2003's Big Fish is without a doubt an unusual film for Tim Burton. That's no surprise given Steven Spielberg was originally planning to do the film before he dropped out to do 2003's Catch Me If You Can. Burton's reason for doing it was a personal one. While never particularly close to his parents, he was deeply affected by their deaths (His father's death was in October 2000 and his mother's in March 2002). The film's theme of reconciliation between a dying father and his son had special significance for Burton because of this. And, following the production of Planet of the Apes (2001), he wanted to get back to making a smaller film. Not mentioned, Burton enjoyed the script, feeling that it was the first unique story he was offered since 1988's Beetlejuice while also finding appeal in the story's combination of an emotional drama with exaggerated tall tales, which allowed him to tell various stories of different genres. The result was one of Burton's most revered films. Stay tuned!
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