Rick Heinrichs

PRODUCTION DESIGNER PROFILE

Rick Heinrichs’ alma mater was the California Institute of Arts in Valencia,
California. He would later work at Disney where he met Tim Burton. The
two would become regular collaborators over their careers. Heinrichs
would work on a number Burton’s films including: Vincent (1982),
Frankenweenie (1984), Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985) and Beetlejuice (1988)
where he specialised in the production design and as an animation effects
supervisor.

Heinrichs would later in his career work on films such as Edward

Scissorhands (1990), Batman Returns (1992), and the critically
acclaimed stop-motion animation film Nightmare Before
Christmas (1993). His more later work consists of Burtons Dark
Shadows (2012), Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
(2004) and Star Wars The Last Jedi (2017), all of which he was the
production designer.
Much of Heinrichs work appears to include various elements
such as dull, sullen landscapes with little colour and with
exaggerated form. In films such as Nightmare Before
Christmas (1993) and Edward Scissorhands (1990), there is a
noticeable emphasis on swirling patterns and rugged texture
to many of the props and environments to suggest the long
age of such structures; having weathered the eras passed. It
implies a very natural yet peculiar atmosphere and world of
mystery and intrigue.