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Beetlejuice (TV series)

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Beetlejuice
Beetlejuice (right) and Lydia
Created byDavid Geffen
Tim Burton
StarringStephen Ouimette
Alyson Court
Elizabeth Hanna
Roger Dunn
Harvey Atkin
Tara Strong
Len Carlson
Paulina Gillis
Keith Knight
Ron Rubin
Colin Fox
Keith Hampshire
Joseph Sherman
David Goldberg
Stuart Stone
Robert Cait
Dan Hennessey
Peggy Mahon
Susan Roman
Richard Binsley
Don Francks
Michael Stark
Charles Kerr
Allan Stewart Coates
John Stocker
Hadley Kay
Country of origin Canada
No. of episodes94
Production
Running time30 minutes per episode
Original release
NetworkABC (1989-1991), FOX (1991).
ReleaseSeptember 9, 1989 –
December 6, 1991

Beetlejuice is an animated television series loosely based on the Beetlejuice film, and ran from September 9, 1989 to December 6, 1991. The television series was produced by Ellipse (France) and Nelvana (Canada) for The Geffen Film Company, with distribution handled by Warner Bros. Television, and starring Stephen Ouimette as Beetlejuice and Alyson Court as Lydia Deetz. The music and score for the series was composed by Ray Parker, Danny Elfman, and Tom Szczesniak.

Plot

The premise of the animated series was greatly changed from the film, to the point where one only superficially resembled the other. Where in the film, Beetlejuice is the antagonist who ends up nearly marrying a disgusted Lydia, in the series they are best friends, and Lydia, socially misunderstood in the living world, frequently visits him in the afterlife. The Maitlands, the most significant characters in the film, are nowhere to be found in the series. Unlike the mind-numbing bureaucracy of the movie, the afterlife was converted into the "Neitherworld", a bizarre and humorous parody of the real world, with the fact of it being the afterlife only rarely mentioned.

Episodes generally centered around the ghostly con-man Beetlejuice, his best (and only real) friend Lydia, and their adventures together in both the Neitherworld and the "real world", a fictional New England town called Peaceful Pines ("Winter River" in the film). Beetlejuice's core character, that of a ghostly con artist, remained the same, although in the cartoon he did not display the adamant lechery he did in the film outside of occasionally asking for a kiss. Lydia's character went through comparatively greater change; she became far less "goth" than she was portrayed as in the movie and was presented as an upbeat girl who simply liked "weird" things such as spiders and horror movies (although, ironically, she tends to dress more gothically in the show than in the movie.) As in the film, Lydia could summon Beetlejuice out of the Neitherworld (or go there herself) by calling his name three times or as part of a chant:

"Though I know I should be wary,
Still I venture someplace scary;
Ghostly hauntings I turn loose ...
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!"

Occasionally, there are other effects of this chant (for example, Lydia's room changing to a gothic castle, or instead of Beetlejuice appearing, sometimes she goes to the Neitherworld}.

The show's humor relied heavily on sight gags and wordplay, some of which was fairly sophisticated for its intended target audience, making it a favorite of a wide range of age groups. Many episodes, especially towards the end of the run, were parodies of famous films, books, and TV shows. It was kept it clean (figuratively) in that it didn't involve drugs or alcohol outside of mentioning that an old western town didn't have a saloon because of the time slot.

Throughout the series, Beetlejuice would often try to scam residents of the Neitherworld -- and, sometimes, the "real world" as well (Lydia's parents were occasional unwitting victims of his pranks) -- through various means, whether it be via baby-sitting (in which he actually sits on the babies) or trying to beat them in a race. Only Lydia, it seemed, was immune to his tricks; it was explicitly stated at several points that she was the only person Beetlejuice couldn't deceive. It is also revealed that Beetlejuice is afraid of one thing more than anything else: Sandworms. This was hinted at in a single line of dialogue in the movie but expanded on greatly here. They appear as purple and green snake-like creatures with two pairs of eyes on top of each other and stegosaurus-like spines on their backs. Beetlejuice also has a major problem with nice things.

