Beetlejuice | |
---|---|
![]() The show's title card, depicting Lydia Deetz (left) and Beetlejuice (right). | |
Genre | Fantasy comedy |
Created by | Tim Burton |
Based on | Beetlejuice by Michael McDowell Larry Wilson |
Developed by | Tim Burton |
Written by |
|
Directed by |
|
Voices of |
|
Theme music composer | Danny Elfman (adapted from the score of the film) |
Opening theme | "Beetlejuice Title Theme" |
Ending theme | "Beetlejuice Ending Theme" by Danny Elfman |
Composer | Tom Szczesniak |
Country of origin |
|
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 4 |
No. of episodes | 94 (109 segments) (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producers |
|
Running time | 22 minutes |
Production companies | |
Original release | |
Network | ABC [1] |
Release | September 9, 1989 – October 26, 1991 |
Network | Fox |
Release | September 9 – December 6, 1991 |
Beetlejuice is an animated television series that ran from September 9, 1989, to October 26, 1991, on ABC, and on Fox from September 9 to December 6, 1991. [2] Loosely based on the 1988 film of the same name, it was developed by the film's director, Tim Burton, who also served as an executive producer. [3] The animated series focuses on the life of "baby goth" girl Lydia Deetz and her undead friend Beetlejuice as they explore the Neitherworld, a ghoulish wacky monster supernaturalistic realm inhabited by monsters, ghosts, ghouls, goblins and zombies. Danny Elfman's theme for the film was arranged for the cartoon series by Elfman himself.
Episodes generally centered on the ghostly con-man Beetlejuice, his best friend Lydia, and their supernatural adventures together in both the Neitherworld and the "mortal world", a New England town called Peaceful Pines ("Winter River" in the film). As in the film, Lydia could summon Beetlejuice out of the Neitherworld (or go there herself) by calling his name three times. When visiting Beetlejuice in the Neitherworld, Lydia would wear a red spider web poncho with black tights. The series' humor relied heavily on sight gags, wordplay, and allusiveness. Many episodes, especially towards the end of the run, were parodies of famous movies, books, and TV shows. The episode "Brides of Funkenstein" was based on an idea submitted by a then-teenage girl, who was a fan of the show. [4]
Throughout the entire series, Beetlejuice would often try to scam residents of the Neitherworld—and, sometimes, the "mortal world" as well (Lydia's dad and stepmom were occasionally unwitting victims of his pranks)—by various means, from "baby-sitting" (in which he literally sits on the grotesque Neitherworld babies) to trying to beat them in an auto race.
![]() | This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience.(June 2024) |
Following the major critical and commercial success of the Beetlejuice film in early 1988, it led to an animated spin-off series being created by Warner Bros. Television. The production was provided by the Canadian Nelvana Ltd., The Geffen Film Company and Tim Burton, Inc. The series premiered on September 9, 1989, on ABC.
The animated series was a mega breakout hit for ABC in its initial seasons, and later became one of the first cartoon animated series to ever air on Fox's weekday afternoons children's lineup, though also remaining on ABC's Saturday morning schedules, making it one of the first animated shows to air concurrently on two different U.S. broadcast networks.
The premise of the animated series differs in a number of ways from the original Beetlejuice live-action film in order to be acceptable for children. In the TV series, he and Lydia are best friends, Beetlejuice is made out to be more of a prankster, and Lydia is given a much quirkier, but positive demeanor. Lydia often travels to the "Neitherworld" (changed from "Afterlife") to have adventures with Beetlejuice. These adventures could involve fun activities together, Lydia saving Beetlejuice from a bad situation, or scolding him for a money-making scam.
Much as with the original 1988 film, various merchandise was released for the Beetlejuice animated series in 1990. This included trading cards by Dart, a sticker album and sticker/activity book by Panini, a jigsaw puzzle by Golden, a coloring book, novels, a lunchbox and thermos set, Valentine's, a party centerpiece by Party Creations, a PC game by Hi Tech Expressions, a Game Boy game by Rare, and six PVC figures available with Burger King Kids' Meals. Kenner, the company behind the film's action figures, had begun developing figures for the animated series, but the project did not come to fruition (at least one prototype for that ill-fated collection has been showcased online). [7]
Warner Bros. released most of the first season of the show on six video-cassettes by December 21, 1993. In September 2008, three episodes ("A-ha", "Skeletons in the Closet", and "Spooky Boo-Tique") were released as bonus features on the film's 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition DVD. [8]
In 2012, Time Life (under Warner Home Video license) acquired the rights to the series and planned to release it on DVD for the following year. [9] Shout! Factory released Beetlejuice – The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 as an Amazon exclusive on May 28, 2013. [10] They also released Season 1 on the same day to retail stores. [11] Seasons 2 & 3 were released on March 18, 2014. [12] On June 25, 2024, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (through Studio Distribution Services) re-issued the complete series on a DVD box set in Region 1. [13] Around the same time, the series was made available as transactional video on demand purchases through streaming retailers including Amazon Prime Video and the iTunes Store.
