An immersive show on the surreal cinematic universe of Tim Burton has just opened in Paris. Take a look inside the "Weird Funhouse" here

When the Museum of Modern Art in New York exposed the surreal worlds of Tim Burton in 2009, the director described the experience of walking through the show as akin to looking at his dirty socks nailed to the wall.

Perhaps the American author got used to the sensation because he lent his eye and considerable artwork to a major exhibition currently on the second leg of a world tour. “Tim Burton’s Labyrinth», staged in Paris Villette Park through August 20, delivers on the title’s promise, taking visitors on a choose-your-own hour-long tour of Burton’s bizarre worlds.

“Immersive experience” may have become a tainted phrase in some circles in the art world, indicative of high cost on edge crowd pleasersbut “Labyrinth” leans. That’s to be expected from Spanish producer Letsgo, known for throwing mega events, and even Burton himself, a creative whose work isn’t best suited to a white-walled environment.

It is not, however, an immersive experience of panoramic screens and dazzling projection cartography. It’s the physics genre – a push of a button, a push of a door, a maze down a rabbit hole – one Burton calls a “strange funhouse.” Under a giant tent inside Villete Park, visitors stumble along one of more than 300 possible maze routes encountering Burton’s full filmography along the way.

Tim Burton. Photo: Fabian Morasut.

“[Visitors] cross from universe to universe. Each room is truly very different and everything in the immersive experience is overseen by Tim Burton. We worked together for a long time on the exhibition”, creative director Álvaro Molina said in a press release.

For Charlie and the chocolate factorythere is a mirror room of twisted candy canes, for The Joker, a wall scribbled with demonic neon laughter, and for The Nightmare Before Christmas, a huge Jack Skellington above a door. From floor to soundscape, each space is a detailed miniature of a Burton universe. Whichever route you choose, organizers promise visitors will encounter their favorite film, including lesser-known Burton debut titles.

A room dedicated to clowns. Photo: Fabian Morasut.

When “Labyrinth” debuted in Madrid last year, Burton said he hoped the exhibit would transport visitors into his creative process. He begins projects with characters, unsure whether they will materialize as animations, sculpts, or live-action characters and here they are woven together, albeit with costumes replacing the actors. Burton notably began his film career as an animator at disney and each piece is accompanied by artwork that informed the film concerned, from early doodles to animated sequences, numbering around 150 in total.

Like most immersive experiences, “Labyrinth” stands as essential viewing for young and old, though it will likely bring out the inner child in most cases.

See more images from “Tim Burton’s Labyrinth” below.

Installation view of “Tim Burton’s Labyrinth”. Photo: Fabian Morasut.

Untitled work by Tim Burton. Courtesy of Tim Burton.

A room in “Tim Burton’s Labyrinth” dedicated to Burton’s poetry collection, The Melancholic Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories. Photo: DR/ TimBurton Experience – Let’s go.