Wednesday debuted on Netflix in November 2022 to mostly favorable reviews, identifying the path that Tim Burton should have taken with one $296 million fantasy movie. American animator and director Tim Burton directed four out of eight episodes of Wednesday’s first season and also served as executive producer. His imprint was all over the excellent series, giving it a spooky and gothic aesthetic and tone that perfectly suited its subject matter. Contrastingly, out of all of Tim Burton’s movies, one of the least successful may be Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
2016 movie Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children was far from bad – it was lovable and carried all the hallmarks of a Burton classic. It was heavily stylized with rich influences from high camp to German expressionism and may be one of Ella Purnell’s best movies. Plus, its premiere on Netflix proved that it gets the audience vote if not the critics’ vote. But the movie had mixed reviews and could have performed better on its initial release. In general, it appears to be missing some of the vibrancy of the books, and Wednesday shows how it could have been improved.
Wednesday Shows How Tim Burton Should Have Approached Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children May Have Worked Better On TV
The Netflix success of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children demonstrates how it could have used expansion and perhaps had a similar scope to Wednesday. Viewers love the movie and would have welcomed a sequel. A sequel or two, with a trilogy forming an ideal commercial and narrative strategy, would have given the movie more time to develop its characters, expand on its plot points, and build up to a climax of real emotional weight. Wednesday’s TV format would have worked for the movie too – it helped Wednesday increase viewer love and loyalty for its cast.
What Tim Burton’s $296 Million Fantasy Movie Is Missing That Wednesday Isn’t
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children Lacks Depth
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is underrated, as its Netflix success continues to highlight. Ella Purnell’s character was engaging, witty, and charming. As an aerokinetic teenager, she was the perfect love interest for Asa Butterfield’s troubled Jake Portman. But the movie had a huge cast to utilize convincingly, so Jake and Emma’s romance didn’t get the time to develop as much as it could have. The relationship could have used more sucker punch moments, which more focus would have provided. Following Wednesday’s TV format would have helped.
If Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children had sequels, it may have been able to leak more detail into its key relationships, as well as its standout cast members. If it had multiple seasons to tell its story, characters like Olive and Bronwyn could have shone so much more. Tim Burton learned from his previous failures and made his next coming-of-age story a TV show. In this sense, Wednesday succeeds because of Tim Burton’s past mistakes. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children could have been even more intriguing as a TV show. Thankfully, Wednesday arrived to build on its blueprint.