Tim Burton’s feature film directorial debut, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure features the title character, created and portrayed by Paul Reubens Initially developed as a stage act, Pee-Wee’s popularity quickly led to an HBO special in 1981. As the stage performance gained further popularity, Reubens brought the character to the big screen. A sequel would follow, and then a TV series, but it’s this feature film that a lot of people remember most fondly. More than twenty-five years after the theatrical release of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, the film remains just as funny as it is strange.
The story begins when lovable man-child Pee-wee Herman (Reubens) wakes up—he makes himself breakfast using a handmade contraption of machines. After he and his little dog Speck finish their meal, they excitedly head out to start the day. No sooner do they step outside, and they’re greeted by Francis Buxton (Mark Holton), an obnoxious, spoiled brat. As it turns out, today is Francis’ birthday and his father has promised him whatever he wants to celebrate the occasion. Naturally, all this kid wants is Pee-wee’s pimped-out red bicycle. After making it clear the bike isn’t for sale, Pee-wee heads to the bike shop to pick up his new horn from pretty employee Dottie (Elizabeth Daily), who is obviously quite smitten with the irresistible man-child. While inside the shop, Pee-wee’s prized bike is stolen! While he immediately suspects Francis, the spoiled brat is able to bluff his way out of responsibility.
Distraught and desperate to find his bike, Pee-wee seeks out a psychic named Madame Ruby (Erica Yohn) who tells him that his bike in the basement of the Alamo in Texas. Armed with that information, our hero begins a road trip, hitchhiking across the country with the help of various people along the way, including: the ghost of a female trucker named Large Marge (Alice Nunn), a hobo named Jack (Carmen Filpi), a kindly waitress named Simone (Diane Salinger), an escaped convict named Mickey (Judd Omen) and a gang of bikers. His travels take him from the plains of the Midwest to the back lots of Hollywood. But will he ever be reunited with his beloved wheels?
Of course, Paul Reubens is perfect as Pee-wee. Hilariously awkward in some scenes, ridiculously confident in others, nearly every scene is funny. As Pee-wee, Paul Reubens seems to have channeled a child’s personality, so nearly everything he does rings true. With Tim Burton’s creativity channeling Reubens’ controlled insanity, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure is a great ride. Worth note is the fact that the late Phil Hartman (who has a small cameo at the end of the movie) co-wrote the script and Saturday Night Live alumni Jan Hooks appears in a small role. The film also features cameos from Milton Berle, James Brolin, Morgan Fairchild, Lynne Marie Stewart and future Wonder Years star Jason Hervey.
Presented in the 1.77:1 aspect ratio, this 1080p transfer looks better than any previous release, although it does have some issues. While the print is fairly clean, there are occasional speckles throughout. Colors are bright and vibrant; black levels are generally even. Unfortunately, Aliasing and mosquito noise is obvious throughout. Edge enhancement comes into play on only a couple of occasions.
While the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound mix does the job, it’s not particularly dynamic. However, we do get some welcome spatiality to the front and rear channels. While the surrounds are occasionally in use, they’re not notably potent. Occasional ambient sounds with little rear channel separation can be heard, but the mix is mostly directed at the front. Dynamic range is very good, though bass is adequate.
French and Spanish Dolby Digital 1.0 tracks are included, as are English SDH, French and Spanish subtitles.
The special features here have been ported over from the 2000 DVD release in standard definition:
- Commentary with Director Tim Burton and Actor/Co-Writer Paul Reubens: Reubens is the more serious and informative, and at times, recounts portions of his history and the film’s with the clarity and focus of a film historian.
- Production Sketches and Storyboards (11:25): Production designer David L. Snyder takes the viewer through a series of drawings describing the thought process behind each.
- Deleted Scenes (11:10): There are four scenes, each preceded by a screen of text explaining where each scene would have occurred in the film.
- Music-Only Track with Commentary by Danny Elfman: Elfman’s lively score plays without dialogue or effects, and Elfman discusses the challenges of his first effort as a film composer.
- Theatrical Trailer (1:26)
