15 Best Beetlejuice Cartoon Episodes, Ranked (2025)

The 1989 Beetlejuice cartoon is a hidden gem from the Tim Burton canon. The aesthetic matches Tim Burton's eccentric, gothic style perfectly, while adapting it for a lighthearted children's audience. Even the series' voice actors for Lydia and Beetlejuice are the perfect cartoonish counterparts to Winona Ryder and Michael Keaton.

The Beetlejuice cartoon explores more of the Land of the Dead, though they call it the Neitherworld. The story retains iconic characters, like the sandworms and Delia Deetz, and introduces a bevy of new characters, like Prince Vince and Jacques LaLean. The series spans four seasons and has many memorable episodes worth replaying over and over.

Updated on October 17, 2024 by Mayra Garcia: Following the success of Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, fans of this franchise have rediscovered the 1989 Beetlejuice cartoon, an underestimated piece of its time. Anyone wanting to dip into this show should start with these episodes. This list has been updated to include more of the best episodes in the Beetlejuice cartoon show.

15 Beetlejuice Gets Sick

Season 4, Episode 30, "Cabin Fever"

When Lydia gets a bad case of measles, she has to quarantine far from everyone, so Beetlejuice -- immune to the human illness -- accompanies her and tries to cure her out of love and stubborness Unfortunately, he gets an even worse case of cabin fever due to the isolation so the carer and caree roles reverse immediately in an hilarious turn of events.

Throughout the whole episode, Lydia and Beetlejuice try different remedies for their illnesses, each weirder than the last one, such as eating a disgusting stew, using mayonnaise as ointment, or simply wishing the illness away. This allows Beetlejuice to hit the gas regarding the campy and absurd type of grossness that surrounds the Neitherworld -- and the episode's third act, which follows the two characters through Beetlejuice's attic, expands on the mysterious past of the so called Ghost with the Most.

14 Beetlejuice Lends Lydia His Personality

Season 4, Episode 20, "Them Bones, Them Bones, Them Funny Bones"

Beetlejuice wouldn't be Beetlejuice without his trademark humor and "Them Bones, Them Bones, Them Funny Bones" proves it. When Beetlejuice lends Lydia his "funny bone" so she can ace an MC audition, this absolutely changes the ghost's personality turning him boring and serious.

"Them Bones, Them Bones, Them Funny Bones" is hilarious because humor is the main topic of the episode -- not just an important part of it. Both Lydia and Beetlejuice crack great jokes and the literal "funny bone" hanging around makes things even more chaotic than usual. Besides, the serious version of Beetlejuice will have viewers missing his true self, even if he's incredibly disgusting at times.

13 Lydia Opens A Fashion Boutique

Season 2, Episode 2, "Scare and Scare Alike" / "Spooky Boo-tique"

Contrary to the film, the cartoon's Lydia and Beetlejuice are truly friends and the Ghost with the Most truly loves the girl, often going the extra mile to help her. When Lydia decides to put a fashion boutique based on her goth designs, Beetlejuice ensures she won't get her heart broken by hipnotizing the whole town so they can't get enough of Lydia's work. Of course, this goes terribly wrong and ends up with the duo having to save themselves from an angry mob.

Although things go south when Beetlejuice meddles, his intentions are good. Both Lydia and the viewer know this, so it's impossible to get mad at him. What ends up becoming a mess, it's in reality BJ's attempt to show Lydia he truly cares about her, which is adorable considering he has the worst manners ever. This episode stands out from others because it highlights the love between Beetlejuice and Lydia -- and of course, the visuals of Lydia's fashion also help.

12 Beetlejuice Spoofs The Twilight Zone

Seaon 4, Episode 54, "The Chromazone"

The Twilight Zone is one of the best horror shows of all time so it has widely influenced other show and films. Although Beetlejuice isn't pure horror, this show isn't the exception. In "The Chromazone," Beetlejuice has to team up with Tod Sperling (a parody of Rod Serling) to stop Ima Looney, a creation of the Chromazone gone rogue.

"The Chromazone" is a beloved Beetlejuice episode because it's fun and it has a simple but interesting premise. Horror fans also love it because it's a complete spoof on The Twilight Zone, including the characters, the black and white creepy imagery, and even the music.

11 Beetlejuice References Beetlejuice

Season 1, Episode 13, "Cousin BJ" / "Beetlejuice's Parents"

Overall, Beetlejuice spends very little time in the living world and even when he does, only Lydia can see him. "Cousin BJ" shakes things up a bit and follows the Ghost with the Most's adventures outside the Neitherworld as he joins Lydia on a family dinner. While it's hilarious to see, he obviously tortures Lydia's extended family, uncapable of behaving.

