Warning: This article contains spoilers for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
While the originalBeetlejuiceand the sequelBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceboth include a lipsyncing possession scene – to the songs “Day-O” and “MacArthur Park,” respectively – one rises above the other, becoming the franchise’s best musical moment. Even thoughBeetlejuice Beetlejuicetook 36 years to make, it was well worth the wait. The movie is funny, kitschy, gothic, spooky, and entertaining.
As a sequel to a beloved movie,Beetlejuice 2made plenty of references to the originalwhile developing the characters and the fantastical world. However, this isn’t the only wayBeetlejuice Beetlejuicepays homage to its roots. The film also took inspiration from the first movie by including a musical number that viewers will likely never forget.
Beetlejuice 2’s “MacArthur Park” Sequence Is The Follow-Up To Beetlejuice’s “Day-O” Scene
Beetlejuice’s “Day-O” Scene Set High Expectations For Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Since the original film’s release, Harry Belafonte’s“Day-O” has become synonymous with theBeetlejuicefranchise, appearing in every version of the story. The dinner scene with Delia, Charles, and their guests is among the most iconicBeetlejuicemoments. Rather than trying to replicate the “Day-O” scene from the first movie,Beetlejuice Beetlejuicecreates its own version of the scene by including a song with a different genre and vocal style – “MacArthur Park.”
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36 years have passed since the original Beetlejuice released, and a lot has changed with the Deetz family and the “ghost with the most.”
The moody pop ballad, written by Jimmy Webb, became an unexpected hit after being recorded by actor/singer Richard Harris in 1968. Though “MacArthur Park” went on to be recorded by numerous other artists, Tim Burton uses that originalsong inBeetlejuice 2. In addition to choosing a different song style, the events during the musical moments are fundamentally different. The dancing and lipsyncing inBeetlejuice’s “Day-O” possession scene is relatively tame because the Maitlands are in charge. In contrast,Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’s “MacArthur Park” scenefeels like a fever dream, which makes sense with Betelgeuse in charge.
Which Beetlejuice Franchise Musical Moment Is Better
“Day-O” Wins Over “MacArthur Park,” But Only By A Small Margin
BothBeetlejuice’s “Day-O” andBeetlejuice 2’s “MacArthur Park” scenes have their merits, but the original musical moment is better. Firstly, the original scene had an element of absurdity because it was unexpected. The scene inBeetlejuice 2felt like a given based on how iconic the “Day-O” moment was, taking away that element of surprise.
If Burton edited down the “MacArthur Park” scene, the positives might have been strong enough to outweigh the nostalgia, shock factor, and beautiful simplicity ofBeetlejuice’s “Day-O” scene.
Additionally, the scene in the original movie only uses a short snippet of the song, offering enough time to get theBeetlejuicecharacters’ hilarious reactions to the horrifying and funny possession. When it came time for the sequel, Tim Burton had the perfect selection with “MacArthur Park.” The changing time signatures and vivid imagery in the lyrics perfectly fit Betelgeuse’s chaotic personality. The modern dance by theBeetlejuice 2castand the cinematography are brilliant. However,the director made a mistake by using the entire 7-minute and 21-second-long song in the sequel.
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In addition to Beetlejuice, Lydia, and Delia, there are some great missing original characters who still must return for Beetlejuice 2.
Though it starts out great, theBeetlejuice Beetlejuicemusical moment drags on to the point where it loses its humor and charm. If Burton edited down the “MacArthur Park” scene, the positives might have been strong enough to outweigh the nostalgia, shock factor, and beautiful simplicity ofBeetlejuice’s “Day-O” scene. Unfortunately, with the entire song in the movie, the sequel’s musical moment becomes tiring about two-thirds of the way through the sequence, despite how lovablethe Deetz familyis.
What The Beetlejuice 2 Cast & Crew Has Said About Filming The “MacArthur Park” Scene
The “MacArthur Park” Scene In Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Evolved Over Time
Though “Day-O” is better than “MacArthur Park,”the musical sequence inBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceis still one of the best moments in the movie, and that’s thanks to the hard work of the cast and crew. Numerous individuals have spoken about creating the “MacArthur Park” scene from conception to finish. Tim Burton tapped Alfred Gough and Miles Millar to write the movie, and Gough toldEntertainment Weeklythe following:
“We went and listened to [‘MacArthur Park’], and then we just wrote out a musical number based on that. And then we kept evolving it. We were like, ‘Yes! That’s the crazy, weird, insane thing you need at the end of this movie.'"
Gough’s statement highlights the collaborative creative process, which treated the musical number as a living entity that could evolve rather than remain stagnant. The spontaneous nature of the scene was also mentioned by Burton himself, who toldSlashFilmthis:
“We didn’t really worry about the script or the studio or anybody. We just went and did it. Which is something, like I said, it kind of re-energized the fact of why you like making movies, just kind of it’s the unknown. It’s not something that is set in stone. It’s something that’s, we think about it, but then we just don’t worry about it. We just do it. And it was quite liberating.”
Burton’s choice of song resonated with the cast members as well. In the interview withSlashFilm, Catherine O’Hara, who plays Delia Deetz, stated the following:
“[T]he whole church and the musical number, when I first heard they were doing the whole song and Tim just came up with so many levels of insanity in that number. And I mean, but real stuff going on too with Lydia and Astrid and us. It’s just wild and great and surprising.”
The chaotic nature of the scene allowed for creative input from the actors, which Jenna Ortega and O’Hara elaborated on in an interview withNME. ThereturningBeetlejuiceactorexplained that they created their own dance moves. O’Hara told interviewers this:
“I wanted the more… illogical to my mind… dance moves that kind of mean nothing in all modern… not all modern dance, modern dance is amazing.”
Meanwhile, Jenna Ortega credited her co-star with inspiring Astrid and Delia’s choreography throughout the “MacArthur Park” scene. She said the following to Catherine O’Hara:
“You were the inspiration behind the performance art aspect of it. I think it read on the page as a proper dance, and you sparked an idea.”
The common theme across all these interviews is the collaborative environment surrounding the “MacArthur Park” scene.Everyone contributed, building off each other’s work in a beautiful and organic way. The sequence at theend ofBeetlejuice Beetlejuiceis a testament to the positive outcomes that occur when all members of a cast and crew are allowed to contribute in a meaningful way. Hopefully, others in the industry will follow the example set by the cast and crew ofBeetlejuice 2, allowing for more cooperative filmmaking in the future.
