, "Sleepy Hollow" is based on Washington Irving's classic "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." The film mixes horror, fantasy and romance, and characters that dabble in the supernatural.

13. The Nightmare Before Christmas

Jack Skellington, Halloweentown's beloved pumpkin king, has become bored with the same old routine of frightening people in the "real world" year after year. But when Jack stumbles on Christmastown, he gets a new lease on life, and he plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and assuming the role. However, Jack soon discovers that even the best-laid plans can go awry.

12. Mars Attacks

A fleet of Martian spacecraft shows up at the world's major cities, claiming to "come in peace." U.S. President James Dale, played by Jack Nicholson, is assured by science professor Donald Kessler, played by Pierce Brosnan, that the Martians genuinely are on a friendly mission. But when their peaceful meeting ends in the total devastation of the U.S. Congress, the military calls for a full-scale nuclear retaliation.

11. Corpse Bride

While Victor is in a forest practicing his vows for his arranged marriage to Victoria, a tree branch becomes a hand and drags him into the dead's land. He meets Emily, a bride who was murdered for eloping with her lover, who now wants to marry Victor. Victor must escape the land of the dead before his Victoria marries the villainous Barkis Bittern.

10. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

A London barber is wrongly accused of a crime and transported to Australia so the evil Judge Turpin can steal their lovely wife. Returning after 15 years, the now madman calls himself Sweeny Todd, and revenge is on his mind. He applies his razor to unlucky customers and shuttles their bodies down to Mrs. Lovett, who uses them in her meat-pie shop. Though many falls to his blade, he will not be satisfied until he slits Turpin's throat.

9. Frankenweenie

When young Victor Frankenstein, science nerd, and outsider at school, loses his best friend and dog, Sparky, his science teacher gives him an idea of how to jolt old Sparky back to life. The experiment is successful. But when Victor's fellow students steal his secret and use it to resurrect other dead animals, monstrous consequences occur.

8. Big Eyes

Set in the late 1950s and early '60s, artist Walter Keane earns fame and success with portraits of saucer-eyed waifs by taking credit for his wife's work. Margaret is horrified when she discovers Walter is passing off her work as his own, but she is too meek to protest too loudly. It isn't until their divorce, and the lawsuit follows that the truth finally comes out.

7. Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

Pee-wee Herman is an eccentric child-like man who loves his red bicycle and will not sell it to his envious neighbor. While Pee-wee is on holiday visiting his friend Dottie, the bike is stolen. Believing his bike is at the Alamo, Pee-wee sets off on a trip, where he meets many interesting people. Eventually, Pee-wee discovers that his bike is being used in a movie and tries to recover it.

6. Batman

After witnessing his parents' tragic murder as a child, millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne, played by Michael Keaton, chooses fight crime in Gotham City disguised as Batman, striking fear into criminals' hearts. But when a deformed madman, "The Joker," played by Jack Nicholson, takes control of Gotham City's criminal underworld, Batman must face his most ruthless enemy ever while protecting his identity and his love interest, Vicki Vale.

5. Edward Scissorhands

Edward, an animated human being made by a scientist, is suddenly orphaned when the scientist dies before finishing assembling Edward, leaving the young man with a freakish appearance accentuated by the scissor blades he has instead of hands. A kind and loving suburban saleswoman, Peg, discovers Edward and takes him home. But, despite his kindness and artistic talent, Edward's hands make him an outcast.

4. Batman Returns

Penguin, played by Danny DeVito, joins up with businessman Max Shreck, played by Christopher Walken, to take down Batman once and for all. But when Shreck's timid assistant, Selina Kyle, finds out, Shreck tries to kill her. She is then transformed into the sexy Catwoman and teams up with the Penguin and Shreck to destroy Batman, but sparks fly when she confronts him.

3. Beetlejuice

After Barbara and Adam Maitland die in a car accident, they find themselves stuck haunting their country residence, unable to leave the house. When the Deetzes and their teenage daughter Lydia buy the home, the deceased Maitlands attempt to scare them away. Their efforts attract Beetlejuice, who quickly puts Lydia and the Maitland's in danger.

2. Big Fish

William travels to be with his father, Edward Bloom when he falls ill. William's relationship with his father has been strained because of his father's "tall tales." William has always felt that his father wasn't honest with him. Even now, on his deathbed, Edwards speaks of fantasy. Deeply bothered by his father's tales, William, a journalist, starts to investigate his father's stories, and finally begins to understand his father and his stories.

1. Ed Wood

This biopic is about film director Ed Wood who is a Hollywood outcast. His strange and oversized dreams were brought to life with the help of his devoted cast and crew, made up of other Hollywood misfits, who believed in his vision. Despite a lack of critical or commercial success, Ed and his friends managed to create an oddly endearing series of ultra-low-budget films.