Tim Burton’s first film

On Halloween night 1983, The Disney Channel aired Tim Burton’s Hansel and Gretel. Thought to be lost since, the 35-minute adaptation of the German folktale has resurfaced on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a8xX9uVXg0

Burton was 25 at the time, and was not even a shadow of the creative legend he is today, with only a few animated shorts credited to his name at the time.

The film uses all amateur Japanese cast and was shot on 16mm film, much like old martial arts films, emphasising Burton’s fascination and love for Japan and Japanese cinema.

I’m sure this is something any Burton fan can appreciate. It’s pretty much just as weird as anything else he’s made, which makes it awesome!

Here’s what a representative of The Walt Disney Company had to say about the film on IMDb:

Contrary to popular belief, this film contains no animation. Tim Burton’s “Hansel and Gretel” is a live action film short featuring Japanese actors and striking set designs reminiscent of his later work in films such as “Beetle Juice” and “Edward Scissorhands”.

Click here to view the listing for Hansel and Gretel by Tim Burton on IMDb.

Click here to view more work by Kevin Mangaroo

About the Author: Stephen is a guy who believes that you should tell anyone who says you’re not creative to eat shit. Even Tim Burton was fired from Disney because his stuff wasn’t appropriate. Look at him now.