During its time in production, Big Eyes, the story of Margaret and Walter Keane’s rise to becoming 1950s and ’60s pop art icons, has seen changes in everything from Tim Burton’s role to replacing the film’s leads. Burton, an unabashed fan of Margaret Keane’s work, initially signed on as the film’s producer, only moving into the director’s chair as filming drew closer. As original stars Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Reynolds vacated the parts of Margaret and Walter, respectively, Amy Adams and Christopher Waltz stepped in to bring the Keanes to life. Now, with the film slated for release this Christmas, the first trailer for Big Eyes finds itself offering a vivid glimpse into the lives of the ubiquitous painter and her marketing savvy, credit-stealing husband.
Big Eyes sees Burton reuniting with Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, the writers behind Burton’s previous look into the life of a cult icon, Ed Wood. As befitting his use of black-and-white to mimic Wood’s movies, here Burton uses the lavish colors splashed across Keane’s work as he explores Margaret and Walter’s marriage and partnership—and particularly how it all dissolved into a bitter battle in federal court, as Margaret attempted to claim the credit rightly owed to her. In short, it’s the kind of heartwarming, feel-good film that families will rush out to see on Christmas morning, only to leave parents wondering if they should finally start to take the credit for their years of gift-giving from that glory-hogging Santa Claus.