Danny Elfman on releasing the ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ score, Tim Burton and more

Famous composer Danny Elfman was with legendary director Tim Burton from the beginning and composed the filmmaker’s first feature film Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure in 1995. Then, in 1988, Elfman created the iconic film score Beetlejuice and 36 years later, he took another cinematic adventure to Winter River, Connecticut, to compose the music for Burton’s blockbuster sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

While Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was still in production, Burton said it was like watching “Demon Possession” as Michael Keaton stepped back into the role more than three and a half decades after the release of the classic original supernatural comedy.

Luckily for Elfman, his work continues Beetlejuice Beetlejuice locked in the same way.

“You have to realize that with all the films I’ve done with Tim, Batman is the only exception where there were two,” Elfman told me in a Zoom call this week. “There were scores that I enjoyed writing and it was such a great playground – and then suddenly they’re gone. Then I realize I’ll never be able to write this music again and I get sad.”

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As such, Elfman says, you get “the chance to jump back into the same playground.” Beetlejuice Beetlejuice After all these years it was “a real pleasure”.

“It really took me a quick second to get back into that mindset,” Elfman enthused. “So I know exactly what Michael felt. It was like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m back!'”

Elfmans Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Score from the original film soundtrack) will be released digitally on Friday, while the vinyl and CD versions will be released in early 2025 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice The original music includes Elfman’s 29 tracks from the film, including of course the Main title topic out of Beetlejuice.

While the Main title topic out of Beetlejuice is undeniably perfection, Elfman said he couldn’t resist the idea of ​​slightly redesigning it when it came to the sequel with The Mind With The Most.

“I played around with it a bit. I have to get a little crazier, and of course when you have credits you can really go crazy,” Elfman enthused. “I brought this pipe organ that a friend of mine has here in Los Angeles and wrote a few pipe organ pieces into it that were different than the original.”

Nevertheless, the spirit of composing and recording the score remains Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was the same as the original – but with significantly more time to work on it.

“There are things in it that I would have liked to have done back then but didn’t have access to,” Elfman said. “The first one Beetlejuice It was a low-budget film and it was a miracle to even spend three days recording with an orchestra and finishing the score.”

Elfman indulged his love of universal monsters in the score for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice– which is playing in theaters and available on digital streaming – is largely set in Winter River, Connecticut, where Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) and her stepmother Delia (Catherine O’Hara) return to the funeral of the family patriarch Charles and meet again Beetlejuice ( Michael Keaton).

New characters joining Beetlejuice, Lydia and Delia for the sequel include Lydia’s teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), Lydia’s boyfriend Rory (Justin Theroux) and Wolf Jackson (Willem Dafoe), a deceased actor in the afterlife.

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The story also focuses on Beetlejuice’s vengeful ex-wife Delores (Monica Bellucci). Including Delores in the narrative gave screenwriters Alfred Gough and Miles Millar the opportunity to explore Beetlejuice’s backstory.

As a bonus, the backstory gave Tim Burton the chance to make a film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice scene in black and white and Danny Elfman to score it as a sort of homage to the classic films in the Universal Monsters universe. Since both Burton and Elfman are fans of Universal Monsters, the opportunity was a dream.

“Tim and I decided to do this early on. “For example, we developed a tone and feel for Monica’s mean character and it became something entirely unique,” Elfman said. “So this is different than the original music, but the core of the music is still about Beetlejuice.”

Elfman is preparing for his final two US concerts this year

In addition to celebrating the release of the Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Score (Water Tower Music), the legendary composer prepares to return to the concert stage for the final two shows he has planned in the United States this year: synchronized Danny Elfman: From Boingo to Batman to Big Mess and Beyond!

The concerts will feature Elfman’s rock band, an orchestra and a choir, similar to his acclaimed performance at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in 2022.

Elfman said music from him Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Score will of course be included in the concerts scheduled for Saturday, November 2nd at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles and Sunday, November 3rd at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California.

As the concerts’ title suggests, the shows will include Elfman’s music from Oingo Boingo, his solo work including selections from his 2021 album Big mess and excerpts from his prolific career as a composer for film and television.

“The show is crazy divided,” Elfman said. “A third of the show is old music that goes back to Boingo, and a third of the show is new music that I’m doing now, plus a few world premieres that no one has heard yet.”

Plus, Elfman added, the show is one-third film music, highlighting the musician’s work with Tim Burton.

Of course, the director and the composer worked together on such classic films as Alice in Wonderland, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie, Sleepy Hollow, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Beetlejuice and its sequel and the Netflix series Wednesday.

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Elfman noted that there will be some non-Burton scores included Danny Elfman: From Boingo to Batman to Big Mess and Beyond! as well as.

“Maybe there is a suite of The Simpsons. I can’t say for sure,” Elfman teased with a smile. “Essentially it’s eight musical suites and we have a full orchestra and choir on stage. It’s a really crazy show and almost impossible to tour with. Can you imagine what a band tour with 65 people is like?”

Tickets for the Elfman’s Hollywood Bowl and Shoreline Ampitheatre shows are available at Ticketmaster.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Score from the original film soundtrack) is available digitally on Friday and will be released on vinyl and CD in early 2025.

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