Summary
WhileBeetlejuice 2is officially releasing 36 years after the original classic, a previous Tim Burton movie already served as a worthy follow-up to the 1988 horror-comedy.Tim Burton’s movies often feature overlap in themes, types of protagonists, and dark subject matterthat carry the filmmaker’s distinctive touch, but only on two occasions has he actually directed a sequel to one of his hits. After makingBatman Returnsin 1992, it took 32 years for Burton to make another proper sequel with the highly anticipatedrelease ofBeetlejuice 2.
Beetlejuicewas Burton’s second feature film afterPee-wee’s Big Adventure, with the 1988 movie largely establishing many of the themes, gothic style, and story elements that would become trademarks of his future projects. While several of his subsequent films would feel familiar toBeetlejuice’s tone and design, Burton’s 2005 movieCorpse Brideshared more similarities toBeetlejuicethan any other entries in his filmography – prior toBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, of course. From the story and setting to character traits and style,Corpse Bridefelt like a spiritual animated successor toBeetlejuice, with this comparison being doubled down on inBeetlejuice 2.
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride Explores Similar Themes To Beetlejuice
Corpse Bride Is The Closest Tim Burton Came To Another Beetlejuice Before The 2024 Sequel
In addition to the stories being split between alive and dead characters,Corpse BrideandBeetlejuicesimilarly traverse the realms of the afterlife and the living. BothCorpse BrideandBeetlejuice’s endingsexplore the idea that the living and the dead can peacefully coexist, with many ghosts being reunited with their living loved ones in the 2005 film while the Maitlands and Deetzes learn to live in harmony at their Winter River home. Through Victor van Dort (Johnny Depp) and Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder), both films also have characters who contemplate joining the afterlife instead of remaining among the living.
There’s also the curiousshared detail of a potential marriage between a living character and a dead characterin Tim Burton’sBeetlejuiceandCorpse Bride, albeit with very different motivations. In the 1988 film,Beetlejuice attempts to force Lydia into marrying himso that he can return to the realm of the living. Meanwhile, Victor accidentally marries the deceased Emily when practicing his wedding vows and is transported to the Land of the Dead, but desperately tries to return to his living fiancée back “upstairs.” In both cases, the official weddings between the dead and living characters are interrupted.
Victor and Lydia also share some important character traits, with both being disillusioned with life “upstairs,” finding greater companionship with ghosts than the living, and feeling like outcasts in their families.
Victor and Lydia also share some important character traits, with both being disillusioned with life “upstairs,” finding greater companionship with ghosts, and feeling like outcasts in their families. Among thebigger comparisons betweenBeetlejuiceandCorpse Brideis their similar visual styles and fantastical worlds, utilizing similar approaches to color and lighting when highlighting differences between the living and the dead. In the realm of the living, the colors tend to be duller with grays and blacks, whereas the afterlife is beaming with colorful lighting, as blue, green, and red are often cast on the world of the deceased.
Corpse Bride Ending Explained
In Corpse Bride, Victor Van Dort accidentally pledges marriage to the corpse, Emily, and needs to find a way to properly marry Victoria instead.
Beetlejuice 2’s Story Keeps Sounding More Like Corpse Bride
The Afterlife Chaos & Marriage Subplot Are Reminiscent Of Corpse Bride
As more details aboutBeetlejuice 2’s story are released, it sounds increasingly familiar to the plot ofCorpse Bride.For instance, although Lydia is in a relationship with Rory inBeetlejuice 2, the titular ghost is still attempting to marry her, similar to Emily wanting to seal her marriage to Victor despite his engagement to Victoria inCorpse Bride. Additionally, while the majority of the originalBeetlejuicemovie was spent in the living world, the alive and deadcharacters in Beetlejuice 2spend relatively more time in the afterlife, harking back to Victor’s story in the Land of the Dead.
Based onBeetlejuice Beetlejuice’s trailers, there also appear to befar more musical sequences in the afterlife in the 2024 movie. Meanwhile, there were only two smaller musical scenes of note in the original movie, namelyBeetlejuice’s “Day-O” possession scene and Lydia’s dance to “Jump in the Line” in the film’s final moments. This time around, there’s yet another possession dance scene at Lydia and Beetlejuice’s second wedding, but the ghosts in the afterlife are seen dancing on various occasions as well, similar toCorpse Bride’s iconic songsand dances.
