Behind The Scenes

Batman Returns - Creating the Penguin

Behind the Scenes of Batman Returns - Creating the Penguin - Tim Burton, Danny DeVito & Stan Winston collaborate to create another iconic character.

December 16, 2023
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Batman Returns - Creating the Penguin

Creating the Penguin for Batman Returns

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. 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.1

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(Danny DeVito as the Penguin in a makeup test at Stan Winston Studio.)

The Design Process for the Penguin

Stan Winston Studio supervisors and co-founders of Legacy Effects, Shane Mahan and John Rosengrant, were specifically assigned to the task of creating a face that would not only be a bizarre take on the traditional Penguin look but would also match the grotesque Penguin body design.2

(John Rosengrant does his best Penguin impersonation while he works on Danny DeVito's Penguin makeup at SWS.)

(Shane Mahan sculpts the Penguin's prosthetic on a lifecast of Danny DeVito.)

Key SWS concept artist Mark 'Crash' McCreery, starting from Burton's sketches of the character, rendered a series of drawings of a jowly villain with a monocle and beakish nose. Portrait-quality sketches of Danny DeVito were also rendered from different angles, over which the Penguin features were drawn to match the actor's face.2

(SWS concept artist Mark 'Crash' McCreery's renderings of Danny DeVito as Penguin.)

The philosophy behind the makeup was that the final look should not obliterate the actor. "After the illustration phase, we made some plastic shells of DeVito's face from a lifecast," Shane Mahan explained. "Then, with John, myself, and Stan helping out, we blocked out five or six different nose shapes, little plastic plant-on appliances. We'd take the plastic shell heads over to Warner's costume shop where they were constructing the Penguin body, and we'd put the heads up, and Tim could make adjustments from there."2

(Some of the Penguin prosthetics applied to plastic shell heads at Stan Winston Studio.)

(Another view of the Penguin prosthetic variations at Stan Winston Studio.)

Winston sculpted a more complex Penguin look in clay. "The initial concept was just a pointy nose," Winston said, "but I wasn't really happy with that. So I got my hands back in the clay, which I love, and started playing with the look myself. Years ago, for the Michael Jackson film The Wiz, I had created crow characters with enormous beak faces, which involved whole forehead and brow appliances. I'd always loved that design, and although crows had nothing to do with penguins, I felt I could use a similar concept for the Penguin. That turned out to be the look that was selected."1

(Director Tim Burton studies one of the Penguin prosthetic options along with the full wardrobe created by the film's costume department.)

The teeth were also a key element of the overall makeup design. "Tim Burton and Danny DeVito wanted the teeth to look sharp and menacing," John Rosengrant stated, "yet rotten and neglected looking since the character lived underground where there was no dental program. There were several sets of teeth for DeVito to try on, each with a little different look."2

(Different teeth appliances made for Danny DeVito to complete the Penguin makeup.)

The teeth used for the film included both a full frontal piece and a lower set of teeth that were very long and uneven. "The rest of his teeth were colored with traditional tooth enamel colors to help blend the pieces," said Mahan. "The teeth really completed the makeup. Normal teeth would have lessened the impact of that stark, gruesome makeup."2

Transforming Danny DeVito Into the Penguin

John Rosengrant and Shane Mahan oversaw the building of the final makeup, which was applied on set by Ve Neill, who had previously worked with the same team applying Johnny Depp's character makeup for Edward Scissorhands.2

The Penguin makeup included a T-shaped nose-lip-and-brow appliance, rotten, crooked teeth, white skin, and dark-circled eyes. "I remember the night that Shane, Ve Neill, and I first tested the makeup on Danny DeVito," Rosengrant said. "It was such a blast to watch Danny transform into the Penguin. We could see it happening right before our eyes."1

(Danny DeVito and Stan Winston keep it light during the Penguin makeup test for Batman Returns.)

(SWS makeup artist Eileen Kastner-Delago, John Rosengrant and Shane Mahan apply the Penguin prosthetic to Danny DeVito. )

The Winston crew noted that the final look of the character, with his ghostly pallor and dark circles around the eyes, was very much in keeping with the aesthetic of all the other weird characters inhabiting the Burton pantheon. "That look seems to be a theme running through all of his films, like Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands," Rosengrant noted. "Tim Burton likes German Expressionism, which has that kind of look, with the white face and black lips. But it works. It's his vision."2

(Danny DeVito getting into character to test the Penguin's makeup.)

(Tim Burton stands behind his newest creation at Stan Winston Studio, The Penguin, as personified by Danny DeVito.)

Danny DeVito Embodies the Anti-Social Character

Supporting the expressionistic makeup was the Penguin costume, designed by Bob Ringwood and Mary Vogt and executed by costume effects supervisor Vin Burnham. The wardrobe team also designed a new bat suit and Catwoman's catsuit for the film. With the Penguin makeup and costume completed, it was up to DeVito to breathe life into the character.2

(Danny DeVito in full makeup and costume for the Batman Returns makeup test at Stan Winston Studio.)

To maintain secrecy regarding the Penguin character, DeVito was forbidden to describe the makeup to anyone outside the production, including family members — although photographs of the actor in his Penguin guise did run in a tabloid publication once production started. Despite the leak, the makeup had its intended effect on audiences and even on fellow cast members during the shoot.1

(Eileen Kastner-Delago touches up Danny DeVito during the Penguin makeup test.)

"No one would talk to Danny on the set because he scared everybody," Tim Burton said. "I don't know if that was his usual way of working, but there was a point where he just clicked into it and was completely this character who was totally antisocial, who had been out of the loop a little too long. Danny was 100 percent into the transformation. With the makeup and all, it was a complete creation."1

(Danny DeVito in full makeup and costume for the Batman Returns makeup test.)

(Danny DeVito models the penguin makeup and grimy long underwear for the Batman Returns makeup test.)

Creating Characters with Special Effects Makeup

Stan Winston, Ve Neill, and makeup artist Ronnie Specter were nominated for an Oscar for best makeup for Batman Returns, but the most meaningful commendation for their work came from Danny DeVito years later. "When we were working with Danny on Big Fish [2003]," Shane Mahan said, "he told us that when he'd done the voice-over sessions for Batman Returns, it was much harder for him to find the character without the makeup on. So he actually went to the trouble of having the makeup put on him for the voice-over work just to help him get into the character. That was a big compliment to us."1

(Danny DeVito as the Penguin in Batman Returns. Image courtesy of Warner Bros.)

- Blog assembled by Adrienn Lingurár with selections from:

1. The Winston Effect: The Art and History of Stan Winston Studio by Jody Duncan

2. CINEFEX #51: A Knight at the Zoo by Mark Cotta Vaz

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