[Review] #KlookTries: Here's A First Look at The World of Tim Burton Pop-up Museum in KL!

If you're a fan of gothic themes and fantasy films, then this name should be familiar to you. The talented Tim Burton has always been known worldwide for his brilliant works, and now you can take a deeper dive into the appreciation of his art from across the years, because the long-awaited The World of Tim Burton pop-up museum has finally opened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!

This international exhibition is entirely dedicated to his cinematic works and original art from his very own personal archive. Finally making its first ever stop in Southeast Asia, the exhibition is located in Pavilion Bukit Jalil, and opens its doors to visitors for 4 months, from 21st March to 30th July 2023.

Back in 2009, the premiere of Burton's art exhibition held at New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) received an astounding crowd of over 800,000 visitors, gathering to see the collection of his childhood sketches, photos, props and film clips. This success sparked the inception of what is now known as The World of Tim Burton, an international touring exhibition, that is now making its first and only Southeast Asian stop in Malaysia, which is also its final stop in Asia.

Through this rare opportunity, the exhibition allows both old and new fans of Tim Burton's work to experience his art up-close and in person, most of them from talented director's very own personal archive! You can expect to see over 500 drawings, videos, maquettes, multimedia art and more here, focusing on recurring themes and motifs that resonate with the unique characters and worlds from his past creations.

The pop-up museum is categorised into 10 themed exhibition sections, which we will dive deeper into later. Each of these sections feature a vast range of Tim Burton's very own paintings, sketches, photographs, videos, multimedia art, as well as sculptures, props and maquettes taken from his personal studio and film sets.

We had the opportunity to be invited to have a first look at the pop-up museum and explore the various exhibits on display here. If you're wondering what to expect at The World of Tim Burton or contemplating a visit, here's our honest review, as well as some highlights and personal recommendations!

Our experience here began as we walked into Figurative Works, the first exhibition area that houses sketches, paintings and sculptures unrelated to Tim Burton's professional projects, some of which are his most personal artworks. We couldn't think of a better way than this to dive deep right into his extraordinary mind.

His depiction of physical reality is highly subjective, blending characters, animals and figures together in his unparalleled style. Some of the works showcased here include his studies for Blue Girl with Wine, Creatures and The Green Man, placed alongside their final paintings and sculptures.

The Film Characters section may very well be one of the more popular ones, especially for fans who are familiar with Tim Burton's films - it was our personal favourite and where we spent the most time at! From his first feature film Pee-wee's Big Adventure to his latest Dumbo, we saw many familiar characters and worlds that we grew up with.

The puppets and maquettes, script notes, paintings, videos and storyboards here show how these iconic film characters were brought to life from Tim Burton's mind. We personally were awestruck with the Corpse Bride maquette - it was surreal to see her out of the screen and in real life!

Unrealized Projects offered us a look into "what could have been". The section name may be pretty explanatory - it included works from Tim Burton's projects that were put on hold at various stages of development, some of which have never progressed beyond the ideation stage, while some others were conceived but without incorporating any of Tim Burton's concepts of the final product.

The drawings and sketches in this section allowed us to have a rare glimpse into previously unknown projects, in which affirm the continuity of Tim Burton's themes and motifs across his work, which also inspired the design of The World of Tim Burton. Not to be missed here are the Pirates Sculptures that depict characters conceived as early as 1980, finally brought to life 40 years later!

The Carnivalesque theme, a mixture between comedy and the grotesque, can be seen throughout Tim Burtons films, from the early Beetlejuice and Batman projects, to the newer Alice in Wonderland and Dark Shadows, as well as in his personal artworks. This section is meant to exemplify his balanced approach to the seemingly opposing horror and humour genres.

Just to paint the picture - think of twisted tongues, eyeballs protruding from their sockets and poisonous clowns, horrifying images that are often accompanied by deadpan wordplay. It's a horrendous, yet hilarious combination that totally works.

The archetypical Misunderstood Outcast is probably the most recognisable theme throughout Tim Burton's films and art - this familiar persona comes in the form of sympathetic monsters that we can find across his various projects, from the stop motion animated short film Vincent, to his 1997 book of drawings and verses that feature misfits such as Stain Boy and the Boy with Nails in his Eyes.

A surprise awaited us inside a seemingly innocent, jolly structure of a house in the corner, decorated with Christmas lights - we won't spoil it for you, so make sure to take a peek! Included in this section also are drawings and the concept maquette for Balloon Boy, a 22-feet tall site-specific installation that MoMA had commissioned during the inaugural presentation of this exhibition tour.

Ever wondered what Tim Burton's workspace may look like? We were delighted when we came across The Artist's Studio, where for the first time ever, a part of his studio is replicated as a way for visitors to experience how the artist's passion and artistic spirit are turned into reality.

This space is where Tim, a solitary artist, spends most of his time drawing, doodling and planning. The sketches and drawings placed on the cork boards feature works related to current projects, including those that he created for the entrance sculpture of Seoul's exhibition, as well as his latest TV series, Wednesday.

At the end of our walkthrough here was Polaroids, the final exhibition area. Back in 1992 to 1999, Tim Burton had used a rare 20x24 large-format instant camera to produce several series of oversized Polaroid prints. The various visual themes and motifs expressed across these prints were ones that have appeared in his films. We recognised many familiar faces and shapes, such as the iconic characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas, as well as the puppets used in Mars Attacks!

After our visit, we realised that we've come to admire Tim Burton even more than we did prior to stepping in. His ideas, thought process and production style of his works are truly one-of-a-kind. He can balance both humour and horror that may seem impossible to put together, as well as Gothic and grotesque themes. This perfect blend of his is what forms his unique creative style.

What made this pop-up museum stand out even more is that everything we saw in there are taken straight from Burton's personal archive and collection - even the coffee stains on the sketch papers and canvases can be seen if you look close enough! If you have been an avid fan of his films and projects, we believe that this is the perfect opportunity for you to get to know more about his world, and you will find that he truly lives up to his reputation for being a brilliant artist.

If you are a fan of Tim Burton and his works, or simply just want to buy something home as a souvenir, we recommend having a look at the official merchandise items on sale at the pop-up store situated right outside the exhibition venue. You can find a variety of items featuring elements of his work, such as T-shirts, pens, tote bags, notebooks, coasters and more. We also bought a few, just 'cause they were such novelty items that are great to buy and add to our collection!

We've got more great news - the great director himself will conduct Tim Burton's Masterclass through an exclusive online video session on the 14th of April 2023, sharing with you his unique creative process and offering participants an even deeper dive into his films and art stories, truly an exclusive course not to be missed! If you are interested, you can go to the official event website to buy VIP tickets and sign up to participate.

How much are the tickets for The World of Tim Burton? The pop-up museum's tickets are divided into several categories, and if you buy them in a bundle of 4 on Klook, you can even enjoy 15% off - that's RM53 saved! 👀

Children aged 5 years and below, as well as babies in arms, can enter for FREE but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. The tickets are also open-dated! This means you can prebook your tickets and choose to go on your preferred date later on, as long as you use your tickets before the exhibition wraps up at the end of July.

📆 Dates: 21 March 2023 - 30 July 2023

⏰ Opening hours: Open daily from 10AM – 10PM (last admission at 9PM)

📍Address: Lot 2.993.00 (Level 2 Orange Zone), Pavilion Bukit Jalil, No. 2 Persiaran Jalil 8, Bukit Jalil, 57000 Kuala Lumpur