Beetlejuice (TV series)

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Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice (TV series) logo.svg
Genre Fantasy comedy
Comedy horror
Created by Tim Burton
Based on Beetlejuice by Tim Burton Michael McDowell
Larry Wilson
Developed by Tim Burton
Written by
  • Patsy Cameron
  • Tedd Anasti
Directed by
  • Robin Budd (seasons 1–2)
  • John van Bruggen (seasons 3–4)
  • Larry Jacobs (seasons 3–4)
  • John Halfpenny (seasons 3–4)
  • Rick Marshall (season 4)
  • Alan Bunce (season 4)
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
ComposerTom Szczesniak
Country of origin
  • Canada
  • United States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons4
No. of episodes94 (109 segments) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Producers
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network
ReleaseSeptember 9, 1989 (1989-09-09) 
December 6, 1991 (1991-12-06)

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 American film of the same name, it was developed by its director, Tim Burton, who also served as an executive producer. [3] The series follows Lydia Deetz and her friend Beetlejuice and their adventures in the "mortal world" and the Neitherworld, a supernatural realm inhabited by various monsters. Danny Elfman, who composed the theme for the film, also arranged it for the series.

Contents

Plot

The series follows the adventures of ghostly con-man Beetlejuice and his best friend Lydia in the Neitherworld and the "mortal world", the New England town of Peaceful Pines. As in the film, Lydia could summon Beetlejuice from the Neitherworld or go there by calling his name three times. The series' humor relied heavily on sight gags, wordplay, and allusiveness. Many episodes, notably towards the end of the series' run, were parodies of movies, books, and TV shows. The episode "Brides of Funkenstein" was based on an idea submitted by a teenage girl who was a fan of the show. [4]

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
1 13September 9, 1989December 9, 1989 ABC
2 8September 8, 1990October 27, 1990
3 8September 7, 1991October 26, 1991
4 65September 9, 1991December 6, 1991 Fox Kids

Characters

Main

Supporting

Peaceful Pines inhabitants

  • Charles Deetz (voiced by Roger Dunn) is Lydia's father, whose hobbies include ornithology and baseball. He is closer to Lydia than Delia is, as they share a love of baseball. He is often the victim of Beetlejuice's pranks and mischief; despite this, Beetlejuice is quite fond of him, likely because he is one of the few people who always falls for his pranks.
  • Delia Deetz (voiced by Elizabeth Hanna) is Charles' wife and Lydia's mother, who tries to get her to give up her love for scary things and focus on normal interests. She is an eccentric, airheaded yuppie, who believes that she is a great cook and a great artist, when in reality it is not well received. However, her art is popular in the Neitherworld. Because of her eccentric nature, Delia, not easily frightened, unlike Charles; being a surrealistic artist, she believes that the frightening things she experiences are part of something else.
  • Percy is the Deetz family's pet black cat, who is often a victim of Beetlejuice's pranks.
  • Bertha (voiced by Tara Strong) (credited as Tara Charendoff) is Lydia's friend at school, who shares her interest in things "strange and unusual".
  • Prudence (voiced by Paulina Gillis) is Lydia's friend at school, who is shy and loves to read.
  • Claire Brewster (voiced by Tara Strong) (credited as Tara Charendoff) is Lydia's upperclass rival and Beetlejuice's rival at school. As a result of being spoiled by her parents, Claire is vain, narcissistic, and believes that everything should go her way. She often clashes with Lydia, whom she hates.

