Wednesday director Tim Burton has a long list of spooky movies under his belt, and the signature style he’s developed throughout his career is very much on display in the new series.
The story follows Jenna Ortega as the new Wednesday Addams, the sole daughter in the Addams Family with a penchant for causing chaos. In the first episode of the series, one of her retaliatory tactics against the boys at her school sees her sent her to Nevermore Academy, a school for supernaturally gifted youngsters, to set her straight. Instead, she finds herself involved in a murder mystery and a monster hunt as she tries to save the school and the town of Jericho.
These are all the signature Tim Burton elements found in Wednesday.
The Hyde monster
Throughout the series, Wednesday puts the clues together to figure out who the Hyde monster is, and its aesthetic is noticeably Tim Burton-esque. It’s got large, bulging eyes, and an unhealthy complexion that’s seen throughout his work. It seems like it was ripped out of the sketchbook pages from The Nightmare Before Christmas or Corpse Bride, and it works for this series. It gives it a more distinct vibe compared to other teen-horror shows which would likely go for something more modernized and sleek. That just wouldn’t be Burton.
The music
Burton’s longtime collaborator composer Danny Elfman is back with his signature sound. Their first team-up was on Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, and they kept it going with Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, and Alice in Wonderland. Elfman’s and Burton’s styles have become somewhat entwined; when one thinks of the aforementioned movies, a song likely comes to mind and it fits perfectly with Burton’s visuals. They clearly figured out what works for them and Wednesday fits right in with their other aforementioned titles.
Christina Ricci
You can’t talk about Wednesday Addams without talking about Christina Ricci. She made the role iconic in Addams Family Values and she’s featured in the new series as Marilyn Thornhill, nevermore’s botanical sciences teacher, but this isn’t the first time she’s worked with Burton. Ricci also starred as Katrina Van Tassell in Sleepy Hollow, directed by Burton. Ricci is a mainstay in these dark tales and her role as a “Normie” teacher with secrets of her own suited her abilities well. If all goes well (or terribly), hopefully, Ricci will return for season two.
The Poe Cup
In Wednesday, season one, episode two, “Woe Is the Loneliest Number,” Nevermore has a boat race between four teams. After some begging from Wednesday’s cheery roommate Enid (Emma Myers), she agrees to take part in it, and Wednesday lucks out and finds the clues she needs to learn more about Jericho’s sordid past. The boats used for this treacherous competition had some interesting design choices that immediately caught the eye. Two of which in particular, named the Black Cats and the Cask of Amontillado, had striking resemblances to characters in Burton’s Batman Returns. The Black Cats brought to mind Michelle Pfeiffer’s iconic role as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and the Cask of Amontillado, which had design choices similar to Michael Keaton’s as the titular character.
The shrunken head in Principle Weem’s office
Principal Weems, played by Game of Thrones and The Sandman actress Gwendoline Christie, did her best to keep Wednesday in line. As anyone might have guessed, that didn’t turn out well, and they had a very combative relationship because of their differing opinions. The principal’s office had an assorted and strange collection, one of which was a tiny shrunken head in glass. In Beetlejuice (also played by Keaton), the outlandish character has powder sprinkled on him by the Witch Doctor, and his head is shrunken as a result. This was one of many sight gags in this movie, but it stands out as a particularly memorable moment.
Taxidermy shop
In an interview for Netflix’s Tudum, production designer Mark Scruton discussed what it was like working with Burton and how the art designers went about including the references. The taxidermy shop Uriah’s Heap had mice dressed up as various characters from Tim Burton’s movies. Said Scruton, “It’s always a fine line on those because you don’t want to end up right behind someone’s shoulder in a shot. But they’re all there. In the taxidermy [shop] Uriah’s Heap, we [have] little mice that reflected some of Tim’s movies that you might be able to spot.”
