Watch: ‘Creating the Penguin for Batman Returns’ Stan Winston Video
by Alex Billington
December 22, 2023
“Why is there always someone who brings eggs and tomatoes to a speech?” Who remembers this iconic line? One of the most strikingly strange character designs ever to grace the big screen was The Penguin in Tim Burton’s 1992 sequel Batman Returns (his successful follow up to 1989’s Batman). This 90s comic book movie starred Danny DeVito as the fish eatin’, wise crackin’ DC villain – one of the most disgusting characters that haunted me when I was growing up. Still gives me the willies. The legendary Stan Winston and his team at Stan Winston Studio were hired to create a number of unique special effects for Batman Returns, having worked with Tim Burton before, with a focus on The Penguin. Winston is one of the best in the business, and his work is still impressive. Now 31 years later, the Stan Winston School of Character Arts website has posted a fascianting making of look back at the process of designing, creating, and perfecting the Oswald Cobblepot character. This is for all the movie geeks who enjoy getting a peek behind-the-scenes.
Found directly from the Stan Winston School of Character Arts online. Here’s their original intro: “Having previously collaborated on Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton and Stan Winston reteamed to create another iconic character for Batman Returns, Burton’s second exploration of the Batman mythology after his 1989 film Batman. In Batman Returns, the Dark Knight — again played by Michael Keaton — fights attempts by the Penguin (Danny DeVito) to take control of Gotham City. Stan Winston’s primary task was to design and build makeup for the Penguin, creating an appropriately over-the-top Burtonesque look without entirely obliterating DeVito’s features.” Burton’s Batman Returns originally opened in theaters in June 1992 right in the summer movie season. It was a huge hit, opening at #1 and earning a total of $162 million at the box office that year. The Penguin still remains one of the most unforgettable and iconic villain designs found in any comic book movie. For the full making of breakdown, visit Stan Winston School’s website. Cool, right?
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