TIM BURTON AND CREAMS

TOP 5 TIM BURTON FILMS WITH HIDDEN LIFE LESSONS 

September brings back a wave of melancholy for the summer gone by and those back-to-school memories of our youth. And to feed that millennial nostalgia, Beetlejuice 2 by Tim Burton is hitting cinemas this weekend.

Yes, we know it's a bit obvious, but here at Siwon, we’re absolutely buzzing about Tim Burton. We grew up with his films. So today, we’re taking a moment to look back at our top 5 from this director and uncover the colourful morals and aesthetic hacks hidden within those dark movies.

TOP 5 TIM BURTON FILMS THAT SHAPED US WITH THEIR HIDDEN MESSAGES 

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS – OR THE MIDLIFE CRISIS

Even though it was directed by Henry Selick, this film is based on a poem/story by Tim Burton. A true DISNEY classic! From 1993! A dark and gothic tale where a skeletal puppet goes through a full-on midlife crisis: Jack Skellington, the undisputed king of Halloween, at the peak of his career and life... feels empty and wants to reinvent himself; start over. A bit like those who bleach their hair platinum blonde and buy a camper van to tour Europe. We’d have told Jack to... chill out a bit. Both in his face and his attitude. Like with our Dragon Shot moisturiser, to help you let go, cut yourself some slack, and appreciate yourself more before it’s too late. But of course, without that, we wouldn’t have this absolute classic.

BIG FISH – OR FINALLY UNDERSTANDING YOUR PARENTS 

The most tear-jerking of all his films (the final scene will have you reaching for the tissues) and, without giving too much away, it’s about reconciling with your parents, highlighting the irreplaceable role of storytellers in society (and in life!) and how trying to bring a bit of fiction into reality is always more fun. If you, too, struggled to understand the baggage your parents carried and couldn’t piece it all together until a certain age, this film will hit you right in the feels—hard. And if you don’t want to end up looking like your dad, at least when it comes to your skin, you should start using our Wowyoung night serum with retinol to pause the clock on your face. 

BEETLEJUICE – OR HOW NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN

Dark humour and cheeky quips, iconic scenes like the banana dance... Michael Keaton playing the anti-hero (before he went on to be Batman in another Tim Burton film just months later). A riot of spectral colours, outfits that are still referenced today... and in the form of a black comedy, it tells a story about clinging to parts of ourselves that are long gone and will never return. Between exorcisms, possessions, and 90s special effects, this film is about the mad attempts we've all made to hold onto things that stopped being ours long ago, instead of moving forward (towards the light or into a co-living space between ghosts and humans; whatever your new self prefers). By the way, the entire cast could have done with our Banzeye multifunctional eye cream to tackle those panda eyes caused by all the dead and jump scares.

MARS ATTACKS! – OR THE REAL HEROES ARE THE “ORDINARY” PEOPLE

An underrated but brilliant film. A parody of 1950s alien invasion movies; an endless collection of memes that highlight what really matters: Tom Jones, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, or Sarah Jessica Parker’s head attached to a Chihuahua’s body? No, the heroes are the “ordinary” folks. A story of humanity? No, if the Martians land, they’re the stars. A film where institutions and privilege live up to their monologues? No, it’s a film where simplicity and randomness win the day. If you’re a Martian walking among us and would rather pass as a sexy Earthling, we recommend our Handsomfyer, which hides imperfections and evens out your skin tone to make you look more human and less weird.

EDWARD SCISSORHANDS – OR THE TALE OF THE MISUNDERSTOOD

Edward Scissorhands has a bit of Frankenstein in him; a bit of black-and-white Pinocchio. A creature with more feelings and spontaneity than the entire suburban neighbourhood he ends up living in. A film about the misunderstood, the outsiders, the oddballs... who don’t quite fit into the mould of what’s expected of them and react as best they can: with creativity, with silence, with rage... Those of us who’ve ever felt misunderstood (in our teenage years, in young adulthood, always...) will see ourselves mirrored in this guy with static hair and shopping channel knives for hands. Even Edward (and us) could have done with a dose of our Tan-Tan-Go, the self-tanning day serum, to bring a bit of warmth and joy to that pale face his gloomy castle gave him. 

In the end, Tim Burton’s tales aren’t just the visual soundtrack of a generation like ours. They were also the first metaphors that stuck with us about what it felt like to be a teenager, to be different, to cope with the death of a loved one, or to go through that moment in life when you think... is that it? Powerful emotional lessons wrapped up in eerie, twisted, gothic figures that told us the most human stories of all. And all this... before mindfulness or TikTok therapists were even a thing.

