For proof Tim Burton's sensibilities were just as odd back in 1983, a long-lost "Hansel and Gretel" short film the director made for the Disney Channel has resurfaced online. It would be another two years before Burton helmed his first feature-length movie ("Pee Wee's Big Adventure"), and by the time his "Hansel and Gretel" aired on Halloween night, the Disney Channel was only six months old. Naturally, "experimental" sounds like an understatement when describing this half-hour take on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale.
Made on a budget of $100,000, the film has made its way into art exhibits in recent years, but Disney shelved it after the initial airing and it's been largely unseen since -- until now. Watch the bizareness unfold below, and see what early Burton tropes (monsters' zany eyes, spinning spirals) you can detect.
Made on a budget of $100,000, the film has made its way into art exhibits in recent years, but Disney shelved it after the initial airing and it's been largely unseen since -- until now. Watch the bizareness unfold below, and see what early Burton tropes (monsters' zany eyes, spinning spirals) you can detect.