Burton's Rejected Children's Book Foreshadowed Future Success

Tim Burton's early days in Burbank, California, laid the groundwork for his future success, but not without some initial setbacks. Before becoming a household name, Burton had aspired to publish a children's book with Walt Disney Productions. In 1976, at just 17 years old, he sent in a rough draft of his book, The Giant Zlig, complete with illustrations.

Although the story followed a giant blue monster bullying smaller creatures in the land of Ziv, it lacked the dark and quirky tones that would become synonymous with Burton's work. Instead, the art was cute and funny, even reminiscent of Dr. Seuss.

The rejection letter from T. Jeanette Kroger, an editor at Walt Disney Productions, explained that while the book was 'beyond my expectations of what a high schooler could produce,' it was 'too derivative of the Seuss works to be marketable.'