Thanks to the seemingly bottomless treasure trove of pop culture detritus that is Tubi, all 94 episodes of the Beetlejuice animated series are now freely available to the public.
Produced by the Canadian animation company Nelvana from 1989 to 1991, the pun-laden adaptation of Tim Burton’s horror-comedy took multiple liberties with the source material it was based on, yet is still fondly remembered by goth millennials the world over. For anyone who needs a refresher, the animated series reimagined Lydia as Beetlejuice’s best friend instead of his would-be child bride, and focused on their adventures together both on Earth and the “Neitherworld” —the agreed-upon name for the realm of the dead we all eventually find ourselves residing.
While Tim Burton remained onboard as an executive producer, Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, naturally, did not return to voice their beloved characters. Instead, Canadian actor Stephen Ouimette (who’d go on to play a very different ghost on the fondly remembered TV series Slings & Arrows) took over the role of Beetlejuice, opposite Alyson Court as Lydia. Court, perhaps better known for voicing Jubilee on the 90’s X-Men cartoon, also played Loonette the Clown on the live-action educational children’s series, The Big Comfy Couch, and is now married to Steve Burns, the original host of Blue’s Clues. Seriously. Go look it up.
Next to the revised dynamics of its two leads, the series is likely best remembered for introducing an entire supporting cast of Neitherworld residents for Beetlejuice to contend with, including the skeletal fitness buff Jacques LaLean, Ginger the Tap Dancing Spider, and his Texan neighbor, the Monster Across the Street. The cartoon also saw fit to introduce an entire rogues’ gallery of enemies who, for one reason or another, have sworn vengeance against Beetlejuice. These include Scuzzo the Clown, Jesse Germs, Little Miss Warden, Bartholomew Batt, and an ambulatory orifice named Lipscum. In the final season, they even form a Beetlejuice revenge squad called the “Society of Neitherworld Outlaws, Thugs, Antagonists and Gangsters”—or SNOTRAG, for short.
A ratings hit back in the day, the animated Beetlejuice would resurface years later on an episode of Teen Titans Go! and as a playable character in the Lego-themed action adventure video game, Lego Dimensions. With the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice today, it’s entirely possible the character’s more child-friendly counterpart could resurface in another Warner Bros. property if the sequel makes its budget back this weekend. We’ll find out soon enough.
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