Paul Reubens for a full-length Pee-wee Herman film. Reubens' original idea was to do a remake of "Pollyanna", which Reubens claims is his favorite film. Halfway through writing the script, Reubens noticed everyone at Warner Bros. had a bike with them, which inspired Reubens to start on a new script with Phil Hartman. When Reubens and the producers of "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" saw Tim Burton's work on "Vincent" and "Frankenweenie", they chose Burton to be the film's director. The film tells the story of Pee-wee Herman embarking on nationwide adventure in search of his stolen bicycle. The movie went on to gross
Paul Reubens understand. Despite the negative publicity, many artists who knew Reubens, such as Cyndi Lauper, Annette Funicello, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Valeria Golino, spoke out in his support. Bill Cosby defended Reubens, saying, "Whatever [Reubens has] done, this is being blown all out of proportion." Other people who knew Reubens, such as "Playhouse" production designer Gary Panter, S. Epatha Merkerson, and "Big Top Pee-wee" director Randal Kleiser, also spoke in support. Reubens' fans organized support rallies after CBS canceled the reruns, picketing in Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco. The TV news magazine "A Current Affair" received "tens of thousands"