Neitherworld inhabitants

  • Jacques LaLean (voiced by Charles Kerr) is a French skeleton bodybuilder and Beetlejuice's neighbor. Despite being annoyed by his antics, they are friends despite Beetlejuice's insistence that they are not. He dreams of becoming a great bodybuilder despite lacking muscles or a body; despite this, he previously won the Mr. Neitherworld bodybuilding title, defeating reigning champion Armhold Musclehugger. According to "Highs-Ghoul Confidential", he and Ginger attended the same high school as Beetlejuice and went to the school prom together.
  • Ginger the Tap Dancing Spider (voiced by Paulina Gillis) is a tap-dancing spider and Beetlejuice's neighbor, who dreams of someday being a famous tap dancer. According to "Highs-Ghoul Confidential", she and Jacques attended the same high school as Beetlejuice, where she was part of the cheerleading squad, and went to the school prom together.
  • The Monster Across the Street (voiced by Len Carlson) is a tall, hairy monster from the West who lives across the street from Beetlejuice and is often annoyed by his antics. He resembles Gossamer from Looney Tunes. He has a pet dog, Poopsie (voiced by Len Carlson).
  • Doomie (voiced by Ron Rubin as Doomie, Colin Fox as Dragster of Doom) – Beetlejuice and Lydia's sentient car, who is normally affable and friendly but, due to the abnormal brain Beetlejuice gave him during his construction, transforms into a werewolf-like monster in response to the presence of a Neitherworld dog or to anger, fear, or his passengers being in danger. Later in the series, he "speaks", which is given as the sound of an engine turning over in ignition. Through Lydia translating his speech, other aspects of his character are revealed, such as his attempts to court Mayor Maynot's convertible Pinky.
  • Barry MeNot (voiced by Keith Knight) appears in the Neitherworld's commercials to promote a product revolving around a plot point.
  • Bea Juice (voiced by Susan Roman) is Beetlejuice's mother.
  • Nat Juice (voiced by Len Carlson) is Beetlejuice's father, who wants him to get a job.
  • Mayor Maynot (voiced by Len Carlson) is the Mayor of the Neitherworld. His assistant is I. M. Smallhead, who is loosely based on Harry the Hunter from the film.
  • Judge Mental (voiced by Len Carlson) is the Neitherworld's residential judge.
  • Mr. Monitor (voiced by John Stocker) is a humanoid with four televisions for a head who runs the Neitherworld TV Network.
  • Armhold Musclehugger (voiced by Keith Knight) – is the former Mr. Neitherworld bodybuilding champion until Jacques dethroned him. As Mr. Neitherworld, he is extremely arrogant, but when he reappears in the episode "Goody Two-Shoes" he is more affable. He later begins working for Chester Slime as his right-hand man.
  • Scuzzo (voiced by Joseph Sherman) and Fuzzo (voiced by David Goldberg) are troublemaking clowns and Beetlejuice's rivals.
  • Sandworms are purple and green snake-like creatures that reside in the desert region of Sandwormland, which is below the Neitherworld (unlike in the film, where they live on a moon of Saturn).

Voice cast

Production

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 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.

Merchandise

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, Valentines, 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]

Home media

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. The entire series is also available to stream on Tubi as of September 2, 2024 [14]

Beetlejuice home video releases
SeasonEpisodesRelease dates
Region 1
1 198913Volume 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 [15]
Episodes: "Skeletons in the Closet"
The Complete First Season: May 28, 2013 [16]
The Complete Series: August 20, 2013 (Shout! Factory) [17]
A Halloween Spooktacular: October 1, 2013 [18]
Episodes: "Laugh of the Party"
The Complete Series: June 25, 2024 (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment/Studio Distribution Services) [13]
2 19908Beetlejuice: 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 [19] "
The Complete Series: June 25, 2024 (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment/Studio Distribution Services) [13]
3 19918The 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 199165The 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]

Awards

Daytime Emmy Awards

See also

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References

  1. "ABC Adds 'Gummi Bears', 'Beetlejuice'". The Los Angeles Times. April 25, 1989. Retrieved October 19, 2010.
  2. Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 75. ISBN   978-1538103739.
  3. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 131–133. ISBN   978-1476665993.
  4. Gagnon, Dawn (September 25, 1991). "'Beetlejuice' Buys A Madawaska Teen's Idea". Bangor Daily News . pp. 17, 18. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  5. Damian Inwood. "Pi Theatre, Independent Vancouver Theatre >> The Baroness and the Pig". Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2011. 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.
  6. "Tabitha St. Germain resume" (PDF). Retrieved October 21, 2011. BEETLEJUICE – Prudence/Ensemble – Nelvana
  7. Bickmore, Alex STA: Beetlejuice: Jacque Hardcopy Head ToyArchive.com (June 1, 2004). A Beetlejuice cartoon shirt was released into stores such as Hot Topic for sale in 2008.
  8. "Film @ The Digital Fix – Beetlejuice R1 AE in September". Film @ The Digital Fix.
  9. "Beetlejuice DVD news: DVD Plans for animated Beetlejuice - TVShowsOnDVD.com". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  10. "Beetlejuice DVD news: Press Release for Beetlejuice - The Complete Series - TVShowsOnDVD.com". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25.
  11. "Beetlejuice DVD news: Box Art for Beetlejuice - Season 1 - TVShowsOnDVD.com". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  12. "Beetlejuice DVD news: Announcement for Beetlejuice - Seasons 2 and 3 - TVShowsOnDVD.com". tvshowsondvd.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Beetlejuice: The Complete Series (DVD)". Amazon. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  14. https://www.fangoria.com/beetlejuice-animated-series-tubi/
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  16. "Beetlejuice – The Complete First Season". May 28, 2013.
  17. "Beetlejuice – The Complete Series". August 20, 2013.
  18. "Beetlejuice – A Halloween Spooktacular". October 1, 2013.
  19. "Beetlejuice – The Complete Second and Third Seasons". March 18, 2014.