The series was a breakout hit for ABC in its initial season, and later became one of the first animated series to air on FOX's weekday afternoon children's lineup. This led to a situation whereby Beetlejuice was being seen Monday through Friday on FOX while still remaining on ABC's Saturday morning schedule, making it one of the few shows in American television history to be aired concurrently on two different broadcast networks. Beetlejuice has aired in re-runs on Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, and will air on Warner Bros. and AOL's new broadband internet channel Toontopia TV.

In 1989 and 1990, Warner Bros. released most (not all) of the first season on six VHS video-cassettes.

Characters

Main characters

File:Bettlejuice.JPG
Beetlejuice
  • Beetlejuice - The main character of the show. Name is derived from the Latin word "Betelgeuse", which is a transliteration of the Arabic ابط Bait al-Jauza, meaning "armpit" (an extremely appropriate turn of phrase, given that one of his favorite pastimes is making farting noises with his armpit). For unexplained reasons, Beetlejuice is virtually the most powerful denizen of the Neitherworld, using strange magical powers called "Beetlejuicing". He is able to change shape, transform objects, teleport, and perform other feats of magic, although his powers can be reduced by various circumstances and at times he must pause to think of exactly how to use his powers to escape a precarious situation unscathed (since Beetlejuice's enemies are almost invariably more intelligent than himself). Whenever he uses a figure of speech, he or his surroundings change to act on the pun (e.g. when he declares he is tired, he transforms into a tire; when he declares he is trying to make a point, he transforms into a needle; on one occasion, in reference to his own power, he declares "This literal translation stuff slays me!" and giant letters reading "Literal Translation Stuff" fall from the sky to crush him). It is Beetlejuice's power that affords him the (admittedly mostly self-declared) title of "The Ghost With The Most." Because of Beetlejuice's power, almost everyone in the Neitherworld is fair game for his pranks, but no more so than himself, since even he is not immune to careless use of his power; in a notorious example of this, he was tricked by his enemies into declaring "I'm coming apart at the seams!" which caused him to break into several pieces, with which his enemies then absconded, rendering him nearly helpless until, with Lydia's help, he reassembled himself. Sometimes Beetlejuice will mix up one of his transformations (like when Lydia told him to turn into a stake to fight off Count Mein, he turned into a flank steak). One notable limit to Beetlejuice's abilities is that his body must be fully assembled to work his magic; for example, when his head was taken away by a tribe of island ghosts to be eaten, it was helpless to fight back without the rest of his body. At the same time, various body parts (including his feet and his entire torso) occasionally developed minds of their own, independent of Beetlejuice's control. His fears (sandworms, cleanliness) can also hinder his abilities.
    Beetlejuice's main pastime is pulling various pranks on the other denizens of the Neitherworld, and coming up with get-rich-quick con schemes to get money, as he dreads having to get a job. His favorite foods are insects of varoious types, especially beetles. He loves causing mayhem in the Neitherworld, being filthy, and scaring people in the real world, most notably Lydia's parents. The things he hates include sandworms, cleanliness, and anything "cute". He expresses his likes and dislikes via variations on a single catchphrase ala such examples as "Nerd humor...you know I love it!" or "Sandtraps...you know I hate 'em!" This is strangely similar to what Delia Deetz, from the original Beetlejuice, utters at the dinner party, "Kids...you know I love 'em". He says this after Lydia interrupts the dinner party mentioning that she "knows some ghosts."