TOP 5 TIM BURTON FILMS WITH HIDDEN LIFE LESSONS

September brings back a wave of melancholy for the summer gone by and those back-to-school memories of our youth. And to feed that millennial nostalgia, Beetlejuice 2 by Tim Burton is hitting cinemas this weekend.

Yes, we know it's a bit obvious, but here at Siwon, we’re absolutely buzzing about Tim Burton. We grew up with his films. So today, we’re taking a moment to look back at our top 5 from this director and uncover the colourful morals and aesthetic hacks hidden within those dark movies.

TOP 5 TIM BURTON FILMS THAT SHAPED US WITH THEIR HIDDEN MESSAGES

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS – OR THE MIDLIFE CRISIS

Even though it was directed by Henry Selick, this film is based on a poem/story by Tim Burton. A true DISNEY classic! From 1993! A dark and gothic tale where a skeletal puppet goes through a full-on midlife crisis: Jack Skellington, the undisputed king of Halloween, at the peak of his career and life... feels empty and wants to reinvent himself; start over. A bit like those who bleach their hair platinum blonde and buy a camper van to tour Europe. We’d have told Jack to... chill out a bit. Both in his face and his attitude. Like with our Dragon Shot moisturiser, to help you let go, cut yourself some slack, and appreciate yourself more before it’s too late. But of course, without that, we wouldn’t have this absolute classic.

BIG FISH – OR FINALLY UNDERSTANDING YOUR PARENTS

The most tear-jerking of all his films (the final scene will have you reaching for the tissues) and, without giving too much away, it’s about reconciling with your parents, highlighting the irreplaceable role of storytellers in society (and in life!) and how trying to bring a bit of fiction into reality is always more fun. If you, too, struggled to understand the baggage your parents carried and couldn’t piece it all together until a certain age, this film will hit you right in the feels—hard. And if you don’t want to end up looking like your dad, at least when it comes to your skin, you should start using our Wowyoung night serum with retinol to pause the clock on your face.

BEETLEJUICE – OR HOW NOTHING WILL EVER BE THE SAME AGAIN

Dark humour and cheeky quips, iconic scenes like the banana dance... Michael Keaton playing the anti-hero (before he went on to be Batman in another Tim Burton film just months later). A riot of spectral colours, outfits that are still referenced today... and in the form of a black comedy, it tells a story about clinging to parts of ourselves that are long gone and will never return. Between exorcisms, possessions, and 90s special effects, this film is about the mad attempts we've all made to hold onto things that stopped being ours long ago, instead of moving forward (towards the light or into a co-living space between ghosts and humans; whatever your new self prefers). By the way, the entire cast could have done with our Banzeye multifunctional eye cream to tackle those panda eyes caused by all the dead and jump scares.

MARS ATTACKS! – OR THE REAL HEROES ARE THE “ORDINARY” PEOPLE

An underrated but brilliant film. A parody of 1950s alien invasion movies; an endless collection of memes that highlight what really matters: Tom Jones, Jack Nicholson, Danny DeVito, or Sarah Jessica Parker’s head attached to a Chihuahua’s body? No, the heroes are the “ordinary” folks. A story of humanity? No, if the Martians land, they’re the stars. A film where institutions and privilege live up to their monologues? No, it’s a film where simplicity and randomness win the day. If you’re a Martian walking among us and would rather pass as a sexy Earthling, we recommend our Handsomfyer, which hides imperfections and evens out your skin tone to make you look more human and less weird.

EDWARD SCISSORHANDS – OR THE TALE OF THE MISUNDERSTOOD

Edward Scissorhands has a bit of Frankenstein in him; a bit of black-and-white Pinocchio. A creature with more feelings and spontaneity than the entire suburban neighbourhood he ends up living in. A film about the misunderstood, the outsiders, the oddballs... who don’t quite fit into the mould of what’s expected of them and react as best they can: with creativity, with silence, with rage... Those of us who’ve ever felt misunderstood (in our teenage years, in young adulthood, always...) will see ourselves mirrored in this guy with static hair and shopping channel knives for hands. Even Edward (and us) could have done with a dose of our Tan-Tan-Go, the self-tanning day serum, to bring a bit of warmth and joy to that pale face his gloomy castle gave him.

In the end, Tim Burton’s tales aren’t just the visual soundtrack of a generation like ours. They were also the first metaphors that stuck with us about what it felt like to be a teenager, to be different, to cope with the death of a loved one, or to go through that moment in life when you think... is that it? Powerful emotional lessons wrapped up in eerie, twisted, gothic figures that told us the most human stories of all. And all this... before mindfulness or TikTok therapists were even a thing.