This episode stands out because it includes one of the biggest references to the original Beetlejuice movie. After giving Lydia's aunt a make over and taking over her uncle's ventriloquist act, Beetlejuice forces the family to dance around the dinner table just like in the iconic Banana Boat song scene -- although both the film and the series follow the same characters, nothing signals that they happen in the same universe, so seeing a reference so obvious, it's interesting.

10 Beetlejuice Tries to Clean Up His Act

Season 1, Episode 7, "Bad Neighbor Beetlejuice" / "Campfire Ghouls"

Beetlejuice is notoriously obnoxious, but in the vignette "Bad Neighbor Beetlejuice," he finally goes too far. He maxes out his Gross-Out Meter first thing in the morning, and then he cooks up some concentrated Bug Bait for breakfast. His neighbors cannot take the noxious smell, and Beetlejuice finally gets some consequences for his nastiness when he gets kicked out of the neighborhood.

"Bad Neighbor Beetlejuice" establishes Beetlejuice's grossness and his cluelessness. It also has some great scenes where he runs to his best buddy, Lydia, for some help. He chats with her through her bedroom mirror, which is a great addition the Beetlejuice cartoon adds to the worldbuilding. The episode's companion vignette, "Campfire Ghouls," also has more about Lydia and Beetlejuice's friendship, as Beetlejuice poses as the girl "Betty Juice" so he can go camping with Lydia and her friends without scaring them with his poltergeist looks.

9 Beetlejuice & Lydia Get Trapped In a Cursed Village

Season 4, Episode 19, "Brinkadoom"

There aren't enough creepy, goofy retellings of classic musicals. The Beetlejuice cartoon answers that need with the episode "Brinkadoom," which is a spoof of the musical Brigadoon. Brigadoon is about a magical Scottish town that only appears at certain times, full of frolicking and singing villagers.

At first, it seems like Brigadoon wouldn't be the best source material for a Beetlejuice episode, but Beetlejuice, Lydia, and their car, Doomie, add a great dose of otherworldliness to an already eccentric musical. The Brinkadoom village is cursed, and not as idyllic as the one in the original musical. The episode also incorporates elements of the horror novel, House On a Haunted Hill by Shirley Jackson.

8 Lydia Has a Moment of Self-Doubt

Season 4, Episode 11, "Beauty & the Beetle"

Lydia Deetz has a very distinct style and a self-contained personality. She's especially sensible and wise in the cartoon, but a key part of Lydia's character is how sensitive she is. It's normal for any teenager to feel self-conscious and Lydia gets her moment, too, in the episode "Beauty and the Beetle."

Lydia starts to feel like she isn't beautiful in her own way, but that's the least of her problems when a huge Bigfoot-type monster steals her away. The monster's name is Thing Thong, and he also feels ugly, so he steals things that he thinks are beautiful. In this episode, both Thing Thong and Lydia learn a lesson about beauty, similar to the lesson in the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast," which loosely inspired the episode.

7 Beetlejuice Lives the Rock 'n Roll Life

Season 1, Episode 10, "It's the Pits"

Beetlejuice's gross-out nature tends to get him in a lot of trouble, but in "It's the Pits," his nastiness actually works out in his favor. Beetlejuice is a multi-talented and irreverent poltergeist, and he soon gets recognized for how well he plays the musical armpit. Since Beetlejuice skyrockets to fame, there are plenty of wonderful new characters in this episode.

One of the best parts of the Beetlejuice cartoon is its mixed-media animation. The club MC where Beetlejuice performs stands out from the other animated characters because he appears to be a delightfully incongruent CGI character. Beetlejuice loves to assume disguises so wears plenty of recognizable rock-and-roll costumes in this episode too.

6 Prince Vince Vies for Public Approval

Season 3, Episode 6, "The Prince of Rock & Roll"

Prince Vince is a very emotional character. He is so comical that he has two highly-rated episodes dedicated to him, including "The Prince of Rock and Roll." He's the Prince of the Neitherworld, and he wants to feel accepted and loved by the inhabitants of this bizarre world. Prince Vince doesn't have the kind of personality that inspires much fan fervor, though, not even in the Neitherworld. He thinks that changing his persona will make him more popular with the public, and he trades his tortured poet style for a rock and roll star facade.

The prince has a special tendre for Lydia, and Lydia tries to spare him from the truth -- which is that his music is so terrible, it's making all his Neitherworld subjects depressed. This episode focuses very little on Beetlejuice, instead having Prince Vince in the center. Since the character fits the Tim Burton vibe perfectly, he's a beloved member of the show.