    BJ repeatedly claims to have died centuries before, though his references often happened hundreds of years apart. In addition his parents are in the Neitherworld as is his childhood home and there are photos of him when he was a baby. He had the same complexion, tongue and personality. It's possible that his parents raised him in the neitherworld after he turned himself into a baby... again.
  • Lydia Deetz - A goth girl in her early teens, who doesn't feel like she fits into the real world, Lydia is Beetlejuice's best friend. He frequently calls her "Lyds" or "Babes." She summons him into her presence, or makes her own way to his, by chanting his name three times; occasionally she is shown making use of a longer, more elaborate ritual to bring him out of the Neitherworld or send herself into it. Unlike Beetlejuice himself, Lydia is almost universally beloved by the Neitherworld cast of the show.
    There is some small inference to be made from the show that Lydia may have a certain amount of power in her own right, possibly given to her by Beetlejuice. As has already been mentioned, it is repeatedly stated that she is the one person he cannot (and, most likely, will not) trick. In the pilot episode, "Critter Sitters," she is shown summoning him through the longer ritual; as part of the ritual, she willfully changes the color of her clothing. She is not the only person capable of summoning Beetlejuice (in one episode, Claire Brewster summons him accidentally), but she is the only person he will actually obey. Beetlejuice seems incapable of denying almost any request of Lydia's; at least once he caved to her by remarking, "Anything for you, babes." The question is whether his obedience is the result of her having some sort of control over him or a product of his devotion to her. In simplest terms, Beetlejuice adores Lydia; many of his antics are aimed at helping or protecting her, and more than once in the series he is spurred to action only because she is endangered by some situation or another. Lydia looks up to him in certain ways, admiring his outrageous sense of humor and dedicated non-conformity, though in other respects she sometimes has to virtually parent him. In one episode it is made clear that Beetlejuice's dedication to her is a source of Lydia's own self-confidence.
    On Beetlejuice's side of the relationship, the observant viewer may note signs that he harbors a more adult, possibly romantic attachment to her. Characters who pose any sort of threat to Lydia herself (e.g. Bully the Crud or Claire Brewster) are subjected to the only genuine wrath Beetlejuice ever displays; for the most part, "life" is simply a game to him, but he will not tolerate any insult or injury to her. Meanwhile, those who conceivably threaten their relationship (e.g. Prince Vince) are the objects of his profound jealousy and resentment. In one episode, we learn that Beetlejuice actually has a working shrine to her in his mind.
    Lydia never shows any romantic interest in anyone else except Prince Vince and that quickly turned into a straight out friendship. She's kissed Beetlejuice a few times, and gone on several dates with him. Also when inside Beetlejuice's head she gave several dollars towards the maintanance of his shrine to her.

