The American director, screenwriter, producer, and illustrator was honored during an emotional ceremony in front of his favorite store, as he highlighted in his speech.

At his side were his partner Monica Bellucci, Danny DeVito, Deep Roy, and costume designer Colleen Atwood, while the stars of the movie Beetlejuice, Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton, spoke at the unveiling of his star in the “Motion Pictures” category, according to ABC News.

Burton, who grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, used to take the bus as a child to visit this particular spot, as he described.

Tim Burton elaborated, saying: “As a kid, I used to come here from Burbank by bus. I was quite young when I first came here, and I thought that these things (the stars) were gravestones. I realized that John Wayne wasn’t buried under this or other people. I used to visit Larry Edmunds Bookshop. And when I learned that the star would be here, I almost started crying because I’ve been coming here since I was a little kid, and the store hasn’t changed at all. So, for me, it’s a great honor to have a star that’s right here in front of this incredible store, museum, toy store, everything.”