What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that younger kids will find Pee-wee
delightful, but occasional sinister imagery (including Large
Marge and a few dream sequences involving clowns and devils)
may be a bit much for some. Grade school kids should enjoy
Pee-wee and identify with his mission to hunt down his stolen
bicycle.
Common Sense Media Review
Those who found Tim Burton's feature film debut a charming
curiosity when it hit the big screen in 1985 will find it just
as charming -- and just as curious -- today. Children and
open-minded adults unfamiliar with Pee-wee Herman are in for a
surprise.
The movie's success, which paved the way for the Saturday morning show Pee-wee's Playhouse, is due in large part to Pee-wee himself. As personified by comic Paul Reubens, the smooth-faced, childlike man with the infectious chuckle has a unique appeal that elevated him briefly to the status of cult icon. Reubens' sensibilities work well with Burton's equally bizarre artistic vision. The movie's wild production designs, a bit of claymation, and lots of unusual toys and props (many contributed by Reubens himself) demonstrate what ingenuity can do on a tight budget.
Pee-wee isn't regarded as abnormal in this movie -- as he was in the less successful follow-up, Big Top Pee-Wee -- rather, he's just an innocent man-child in a red bow tie who would rather find his stolen bicycle than go to the drive-in with the persistent Dottie (played by Elizabeth Daily, the voice of Tommy Pickles in the Rugrats series). Kids can certainly identify with that.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