Supporting characters

The Neitherworld

  • Jacques LaLean - A Francophone skeleton-bodybuilder, based upon the fitness guru Jack LaLanne, and neighbor of Beetlejuice. A running gag in the series entails Jacques getting broken down into multiple pieces, often thanks to Beetlejuice. In spite of the poltergeist's antics, Jacques actually likes him, and in one episode it is revealed that Beetlejuice likes Jacques despite his pretensions to the contrary.
  • Ginger - A (not very good) tap-dancing spider, named after Ginger Rogers. Another of Beetlejuice's neighbors, her act is often ruined by a prank of Beetlejuice. She often has dreams of being famous and can be sensitive to cruel pranks.
  • Prince Vince - The ruler of the Neitherworld. He looks and acts almost identically to Tim Burton's "Vincent", who was the star character in one of Burton's early animation shorts (see Vincent (film)). Both also bear a resemblance to Johnny Depp, which may have been a sight gag, since Winona Ryder (who played Lydia in the film), was Depp's longtime girlfriend. Mopey and depressed (the weather turns gloomy and rainy in response to his mood), Prince Vince cheers up when he meets Lydia and they begin informally dating, but the relationship cools to a friendship when he asks her to be his Princess and she politely declines, being barely a teenager.
  • The Monster Across the Street - A tall, hairy monster from the West, who bears a slight resemblance to Gossamer from the Warner Brothers animation studio, and is another neighbor of Beetlejuice. He can't stand Beetlejuice, but refers to Lydia politely as "Miss Lydia." He speaks with a southern twang.
  • Poopsie - The Monster's dog, one of Beetlejuice's favorite prank victims.
  • Scuzzo the Clown - Beetlejuice's cackling rival in prank-playing and whatever other endeavor Beetlejuice might be pursuing in a given episode. He is considered a comedy genius in the Neitherworld's version of France, although this was only revealed years after his first appearance and thus should not be taken as evidence that he was created as a direct parody of Jerry Lewis.
  • Fuzzo the Clown - Scuzzo's brother.
  • Dragster of Doom (nicknamed Doomie) - Beetlejuice's car. Doomie is normally quite sensitive, but due to the abnormal brain Beetlejuice gave him, Doomie turns into a vicious "four wheeled werewolf" type of monster when angry. He's sort of like Jekyll and Hyde on wheels.
  • Captain Kidder - A pirate/headhunter who tells jokes which are not applauded.
  • Flubbo - A sluglike bespectacled ghost with multiple arms.
  • Judge Mental - A skeletal judge.
  • Mayor Maynot - The mayor of the Neitherworld, completely redesigned in the second season from a stereotypical old time mayor to a more modern day mayor. The mayor hates Beetlejuice and would love nothing more than to feed him to the sandworms. Though at first glance he looks like a mummy it was revieled in some episodes that he is actually an Invisible Man. His name is a play on "May Or May Not".
  • Armhold Musclehugger - A bodybuilder ghost based on Arnold Schwarzenegger.
  • Chester Slime - A lawyer.
  • Germs Pondscum - A secret agent with "a license to prank," based on James Bond.
  • Mr. Monitor - Co-president of the Nutwork which airs broadcasts of Beetlejuice's adventures; his head consists of several TV screens.
  • The Monstress Across the Street - The Monster's girlfriend.
  • Poopette - The Monstress' dog.
  • Mr. & Mrs. Juice - Nat and Bea ("gnat" and "bee," two types of insects), Beetlejuice's parents. Unlike Beetlejuice, they are very neat and clean and always insist that Beetlejuice bathes, cleans his room, and gets a job. Beetlejuice is terrified of them for this reason.
  • Uncle Sid - Beetlejuice's uncle, who thinks Lydia is his nephew's girlfriend. He loves telling horrible jokes. Interestingly, there's a human in the living world that resembles him and tells bad jokes as well.
  • Donny Juice - Beetlejuice's little brother. However, other than the family resemblance, Donny is as different as can be from his older brother Beetlejuice. Everyone in the Netherworld prefers him to his brother. He is clean, tidy, and generous, but, rather insecure. His main problem is that he is a little too kind (in the vein of Mr. Rogers, Pat Boone, or Ned Flanders). No explanation is offered for why his name breaks the bug-oriented naming pattern in the Juice family, although it is almost certainly a direct parody of Donny Osmond.
  • Bartholomew Batt - An old cartoon character, a parody of Mickey Mouse and Felix the Cat.
  • Little Miss Warden - Warden of the sickeningly sweet Neitherneitherland, a parody of Shirley Temple and, to a smaller extent, Tinker Bell.
  • Jesse Germs - A skeletal outlaw based on Jesse James and Clint Eastwood.
  • Mrs. Bugsley - The mayor's secretary.
  • Lip Scum - An annoying character, he is basically a giant mouth with eyes, arms, and legs. He is the only creature in the Netherworld everyone considers even MORE annoying than Beetlejuice.
  • Dr. Zigmund Void - A large-headed psychiatrist based on Sigmund Freud.
  • Bully the Crud - A Neitherworld-based outlaw based on Billy the Kid, who appears in the episode "Pest o' the West." He develops a crush on Lydia and tries to force her to marry him.
  • Barry Me Not - A Neitherworld TV personality who appears in various "commercials" that sometimes pop up to emphasize a particular plot point in a humorous aside. Unlike the rest of the show, Barry Me Not's vignettes are computer-generated animation. He almost never interacts with the rest of the characters.
  • Goody Two Shoes - A fairy from the Nietherworld's Bereua of Sweetness and Kindness, and perhaps the only being more powerful than Beetlejuice, as all of Beetlejuice's tricks proved useless on her. She is able to turn anyone into a sweet and clean version of themselves. She is somewhat like little miss warden except that miss warden does her job to reform while goody does her job as kind of a sport and hates it when folks get along.

