‘Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday’ Premieres At SXSW

The infamous Pee-Wee, Paul Reuben‘s signature character who has not appeared on screen since 1988’s Big Top Pee-wee, has returned to Netflix with Pee-Wee‘s Big Holiday.

It premiered on Thursday night as the final red carpet movie premiere for South by Southwest (SXSW). This was the directorial debut for John Lee. Producer Judd Apatow, who also premiered the hit Trainwreck at SXSW last year, said that he would’ve done anything to make another Pee-Wee movie.

The movie is catalyzed by Joe Manganiello (True Blood) inspiring Pee-Wee to go on his first holiday. Manganiello said that he has “never missed an episode of Pee’Wee’s Play House, Big Top Pee-Wee” and he has “been a huge fan since then.”

Manganiello also said he was especially excited about being a part of the continuation of the Pee-Wee legacy. “An entire generation of kids are going to watch this movie with their parents of my generation,” said Manganiello. “And so a whole new generation is going to get introduced to Pee-Wee and love it.”

Reuben is also excited to be back at it. “I think it’s really funny, it’s got a lot of heart, there’s a certain sweetness to it. I think it’s unusual in certain ways, and it’s got a lot of callbacks to big adventure to my earlier stuff. But I think it’s fresh and new, and I am hoping people will really like it.”

The Austin premiere met a crowd of fans chanting “Pee-Wee” and donning bow ties.