Beetlejuice is an animated television series that ran from 1989 to 1991, based on the first Beetlejuice film released in 1988. The animated show centers around the characters Beetlejuice and Lydia, from the first film. It also includes the recurring characters Delia Deetz and Charles Deetz from the film. Oddly, neither Adam Maitland nor Barbara Maitland appear in the animated series, though the bridge where they died is shown.
Characters[]
For the full list of characters, go here.
Season Guide & Episode Guide[]
For a list of the seasons and episodes, go here.
Synopsis[]
"Beetlejuice: The Animated Series" centers around the friendly, but somewhat scheming, Beetlejuice, with encounters with his Gothic best friend Lydia. Beetlejuice resides in the Neitherworld while Lydia lives in the Living World with her family. However, she can enter the Neitherworld and visit Beetlejuice by giving the chant in her room:
"Though I know I should be wary,
Still I venture someplace scary;
Ghostly haunting I turn loose ...
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!"
Most of the time, Lydia only needs to say Beetlejuice's name 3 times. Doing so is necessary for Beetlejuice to enter the human world; prior to being summoned, he is able to manifest in the living domain, usually as a reflection in Lydia's mirror. The same incantation also allows Lydia to enter the Neitherworld, with the lengthier version shown above apparently done purely for dramatic flair.
The majority of episodes focus around Beetlejuice having a plot or scheme in the works, often inspired by events in Lydia's life. Lydia frequently serves as the voice of reason and assists Beetlejuice when there's a situation that gets out of hand. A very small handful of episodes omit Lydia entirely, focusing only on Beetlejuice's afterlife in the Neitherworld.
Differences from Beetlejuice (movie)[]
In the films, Beetlejuice is white with green hair covered in mold. In the animated series, the animated Beetlejuice is faintly purple with blond hair. Moreover, the film character is portrayed to be a womanizer in the movies, while the animated character is more toned down for children. Lydia, in the animated version, is the best friend of Beetlejuice, while in the movies they are enemies.
The location and home the Deetzes moved into are different from the movie as well. According to a 90’s Beetlejuice stickerbook (published by "Panini"), the house the Deetzes live in belongs to Beetlejuice, but it was considered abandoned by the outside world. Beetlejuice used to try and scare the family away at first, and eventually found himself liking and befriending Lydia. There is no mention of the deceased couple Adam and Barbara, because neither of them ever appeared in the animated series.
Unlike the films which were adult-oriented, the cartoon was oriented towards kids and was even shown in reruns on Nickelodeon in 1994 as well as Global Kids' TV in Canada from 1989-1998.
Home video releases[]
Most of the first season was released on 6 VHS volumes in 1993. On November 5, 2012, it was announced that Shout! Factory had acquired the rights to the series and planned to release it on DVD in 2013. On May 28, 2013, Shout! Factory released Beetlejuice: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time as an Amazon exclusive; they also released season 1 on the same day to retail stores. Seasons 2 & 3 were released on March 18, 2014.
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