Tim Burton reveals the one movie that almost made him retire

It's hard to imagine a world without Tim Burton's films, but it seems we were awfully close to getting there.

The legendary director has helmed a slew of classics from the 1989 Batman to The Nightmare Before Christmas. And has arguably claimed Halloween as his own personal season.

It wouldn't be autumn without a Tim Burton staple gracing our screens, and as the director prepares for the release of his highly anticipated sequel to Beetlejuice (aptly titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), he's had a few words of reflection to share on his past films.

While speaking to Variety, Burton admitted that there was one film in his roster that almost made him consider retiring. Can you guess what it is?

Nope it wasn't Planet of the Apes, but rather Disney's 2019 live-action remake of Dumbo.

"Honestly, after Dumbo I really didn't know," Burton told Variety. "I thought that could have been it, really. I could have retired, or become…well, I wouldn't have become an animator again, that's over," he said with a laugh.

Burton revealed that it was the live-action remake of Dumbo that almost made him retire. (Disney)

"Oftentimes, when you get into Hollywood, you try to be responsible to what you're doing with the budget and everything else but sometimes you might lose yourself a little bit," he added. "This reinforced the feeling for me that it's important that I do what I want to do, because then everybody will benefit."

The five years between Dumbo's release and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice marks the longest break Burton's taken from releasing a film. He addressed the gap to Variety saying, "It felt like there was a change around the time of COVID where everything was just in flux."

The director shared that Wednesday helped him find his creative flair again. (Amy Sussman/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)

"And so, rather than get caught up in that, I just worked on my own feelings and things," he added. The director proceeded to share that it was Netflix's Wednesday that helped him find that creative flair again after Dumbo and the pandemic.

"Wednesday came along. That reconnected me to making things. We went off to Romania and it felt like it was a creative health camp. It went so well," he shared.

Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton return in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. (Warner Bros.)

Beetlejuice's long-awaited sequel sees Michael Keaton reprise the iconic titular role, with Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara also returning to bring the Deetz's back to our screens.

The original cast is also joined by a new star-studded ensemble including Willem Dafoe, Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci, and Justin Theroux.

The sequel is slated to make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on August 28, before hitting theaters on September 6.