Yesterday marked the official opening of the massive Tim Burton exhibit at The MoMA, and if early reviews are any indication, it’s not to be missed. Though Burton is known primarily as a Hollywood director, don’t expect to see Batman’s cape and cowl or Edward’s scissorhands encased in any glass here. Instead, this is a collection of older drawings and sketches of both semi and fully realized characters culled straight from the inner recesses of Burton’s madcap mind. Organized in chronological order, the images date back to his lonely childhood in Burbank, and extend well into his career as one of the most successful filmmakers of our generation. And if you can’t make it to New York right away fear not, the retrospective is open until April 26th, 2010. In the meantime, watch Burton talk to the MoMA about the ideas behind his work below.

-Daniel Barna