Since Jenna Ortega’s ghostly appearance in the afterlife inspiredtheories that her character Astrid Deetz is dead inBeetlejuice 2, the movie could draw even bigger comparisons toCorpse Bride. Though it could just be a Halloween costume, the outfit and makeup Otrega dons in the afterlife aren’t too different from Emily inCorpse Bride, withteases of Astrid getting married in the sequel making these resemblances more difficult to ignore.
Dark Tim Burton Theory Explains The Shocking Fate Of 1 Animated Villain After His 19-Year-Old Movie’s Ending
A fan theory adds new dark layers to Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, as it gives the goofy side-characters a truly horrifying quality.
Even if ignoring the similarities between Astrid and Emily, it’s difficult to deny thatMonica Belluci’s character Delores, Beetlejuice’s ex-wife, quite literally isBeetlejuice 2’s “corpse bride.”Donning a black gown with stitches across her face and a vendetta for her ex-husband, who may or may not have been the one who killed her, Delores’ need to find Beetlejuice in the afterlife hints at repeating Emily and the other ghosts getting their revenge on her ex-fiancéLord Barkis inCorpse Bride’s ending.
Beetlejuice 2 Can Replace A Live-Action Corpse Bride Movie
Beetlejuice 2 Reveals What A Live-Action Corpse Bride Movie Could Look Like
Given the longstanding adoration for Tim Burton’sCorpse Bridemovie, there have been various calls over the years for a live-action adaptation of the spooky animated musical. However, since it seems unlikely that alive-actionCorpse Bridemoviewill happen, the story similarities inBeetlejuice 2make Burton’s 2024 sequel a great substitute for that wish.Delores is a great example of how a live-action Emily might look if Tim Burton ever made such an adaptation, with the music, chaos, and striking visuals of the afterlife providing a glimpse at how the Land of the Dead could be translated.
ConsideringTim Burton often casts the same actorsacross various film mediums, it would also be likely that – if a live-actionCorpse Bridemovie were to ever happen – the cast would feature some actors fromBeetlejuice 2. However, among the biggest core elements ofCorpse BridethatBeetlejuice 2doesn’t capture is the setting, asthe 2005 stop-motion Tim Burton movie takes place in the Victorian era. Though Michael Keaton’s Beetlejuice has been described as living in all time periods but being reflective of none, this doesn’t seem to include the Victorian era ofCorpse Bride.
Beetlejuice 2cast members Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder have previously voiced characters in Tim Burton’s stop-motion animated films. O’Hara provided her voice for various characters inThe Nightmare Before ChristmasandFrankenweenie, while Winona Ryder voiced Elsa Van Helsing inFrankenweenie.
Corpse Bride & Beetlejuice’s Success Add More Pressure To Beetlejuice 2
Beetlejuice 2 Has High Standards To Live Up To
Given the existing similarities betweenBeetlejuiceandCorpse Bride,the 1988 and 2005 movies’ critical acclaim puts more pressure onBeetlejuice 2to be a success. Furthermore, the originalBeetlejuicegreatly exceeded expectations at the box office, having earned over $74 million against a $15 million budget, whileCorpse Bridewas a moderate commercial success, bringing in over $118 million on an estimated $40 million budget. ThoughBeetlejuice 2’s budget has yet to be revealed, the critical and commercial victories ofBeetlejuiceandCorpse Brideset high standards for the long-awaited Tim Burton sequel.
86%
$15 million
$74.8 million
84%
$40 million
$118.1 million
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Cast
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the original Tim Burton classic that starred Michael Keaton and Wynona Rider in a horror-comedy that involved ghosts trying to scare off new homebuyers from taking their house. The sequel brings back Michael Keaton as the hilarious and sleazy ghost with selfish intentions, now joined by Jenna Ortega in a new role.
Beetlejuice
Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice stars Michael Keaton as the titular “bio-exorcist”, an obnoxious spirit who specializes in driving living occupants out of homes. When Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin) die suddenly, they pass into the spirit realm, and must stay in their home. However, in the living world, the Deetz family purchases the house and moves in, prompting the Maitlands to enlist the help of Beetlejuice to drive them away.
