Tim Burton is an American director, producer, filmmaker and artist. He is best known for his dark, Gothic fantasy and horror films that explore the world of the strange and unusual. With many of his films developing cult followings, Burton is considered one of the most influential filmmakers of all time. Some of his most famous works include Beetlejuice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Corpse Bride (2005), and Frankenweenie (2012).
History with the Macy's Parade[]
In 2011, Tim Burton was chosen as the next artist to be featured in the Blue Sky Gallery, a collection of balloons from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade that combine its signature giant helium balloons, and the artwork of contemporary artists from across the globe. Burton had long been on Parade organizer’s most-wanted list of Blue Sky Gallery artists, however they would step up their recruitment efforts after viewing an inflatable figure named “Balloon Boy” at a retrospective of Mr. Burton’s work at the Museum of Modern Art.[1]
In a meeting with creative director William Schermerhorn and vice president of Macy's Studios, John Piper, Burton was presented with images of past Parade balloons designed by former parade director Tony Sarg, the designs of which aligned with Burton’s taste. Piper and Schermerhorn gave him only one guideline: try and stay away from anything skinny and pointy,[2] as it could not translate into a balloon.
Burton would comment on his involvement with the Parade, saying that “It’s such a surprise to be asked, and it was great. It’s such a surreal thing that you don’t even believe what you’re hearing. Somebody’s trying to play a joke on you or something. That kind of feeling.”[2]
Six different balloon designs were sketched by Burton, with the final design featuring a rotund balloon figure known as B. Boy, or “B.” for short. The balloon was given an origin story, dreamt up by Mr. Burton himself. According to the story, B. was created from leftover party balloons at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. He was forbidden from playing with the other children due to his sharp teeth, prompting him to retreat to the hospital’s basement where he obsessed over the Albert Lamorisse film, The Red Balloon, dreaming that he too would fly someday. [1]
In response to the balloon’s strange and unusual appearance, at-the-time executive producer Amy Kule defended the balloon’s design, saying that although the balloon was made in Burton’s Gothic style, it was “really fun in spirit.”[1]
On Thanksgiving Day 2011, the B. balloon took to the skies of NYC under the watch of its creator, Tim Burton, who watched the procession from the 34th Street grandstands with his family.[3] The balloon made only one appearance in the 2011 Parade, and was last confirmed to exist on a balloon inventory chart in November 2016.[4]
Trivia[]
- The Macy's Parade was parodied in Burton's 1989 film, Batman, in which the Joker takes to the streets of Gotham City with a nightmarish parody of the procession but with the Balloons.
- A musical adaption of Burton's 1988 film, Beetlejuice, performed as a pre-Parade act in 2019, when the cast performed the iconic "Day-O" scene, and the show's opening number, "The Whole Being Dead Thing."
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 https://archive.nytimes.com/artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/tim-burton-sews-up-a-spot-in-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade/
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Silverman, Stephen M., Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: A New York City Holiday Tradition, pg. 15-16
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc_7H3dHEsI
- ↑ https://kadamsbaum.smugmug.com/Macys-Photos/Macys-Studio-Tour-Nov-15-2016/i-tfL7Xrh/A