Pee wee's Big Adventure (Criterion) 11/25 Blu-ray (Rental)

One of the most eccentric comedies of the 1980s, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure is a pop-culture touchstone that helped make a manic oddball named Pee-wee Herman—the creation and alter ego of actor-comedian Paul Reubens—into an icon for outsiders of all ages. It also established the distinctive style of director Tim Burton, whose eye-popping visual sense is already on full display in this, his first feature film. Following the gleefully irreverent Pee-wee as he embarks on a road trip to recover his beloved stolen bicycle, the movie unfolds with the antic invention of a live-action cartoon, combining a gallery of memorably wacky characters, colorful, kitschy Americana, and surreal flights of fancy into a joyously uninhibited paean to creativity and the spirit of childhood. DIRECTOR-APPROVED BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Tim Burton, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack Alternate 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack Audio commentary by Burton and actor-cowriter Paul Reubens Audio commentary by composer Danny Elfman (over a music-only soundtrack to the film) New interview with Burton and actor-filmmaker Richard Ayoade New interviews with producer Richard Abramson, production designer David L. Snyder, cowriter Michael Varhol, and editor Billy Weber, conducted by critic Mark Olsen Hollywood’s Master Storytellers interview with Reubens from 2005 Excerpts from the fortieth-anniversary screening of the film presented by Nostalgic Nebula and hosted by comedian Dana Gould Deleted scenes Trailer English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing PLUS: An essay by podcast host and culture critic Jesse Thorn