Top 10 Best Beetlejuice Cartoon Moments

WatchMojo

These moments from the "Beetlejuice" cartoon are otherworldly! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most memorable moments from the Daytime Emmy-winning “Beetlejuice” animated series.

Transcript

00:00It's showtime!

00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at the most memorable moments from the daytime

00:09Emmy-winning Beetlejuice animated series.

00:12Boy, am I in for some eye-poppin' entertainment!

00:16Number 10.

00:17The First Summoning

00:19The Beetlejuice series changed several elements from the 1988 film that inspired it.

00:24Namely, Beetlejuice is now Lydia's friend rather than an antagonist who wants to marry

00:28her.

00:29The show doesn't forget its roots with Lydia singing Deo in the first episode.

00:38She also summons the ghost with the most using three familiar words.

00:42Actually, it's the same word repeated three times.

00:56While Lydia regularly calls upon Beetlejuice throughout the show, the pilot had the best

01:00build-up with dark shadows, creepy music, and a haunting rhyme.

01:04Once Lydia completes her chant, her room and wardrobe are transformed as the music cranks

01:10it up to eleven.

01:18Animation studio Nelvana went the extra mile with this sequence, culminating in Beetlejuice

01:23arriving at the party.

01:27Number 9.

01:28Claire's Comeuppance

01:30Beetlejuice may be vile, but nothing is more sickening than Claire Brewster's snobby attitude.

01:49Whenever the upper-class Claire clashes with the gothic Lydia, Beetlejuice is never too

01:53far away to serve her just desserts.

02:02While there are several examples, the most satisfying instance involves a nightmarish

02:06roller coaster.

02:08After Lydia remodels her not-so-scary haunted house ride, Claire is characteristically critical.

02:18Rather than send her on the real ride, Beetlejuice puts her on the fast track to the Neitherworld

02:22where she encounters Jacques the Skeleton, Ginger the Spider, and a sandworm as a grand

02:27finale.

02:31The hair-raising ordeal scares Claire away from working with Lydia on any more school

02:35projects.

02:36Although, if you ask us, this should be an actual theme park experience.

02:41Number 8.

02:42Nothing to Lose Your Head Over

02:43Lydia's parents are constantly exposed to the anarchy of the afterlife.

02:47They remain oblivious to what's right under their noses.

02:59On a vacation to the Neitherworld, Delia and Charles nearly lose their noses, along with

03:04the rest of their heads.

03:05Stumbling upon what they think is a historical reenactment, the couple meets skeleton versions

03:10of Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie Antoinette.

03:21We get why Antoinette is headless, although Napoleon died from stomach cancer.

03:27Historical inaccuracies aside, Delia and Charles are headed to the guillotine next.

03:38Delia in particular cracks us up with her cluelessly chipper attitude, even when blindfolded

03:44as a blade looms over her neck.

03:46Were it not for Beetlejuice's feet and Lydia's driving skills, Delia and Charles would have

03:51become permanent Neitherworld residents.

03:57Number 7.

03:58Life Without Beetlejuice

03:59In this parody of It's a Wonderful Life, Beetlejuice sees what the Neitherworld would be like if

04:04he were never born.

04:05Or would it be if he had never died in this case?

04:23Let's just say if Beetlejuice ceased to exist.

04:26He finds that his friends have become vain jerks, although honestly, they're all more

04:30successful without Beetlejuice around to cause mischief.

04:43There is one exception.

04:45Lydia hasn't lost her gothic flair, but her confidence has been drained with no Beetlejuice

04:50to liven things up.

05:06When he approaches her, Lydia doesn't recognize him, but there's still a connection that encourages

05:11Beetlejuice to get his old afterlife back.

05:20For all the gross-out humor and puns, this friendship gave the show a beating heart.

05:25Number 6.

05:26Arriving in Ooze

05:28Beetlejuice spoofs the Wizard of Oz in this episode, which casts Lydia as Dorothy.

05:33Lydia's arrival in Ooze contains some of the best jokes, most notably a pretty accurate

05:38description of almost every politician who ever lived.

05:52If only they were all this honest.

05:54This mayor won't be seeking re-election, as Lydia inadvertently drops a school on him.

05:59Lydia is introduced to the Beetle-like Munchkins, who work in a few clever gags about the gray

06:04areas of the public domain.

06:12They can reference L. Frank Baum's books, but singing any songs from the MGM musical

06:17is off-limits.

06:18From there, Lydia encounters several familiar faces filling Oz roles.

06:30The Munchkins also resurface, although they don't stick around long thanks to a hungry

06:35Beetlejuice.

06:44Number 5.

