Cartoonists in the New Yorker magazine have inspired filmmakers from Dreamworks' ‘Shrek,' created by William Steig to Maurice Sendak's creatures from ‘Where the Wild Things Are,' recently interpreted by Spike Jonze. Now it appears that Tim Burton will draw on the illustrations of Charles Addams whose ideas spawned various adaptations.
Burton, the director of the blockbuster Alice in Wonderland, appears to have found a new 3D project to direct as a stop-motion animated film, based on Addams's original ghoulish cartoon drawings of 'The Addams Family'.
Currently an exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York, "Charles Addams's New York" displays the original artwork by the legendary cartoonist from the New Yorker. Addams's signature style shows idiosyncratic imagery, macabre characters, twisted situations, and an eerie though amusing viewpoint. A vision compatible with Burton's sensibilities.
Charming yet creepy, Addams watercolors, pencil sketches and cartoons, on exhibit through May 16, demonstrates the weird world of Morticia, Gomez, Uncle Fester, and other mischievous family members show a darker side of New York.
Burton's 3D movie will be based on the original illustrations, not the characters on the popular television sitcom of the1960s or the 1990s' films starring Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston, or the Broadway musical with Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth opening this spring.
Rights to the images were acquired from Kevin Miserocchi of the Tee and Charles Addams Foundation and author of ‘Charles Addams: The Addams Family: An Evilution,' to be published by Pomegranate on March 31.
Burton's sketches and artwork are on display at the Museum of Modern Art through April 26. His animated films include Corpse Bride, The Nightmare Before Christmas and the upcoming Frankenweenie, which expands on his 1984 short film, a cult favorite, into a feature-length film.
RC
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