Tim Burton says it’s ‘really wrong’ to remove offensive language from Roald Dahl books
Director said you could ‘get rid of everybody if you really wanted to’
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Tim Burton has said he is against the removal of offensive language in old books by writers including Roald Dahl and Dr Seuss.
The 66-year-old Beetlejuice director, who is the subject of a new exhibition, called The World of Tim Burton, in London, commented on the impacts of “cancel culture”, as he questioned where the edits would stop.
Books by Dahl including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, Fantastic Mr Fox, and The Witches, have reportedly had passages edited to remove specific descriptions about race, gender, weight, and mental health.
Titles in the Dr Seuss franchise have also been impacted with six stories being withdrawn after Dr Seuss Enterprises determined portrayals of African, Japanese, and Chinese people in the texts were “hurtful and wrong”.
Asked if it was acceptable to rewrite the past to make it more palatable, Burton said “I don’t think so” in a new interview with The Times.
“I think that’s really wrong. I really do,” said the director known for his subversive and spooky style of filming.
He called the writers relatively “modern people” but cautioned that “if you went back in history, you could probably get rid of Picasso, Mozart, get rid of everybody if you really wanted to.”
He continued, “I’m sure all these ancient artists were not, you know, necessarily wonderful people. I mean, there’s something about slightly unhinged creative people.
“We say, ‘Are you happy or not happy?’ Well, you know what, ‘I’m happy or I’m not that happy.’ That’s what work comes from.
“It comes from problems or things you’re working through or depression or whatever. Changing their [an author’s] words? I completely disagree with that. Completely.” He added that he would refuse to change any of his work if asked, saying “Seriously? No. Whatever I did, I did. I don’t regret anything.”
Recently, the Edward Scissorhands director said he would never do another superhero movie again, despite the success of Batman and Batman Returns. The films were huge worldwide box office hits and grossed $600m (£462m) combined upon release in 1989 and 1992 respectively.
“It felt new at the time,” said the Wednesday creator. “There was pressure because it was a big movie and it was a different interpretation of comic books.
“So that was a pressure, but it wasn’t the pressure that you would experience now.”
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