'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice' Will Go "Back to Basics" with Stop Motion Animation

Tim Burton is undoubtedly going back to his roots with Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the sequel to the beloved 1988 original film. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director confirmed that the follow-up will use stop motion animation, as was done in the original. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will rise back to life in theaters on September 6.

When one thinks of stop motion animation, it's likely that Burton comes to mind, whether that be Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie, or his influence on The Nightmare Before Christmas. Of course, it's unknown how this animation will play into the story, though theories are sure to run rampant, especially in the wake of the recently-released photos of the sequel. Here's what Burton said when discussing Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with Entertainment Weekly:

"It [Beetlejuice Beetlejuice] needed a back-to-basics, handmade quality. It reenergized why I love making movies."

Outside of the excitement factor for this back-to-basics approach, there are some other items to get excited about from Burton's quote. Words like this certainly allude that we'll be getting a film that is unabashedly Burton-esque, harkening back to films like Edward Scissorhands and Ed Wood. Additionally, it's always exciting to hear a director become "reenergized" for the craft of making movies. Burton has only directed three films in the last ten years (though he has worked on Netflix's Wednesday), so a film that calls back to his classic style of the late eighties and early nineties has to be exciting for fans.

Who Stars in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice?

It would not be a Beetlejuice film without the titular character himself. Michael Keaton will reprise the role in this long-awaited sequel. Catherine O'Hara and Winona Ryder will also be returning, reprising their respective roles of Delia and Lydia Deetz. Burton will reunite with his Wednesday star Jenna Ortega, who will portray the daughter of Ryder's Lydia, Astrid. Monica Bellucci, Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, and Burn Gorman will also be appearing in the Beetlejuice sequel.

Plot details for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice are thin at the moment, though Burton did supply some hints in the same interview with Entertainment Weekly. Burton highlighted that the hook for the sequel is reuniting the three generations of Deetz women, a dynamic that Beetlejuice himself would absolutely exploit. Tidbits have also been revealed for some of the newcomers to the cast. Bellucci has been confirmed to be playing the role of Beetlejuice's bride, while Dafoe portrays a detective in the afterlife who was a former B movie action star.

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will hit theaters on September 6. Stay tuned to Collider for all the latest on the sequel.