Season | Episodes | Release dates | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Region 1 | ||||
1 | 1989 | 13 | Volume 1 (VHS only): December 21, 1993 Episodes: "Critter Sitters" – "Skeletons in the Closet" Volume 2 (VHS only): December 21, 1993 Episodes: "A Dandy Handy Man" / "Out of My Mind" • "Worm Welcome" Volume 3 (VHS only): December 21, 1993 Episodes: "Stage Fright" / "Spooky Tree" • "Pest O' the West" Volume 4 (VHS only): December 21, 1993 Episodes: "Laugh of the Party" • "Campfire Ghouls" Volume 5 (VHS only): December 21, 1993 Episodes: "It's the Pits" • "Prince of the Neitherworld" Volume 6 (VHS only): December 21, 1993 Episodes: "Bad Neighbor Beetlejuice" • "Quit While You're a Head" Beetlejuice : 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition: September 16, 2008 [14] Episodes: "Skeletons in the Closet" The Complete First Season: May 28, 2013 [15] The Complete Series: August 20, 2013 (Shout! Factory) [16] A Halloween Spooktacular: October 1, 2013 [17] Episodes: "Laugh of the Party" The Complete Series: June 25, 2024 (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment/Studio Distribution Services) [13] | |
2 | 1990 | 8 | Beetlejuice: 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition: September 16, 2008 Episodes: "Spooky Boo-tique" • "A-Ha!" The Complete Series: August 20, 2013 (Shout! Factory) A Halloween Spooktacular: October 1, 2013 Episodes: "Scare and Scare Alike" / "Spooky Boo-tique" • "Bewitched, Bothered & Beetlejuiced" The Complete Second and Third Seasons: March 18, 2014 [18] " The Complete Series: June 25, 2024 (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment/Studio Distribution Services) [13] | |
3 | 1991 | 8 | The Complete Series: August 20, 2013 (Shout! Factory) A Halloween Spooktacular: October 1, 2013 Episodes: "Ghost to Ghost" The Complete Second and Third Seasons: March 18, 2014 The Complete Series: June 25, 2024 (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment/Studio Distribution Services) [13] | |
4 | 1991 | 65 | The Complete Series: August 20, 2013 (Shout! Factory) A Halloween Spooktacular: October 1, 2013 Episodes: "Raging Skull" • "Family Scarelooms" • "Them Bones, Them Bones, Them Funny Bones" • "Ship of Ghouls"" The Complete Series: June 25, 2024 (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment/Studio Distribution Services) [13] |
Beetlejuice is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren based on a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson. The film stars Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Jeffrey Jones, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder, and Michael Keaton as the title character. The first installment of the Beetlejuice franchise, the plot revolves around a recently deceased couple. As ghosts, they are not allowed to leave their house. They contact Betelgeuse, a charismatic "bio-exorcist" from the Netherworld, to scare the home's new inhabitants away.
As Told by Ginger is an American animated preteen drama television series, produced by Klasky Csupo, and aired on Nickelodeon. The series focuses on a junior high school girl named Ginger Foutley who, with her friends, tries to become more than a social geek. The series first aired on Nickelodeon on October 25, 2000.
Drawn Together is an American adult animated sitcom created by Dave Jeser and Matt Silverstein for Comedy Central. It premiered on October 27, 2004, and ended on November 14, 2007, after three seasons and 36 episodes. The series is a parody of house-based reality shows such as The Real World, The Surreal Life, and Big Brother, and follows the misadventures of the housemates in the fictional show of the same name and uses a sitcom format with a reality TV show setting.
Dog City is an animated television series that was produced by Nelvana Limited and Jim Henson Productions in association with Channel 4 and Global Television Network. The series ran for three seasons, airing on Fox Kids from September 26, 1992, to November 26, 1994; in Canada, the series aired on YTV until 2000. The series contained both animation made by Nelvana, and puppetry by Jim Henson Productions - similar to Little Muppet Monsters - and invoked a mixture of detective fiction with police comedy.
My Pet Monster is a character that began as a plush doll first produced by American Greetings in 1986. It has horns, blue fur, a fanged smile, and wears breakaway orange plastic handcuffs.
Alyson Court is a Canadian actress. Beginning her career as a child actress, her first role was on the series Mr. Dressup (1984–1994) and she made her film debut in Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird (1985). Court continued to appear in educational productions, landing the lead role of Loonette the Clown on the series The Big Comfy Couch (1992–2002).
