Big Fish is a 2003 American fantasy drama film directed by Tim Burton. [a] It is based on the 1998 novel Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace. [6] The film stars Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Helena Bonham Carter, Alison Lohman, Robert Guillaume, Marion Cotillard, Steve Buscemi, and Danny DeVito.