Once upon a time, there was a little boy named Tim who escaped the banality of his ordinary suburban existence in Burbank, California by conjuring up dark and fantastic visions in his own mind, visions that he brought to life with pen and paper or stop-motion short films. As a grown-up, Tim briefly brought his significant artistic talent to the Walt Disney company, but the bright and happy Mouse House proved an ill-match, so he struck out on his own, parlaying the success of his well-received short Frankenweenie into a feature directing assignment, 1985's Pee-wee's Big Adventure. The surprise success of that oddball comedy led to more gigs: among them, Beetlejuice, Batman and Edward Scissorhands, all successful and all distinct examples of a specific artistic vision. More importantly, his films connected with a very particular audience of outsiders and misfits -- viewers who felt marginalized by both the film industry and society at large. Here, at last, was a mainstream filmmaker who empathized with their plight and celebrated their oddity. He made it okay to be different, whether you were an overgrown man-child, a ghost, a traumatized man who dresses up in a rubber batsuit or a warm-hearted, pale-faced guy with scissors for hands.

Tags: Dark Shadows

Peanut butter and chocolate. Smoking jackets and elderly playboys. Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. What do these pairs have in common? Each half goes so well and so often with its companion that their combination seems not only natural, but expected. Add the pairing of "vampires and soap operas" to that list as Depp and Burton team up once again, this time to bring Dark Shadows to the big screen, according to a report at IESB.

Tags: Dark Shadows, Days Of Our Lives, Edward Scissorhands, Johnny Depp, Passions, Tim Burton