Varèse Sarabande announce the return of Danny Elfman’s celebrated scores for Pee-wee’s Big Adventure (1985) and Back to School (1986) on new color vinyl editions. Recreating the original double-feature vinyl presentation, the release revives a fan-favorite Danny Elfman double bill on a single-LP package. The collection features Pee-wee’s Big Adventure on Side A—the first collaboration between Elfman and director Tim Burton, and the launch of one of cinema’s most celebrated composer/director partnerships—and Elfman’s score for the rowdy ’80s comedy classic Back to School on Side B. The release follows the 40th anniversary of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure last year, while Back to School celebrates the milestone in 2026. In addition to the “Rocket Red” variant, Barnes & Noble will offer an exclusive “Tequila Dance Green” vinyl, while the Varèse Sarabande store will carry a striking exclusive “Rebel Splatter” vinyl. These new pressings arrive on June 26, 2026.

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Actor Paul Reubens created Pee-wee Herman while performing with the Groundlings in the late 1970s, later transforming the character into a stage show and an HBO show in 1981, eventually leading to the 1985 feature film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. Directed by Tim Burton in his feature film debut, the film follows Pee-wee on his wildly eclectic cross-country search for his stolen bike, the Red Rocket. Oingo Boingo frontman Danny Elfman was brought in to compose the score, and a dream pairing between filmmaker (Burton) and composer (Elfman) was born.

In an oral history for Indiewire on the making of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Elfman reflected on the unlikely chain of events that led to his hiring for the now-classic film: “I got the call randomly. I didn’t learn until later just how crucial Paul [Reubens] was in the decision [that got me hired]. I didn’t meet with him; I met with Tim. Five years prior, Paul had seen a midnight film my brother made called Forbidden Zone.

The rock icon turned composer was initially shocked that he would be tapped to write the music for the film. He explained in the interview: “When I had my meeting with Tim, the first thing I thought was that maybe they wanted a song. I just assumed that’s what the meeting was about. When he informed me, ‘No, I’d like you to do the score,’ I was like, ‘A score? Me?’ I didn’t know how to do a score.”

In an interview with writer Owen Williams, Elfman explained: “Back to School was my third [film score]—and I’d never taken a lesson on an instrument, never mind scored a film. I was teaching myself everything from the bottom up, so when I listen back now…those things sound very primitive to me. That doesn’t mean [they’re] ‘bad.’ Maybe I should learn something from them and get to something more primitive again. I think in those days I was driving on this crazy energy, so maybe it’s that. I wasn’t following any rules because I really didn’t give a shit. Maybe that shows.”