Pee-Wee s Big Adventure Blu-ray

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure Blu-ray
Paul Rubens, Elizabeth Daily
Directed by Tim Burton
Originally released 1985
Warner Home Entertainment 2011

Now on Blu-ray, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure is a kids’ movie that is not for kids. This is not only because it was directed by Tim Burton. The movie spawned a short-lived Saturday morning live action show that was popular with small and big kids and parents. This is a movie that either works for you or leaves you totally cold. Pee Wee’s Big Adventure Blu-ray features a commentary track with Paul Rubens and Tim Burton, a commentary track with musical director Danny Elfmann, deleted scenes, storyboard, and trailer.

Man-child Pee-Wee goes bananas when his beloved red bike is stolen. He goes on a cross country adventure to find it. That’s it. That’s the story.

What makes this movie is the imagination behind it, Paul Rubens, and the visuals. The  Rube Goldberg breakfast making contraption at the very beginning of the movie sets the tone. The parade of different bicycles, including a Penny Farthing, a unicycling mime, and a remote control toy immediately after Pee-Wee finds his bike missing shows how funny this movie is. Rubens’ Pee-Wee is funny, endearing, and very weird

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure plays with many genres including the road movie, the horror flick, stop motion animation, and romance.

The highlight of this movie is the chase scene through the Warner Brothers back lot that blends cartoon and live action gags in a sequence where reality takes a vacation.

 

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