5 Lydia Befriends a Creepy but Sweet Tree

Season 1, Episode 4, "Stage Fright" / "Spooky Tree"

So many Beetlejuice characters look scary, but they have hearts of gold. Even Beetlejuice has a dastardly side, but he still has a conscience. Nearly every creature and citizen of the Neitherworld adores Lydia, just like the Spooky Tree. Lydia wins him over by protesting so that he doesn't get cut down, and then they truly become friends.

The "Spooky Tree" vignette leans into the virtues of environmentalism while still keeping things goofy and lighthearted, but it also puts special attention on Lydia's connection with the Neitherworld. His bond with this place goes beyond Beetlejuice. Instead, it's a place where she feels at ease, even if it's full of spooky things. For a shy teenager like her , this is a very precious thing to have, so surely many members of the audience related to her.

4 Lydia & Beetlejuice Celebrate Halloween

Season 2, Episode 5, "Bewitched, Bothered, & Beetlejuiced"

A Halloween special episode is vital for a cartoon like Beetlejuice, and the episode "Bewitched, Bothered, and Beetlejuiced" doesn't disappoint. There's plenty of classic Halloween and trick-or-treating imagery as Lydia celebrates the holiday with the Ghost with the Most. People often say that the veil between the living and the dead is at its thinnest during Halloween, and that's the case in this episode.

Lydia spends the holiday in the Neitherworld with Beetlejuice, but of course, undead adventures arise. Lydia's world of the living and the Neitherworld collide when Lydia's poor black cat Percy gets kidnapped by witches. Beetlejuice and Lydia crash a Neitherworld's witch's ball to rescue Percy. The Beetlejuice writers drew inspiration for this episode from a couple of Halloween classics, including the Bewitched series and The Witches.

3 Beetlejuice Splits Himself in Two

Season 3, Episode 9, "Not So Peaceful Pines"

It seems like there are always two distinct sides of Beetlejuice battling with each other in the cartoon. In the Beetlejuice movie, Beetlejuice is a total self-serving trickster who doesn't really care about others. But in the cartoon, there's a distinctly empathetic and sweet side to the trickster.

In "Not So Peaceful Pines," Beetlejuice divides himself, quite literally, into those two polarities. Beetlejuice feels wronged when the mayor of Lydia's town, Peaceful Pines, doesn't give him a promised cash reward. In a fit of anger, Beetlejuice tears himself in two, so the Good Beetlejuice and the Bad Beetlejuice act as totally different entities. It's truly a poltergeist-worthy tantrum that also serves as a small character study for the Ghost with the Most.

2 Beetlejuice Has Beef with Edgar Allan Poe

Season 3, Episode 13, "Poe Pourri"

Beetlejuice is plagued by nightmares when he meets the writer Edgar Allan Poe as he looks for his lost Lenore. Beetlejuice's nightmares are all inspired by Poe's classic works. The Beetlejuice cartoon often incorporates gothic literary retellings, and "Poe Pourri" may be the most involved and hilarious episode retelling.

In true Beetlejuice style, Beetlejuice thinks of the pestering Raven from Edgar Allan Poe's most well-known work, "The Raven," as his arch-nemesis. The Neither-Raven wears a dashing top hat and bothers Beetlejuice to no end. The Edgar Allan Poe of The Neitherworld is a total caricature of the real Poe; he's stricken with grief over his lost loves, has sad eyes, and a huge forehead. The element of parody capturing such a gloomy but scary character as Poe is right down Beetlejuice's alley -- especially considering Tim Burton loves the author.

1 The Neitherworld Prince Falls in Love with Lydia

Season 1, Episode 11, "Prince of the Neitherworld"

"The Prince of the Neitherworld" introduces the iconic character of the show, the melancholic Prince Vince, who is totally in love with his own sorrow. He romanticizes old poetry and emotes dramatically, feeling misunderstood and alone all the time. His court wants to enlist a court jester to make the gloomy prince laugh, but not even Beetlejuice is enough to change his attitude. However, Prince Vince totally comes alive, so to speak, when he meets Lydia. He falls in love with her at first sight, putting her on a pedestal.

Prince Vince wants to make Lydia his princess, and he enlists none other than the Ghost with the Most to help him woo Lydia in true Prince of the Neitherworld fashion. This makes for some comedy, some romance, and even some misunderstandings. This episode stands out from others because it centers on Prince Vince, a beloved character who truly embodies the goth, gloomy aesthetic of Tim Burton and the Beetlejuice world.

Beetlejuice (1989)

TV-Y

Animation

Short

Adventure

Comedy

Family

Fantasy

Horror

Release Date

September 9, 1989

Main Genre

Animation

Seasons

4

Production Company

Geffen Film Company, Tim Burton Incorporated, Nelvana

Number of Episodes

94

Main Cast

Stephen Ouimette, Alyson Court, Tabitha St. Germain