The Biskitts is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions from 1983 to 1984 and aired on CBS. The series lasted for only one season; only 13 episodes were produced. Shirt Tales replaced the show in its time slot the following year. The Biskitts returned to that same time slot in March 1985 but only aired reruns in the remainder of that season. Following the series' retirement from CBS, like many other cartoons, it was acquired by the Armed Forces Network and shown throughout much of the 1980s, mainly as entertainment for children of deployed American servicemen in Asia and Europe.
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island is a 1998 American direct-to-video animated mystery comedy horror film based on the Scooby-Doo franchise. In the film, Shaggy, Scooby, Fred, Velma and Daphne reunite after a year-long hiatus from Mystery, Inc. to investigate a bayou island said to be haunted by the ghost of the pirate Morgan Moonscar. The film was directed by Jim Stenstrum, from a screenplay by Glenn Leopold.
Monster Force is a 13-episode animated television series created in April 9, 1994 by Universal Cartoon Studios and Canadian studio Lacewood Productions. The story is set in approximately 2020 and centers on a group of teenagers who, with help of high tech weaponry, fight off against classic Universal Monsters and spiritual beings threatening humanity. Some of the crew have personal vendettas, while others fight for mankind out of a sense of altruism. The series aired in syndication alongside another Universal animated series, Exosquad. Universal Studios Home Entertainment released the first seven episodes to DVD on September 15, 2009.
Conan and the Young Warriors is a 1994 American television animated series produced by Sunbow Entertainment and aired by CBS as a sequel to the animated series Conan the Adventurer, but featuring a different set of characters. The series was developed by Michael Reaves and directed by John Grusd. It lasted only for one season of 13 episodes.
The New Adventures of Gilligan is an American Saturday morning animated series produced by Filmation, which aired on ABC during the 1974–75 seasons. The show was based on the 1964–67 sitcom Gilligan's Island. A few years later, Filmation produced a sequel, Gilligan's Planet.
Jumanji is an American animated television series based on the 1995 film, which in turn was based on the 1981 children's picture book of the same name. The series ran for three seasons from September 8, 1996 to March 11, 1999. In 1996, it aired on the UPN Kids block on UPN, but later seasons were syndicated under the Bohbot Kids Network syndicated block.
The Mask: Animated Series is an American animated television series based on the 1994 film of the same title. The series aired for a total of three seasons and fifty-four episodes from August 12, 1995, to August 30, 1997. It spawned its own short-run comic book series, Adventures of The Mask. John Arcudi, former writer of the original comics, wrote two episodes of the series.
Elizabeth Hanna is a Canadian film and television actress and speech language pathologist, most notable for her voice acting work in animated films. She is best known as the voice of Hen in Little Bear.
"It Came from the Nightosphere" is the first episode of the second season of the American animated television series Adventure Time. The series follows the adventures of Finn, a human boy, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake, a dog with magical powers to change shape and grow and shrink at will. In this episode, Finn releases Marceline's dad from the Nightosphere after Marceline sings a song about the relationship between her and her estranged father. However, Finn—who is begrudgingly aided by an enraged Marceline—is forced to stop him from stealing all the souls in Ooo.
Three video games based on the 1988 American comedy-fantasy film Beetlejuice were released in 1990, 1991, and 1992. In addition, a Beetlejuice expansion pack featuring maps, playable characters and missions was released in 2017 as part of the Lego Dimensions crossover video game "fun packs" line.
Beetlejuice The Musical. The Musical. The Musical., or simply Beetlejuice, is a musical with music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect and book by Scott Brown and Anthony King. It is based on the 1988 film of the same name. The story concerns a deceased couple who try to haunt the new inhabitants of their former home and call for help from a devious bio-exorcist ghost named Betelgeuse, who is summoned by saying his name three times. One of the new inhabitants is a young girl, Lydia, who is dealing with her mother's death and her neglectful father.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is an upcoming American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by the writing team of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on a story by Gough, Millar, and Seth Grahame-Smith. A sequel to Beetlejuice (1988) and the second film of the Beetlejuice franchise, it stars Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, and Catherine O'Hara reprising their roles alongside new cast members Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Arthur Conti, and Willem Dafoe.
Beetlejuice is an American fantasy horror comedy media franchise that originated with the film Beetlejuice (1988). The overall plot centers around a deceased couple who try to haunt the new inhabitants of their former home and call for help from a devious bio-exorcist ghost named Betelgeuse, who is summoned by saying his name three times. One of the new inhabitants is a young girl, Lydia, who is dealing with her mother's death and her neglectful father.
That's what Vancouver actresses Diane Brown and Tabitha St. Germain do with the delightful black comedy, The Baroness and the Pig. (...) St. Germain – better known to Vancouver audiences as Paulina Gillis – plays the Baroness as a naïve gentlewoman, full of prissy mannerisms and twittering, bird-like movements.
BEETLEJUICE – Prudence/Ensemble – Nelvana