The Real World

  • Charles Deetz - Lydia's father, a nervous man who likes quiet activity and calm. He is often the victim of Beetlejuice's continuous pranks. Despite this, Beetlejuice is sort of oddly fond of him.
  • Delia Deetz - In the film, she was Lydia's stepmother, but the cartoon appears to present her as Lydia's actual biological mother; Lydia refers to her as "Mom," instead of using her first name as in the film. Due to her eccentric nature, she is not easily frightened, thinking the frightening things she experiences are part of something else.
  • Percy - Lydia's pet cat, an animal so high-strung that he makes Charles look relaxed. Considering the amount of torment that Beetlejuice puts Percy through, this isn't really surprising.
  • Aunt Zippora & Uncle Danforth - Delia's rich, snobby sister and henpecked brother-in-law.
  • Aunt May & Uncle Clyde - Charles' farmer ventriloquist brother and mild-mannered sister-in-law.
  • Claire Brewster - Lydia's rival, a filthy rich and spoiled rotten brat. She has tanned skin, blonde hair, and speaks with a valley girl accent. The girls could not be more different and are frequently on opposite sides of the same situation. Although Lydia simply dislikes Claire, Beetlejuice actively despises her because of how she insults, condescends to, and otherwise mistreats Lydia. Claire is sometimes subjected to Beetlejuice's magic, most often as payback for something she's done to Lydia, though occasionally it's just an accident.
  • Bertha & Prudence - Lydia's friends. Bertha (nicknamed "Burp" by Beetlejuice) is tall and skinny with a noticeable overbite, while Prudence (nicknamed "Prune" by Beetlejuice) is quite tiny with large glasses. They share some of Lydia's interest in the bizarre, and in one episode, joined her (and a disguised Beetlejuice) in a rock band called "the Brides of Funkenstein."
  • Miss Shannon - Lydia's teacher and headmistress, first (or possibly last) name unknown.

Beetlejuice's disguises

Often, when Beetlejuice acts as part of Lydia's life in the living world, he puts on one of these personas. Betty, Mr. Beetleman, and cousin B.J. have appeared multiple times; the others were one-time disguises.

  • Betty Juice - Beetlejuice uses this disguise to go to Lydia's school and/or to be with her human friends. In simple terms, he just changes into the same uniform as Lydia's school and styles his hair into a tacky ponytail while speaking with a feminine voice.
  • Mr. Beetleman (Form 1) - Used when he involves himself in some business affair, often with the Deetzes. He pretends to be a jack-of-all-trades and is seen in white and black overalls.
  • Mr. Beetleman (Form 2) - This form is similar to a carnival barker. BJ sports a thin mustache and is usually dressed in a red and white seersucker shirt, a straw boater, and cape.
  • Mr. Beetleman (Form 3) -This form has BJ wearing a coonskin hat, Hawaiian shirt, striped shorts, and sandals.
  • Cousin B.J. - Only used twice in the show when Beetlejuice wanted to be involved in Lydia's family reunion and when he took advantage of Charles's desire for male bonding. He takes on the form of a little kid and wears a white and black t-shirt.
  • Grandpa Beetleman - Used in the form of a balding old man when he volunteered to show Charles Deetz's mother around. In this form, Beetlejuice wears typical senior citizen clothes.
  • Professor Beetleburg - Beetlejuice once used this diguise as a teacher to take Lydia's class on a field trip.
  • Beatrice - In the second season finale episode "Bothered, Bewitched and Beetlejuiced", Beetlejuice and Lydia disguised themselves as witches to rescue her cat, Percy, from a witches' party.
  • Odious - Beetlejuice disguised himself as a dog to pull a prank on Poopsie, only to be impounded and later rescued by Lydia and taken to her world to remove the collar stunting his transformations. Delia notices and immediately decides to keep him, much to Charles' dismay (he's allergic to dogs). Soon, Beetlejuice was rescued by a disguised Jaques.
  • B-Gore - When they were making Doomy, their car, he took on the form of a balding hunchback. A parody of mad science lackey Igor.

Voice cast

Episodes

Main article: List of Beetlejuice episodes


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