Pee-wee's Big Adventure

"The story of a rebel and his bike."

1985 1h 31m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 886

ComedyAdventureFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

The eccentric and childish Pee-wee Herman embarks on a big adventure when his beloved bicycle is stolen. Armed with information from a fortune-teller and a relentless obsession with his prized possession, Pee-wee encounters a host of odd characters and bizarre situations as he treks across the country to recover his bike.

“The story of a rebel and his bike.”

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Cast

Paul Reubens
Pee-wee Herman
E. G. Daily
Dottie
Mark Holton
Francis
Diane Salinger
Simone
Judd Omen
Mickey
Irving Hellman
Mr. Crowtrey
Monte Landis
Mario
Damon Martin
Chip

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tim Burton
Writers: Phil Hartman, Michael Varhol, Paul Reubens
Languages: French, English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.8× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

41 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Pee-wee's Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tim Burton, shot by Victor J. Kemper. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Danny Elfman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Billy Weber shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Reubens and E. G. Daily and Mark Holton carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tim Burton directs. Victor J. Kemper behind the camera. Danny Elfman scores. Billy Weber cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 6.8× over at the box office.
241 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
4Part of the "Pee-wee's Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Tim Burton, shot by Victor J. Kemper. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Danny Elfman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Billy Weber shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Paul Reubens and E. G. Daily and Mark Holton carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The story of a rebel and his bike.".
10IMDB entry: tt0089791 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 11 themes, including "prenzlauer berg", "dark comedy", "bicycle", "tour guide".

The technical file

Cinematography: Victor J. Kemper
Original score: Danny Elfman
Editing: Billy Weber
Production design: David L. Snyder
Costume design: Aggie Guerard Rodgers
Makeup / hair: Frank Griffin
Sound: Terry Porter
Stunt coordinator: Paul Baxley
Runtime: 91 min · 1h 31m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,000,000
Box office: $40,900,000
Return: 682% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)

Part of

Pee-wee's Collection

Pee-wee's Big Adventure is a 1985 American adventure comedy film directed by Tim Burton in his full-length film directing debut and starring Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman with supporting roles provided by Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton, Diane Salinger and Judd Omen. Reubens also co-wrote the script with Phil Hartman and Michael Varhol. It spawned two sequels, Big Top Pee-wee (1988) and Pee-wee's Big Holiday (2016).