06:45Meeting Edgar Allen Poe

06:47Beetlejuice was bound to cross paths with Edgar Allen Poe eventually.

06:58In Death, Mr. Poe lives out his stories, searching for his lost Lenore.

07:03During his lifetime, Poe's writing didn't make him an especially wealthy man.

07:08We guess he collected residuals in the afterlife, as the late poet throws cash at Beetlejuice.

07:13Looking to exploit his wealth and sadness, Beetlejuice keeps the weeping Poe around.

07:28The writer comes with some emotional baggage, including a rhyming raven, a tell-tale heart,

07:34and a swinging pendulum.

07:36Who says Beetlejuice can't be educational?

07:44The nightmares that Poe has unleashed seemingly come to an end when he's finally reunited

07:48with Lenore.

07:50Since Poe wasn't exactly known for happy endings though, Beetlejuice can't quite escape

07:54the cycle.

08:01Number 4.

08:03Lies break out

08:04In the Neitherworld, lies manifest in the form of ghostly skeletons.

08:09Every lie means another skeleton is added to your closet.

08:12As you can imagine, Beetlejuice's closet is fuller than others.

08:25Running out of room, the skeletons inevitably break free.

08:29In addition to airing Beetlejuice's dirty laundry, one of Lydia's lies gets out as well.

08:42The concept is creative, and the skeletons are among the show's eerier creatures with

08:46whispery voices that flow through the air like a chilling breeze.

08:50While the skeletons expose Beetlejuice for the scoundrel he is, they also bring out his

08:55softer side, revealing that he actually likes the long-suffering Jacques.

09:08Lydia is his best friend though, a truth that ultimately saves the day.

09:26Number 3.

09:27Shop till you freak

09:28Business isn't booming when Lydia and her friends open a creepy clothing store.

09:36To attract more customers, Beetlejuice comes up with a hypnotic jingle that entrances everybody

09:41in town.

09:54Sales go through the roof, but supply and demand can be dangerous.

09:58We don't know about you, but the lyrics,

10:00Shop till you freak at the spooky boutique have been living rent-free in our heads for

10:05over 30 years now.

10:06We'll just be going about our day-to-day lives when suddenly, our subconscious will send

10:11this infectious song up to headquarters.

10:16We can't say that we were possessed like the people of Peaceful Pines, but this moment

10:20definitely left a lasting impression.

10:22In that sense, perhaps Beetlejuice really does have mind-control powers.

10:40Number 2.

10:41A twisted crossover

10:43Watching TV, Beetlejuice happens upon the Chromazone, a send-up of the Twilight Zone.

10:59No matter how many times Beetlejuice changes the channel, he can't escape host Todd Sperling,

11:05who pulls him into the television.

11:07The Rod Serling caricature reveals that the characters he created have taken over his

11:12show, enlisting Beetlejuice's help.

11:29The premise is inventive enough to be in an actual Twilight Zone episode.

11:33There's a clear admiration for what the episode is satirizing with a plethora of in-jokes

11:38and fourth-wall breaks, and it wouldn't be a Twilight Zone parody without a twist ending.

11:46The episode amounts to a conclusion that not only pays homage to the Twilight Zone, but

11:51also the second greatest horror anthology series of all time.

11:54Alfred Hitchcock presents.

12:06Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.

12:10Prince Vince

12:11It's no coincidence that Vince resembles the titular character from Tim Burton's Vincent.

12:28Cursed Village

12:29A nod to the musical Brigadoon.

12:45Getting Cancelled

12:46A reminder that network heads know nothing.

13:00Bringing a Tree to Life

13:02We're surprised that Beetlejuice didn't kick this tree over.

13:16Beetlejuice's Two Sides

13:18The series ends with double the Beetlejuice and double the fun.

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13:46Jackass

13:47Yeah, he said it.

13:48Helping Lydia to brush up on her Shakespeare, Beetlejuice introduces her to characters like

13:53Hamlet, both parts of Henry IV, and Julius Caesar, leading to some of the funniest wordplay

13:58in the entire series.

14:05The standout encounter is with Puck from A Midsummer Night's Dream.

14:09Growing annoyed with Beetlejuice, the fairy makes him look like a donkey, or as Beetlejuice

14:14puts it...

14:17For young viewers who had already seen the live-action film, this might not have been

14:21on par with Michael Keaton's F-bomb.

14:26For a cartoon aimed at kids that aired on Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons,

14:30though, you have to wonder how this made it past the censors.

14:33Regardless, the episode encourages kids to study Shakespeare, so parents can't complain.

14:44What's your favorite Beetlejuice episode?

14:46Let us know in the comments!

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