My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analyses: "Animaniacs" - The Funny and Wisecracking Warner Brothers and Steven Spielberg Animated TV Series That Became Insanely Popular

Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies.

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We`re just a mirage thanks to the lights below :) Don`t ask us how :)

It`s just drawn, we`re
not actually in the
bomb :)

When most people think of Warner Bros. Studio, they`ll usually think of Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny and his gang. After all, it`s not a strange staple, due to how the studio is mostly known for that squad. And how that franchise has become one of the most well known and iconic animated properties ever. However, just as with other companies, Warner Bros is after all a huge and vast division with various franchises and series than they`ve been acknowledged for. And they`ve expanded their horizions by creating new characters. However, if we`re going to look at another property that the company has been known for, who perhaps not had such a huge impact, but still an impact of their own, it`s Animaniacs.

Animaniacs` Trademarks and Components

This is how you become
when you`re feeling
blue :)

Now having turned 30 years old last year, Animaniacs is one of the most beloved and cherished properties of Warner Bros. It was made by Tom Ruegger for Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of Kids' WB afternoon programming. It`s the second animated show made by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. Yet in true Looney Tunes mold it has many characters living in the same universe. But having their individual stories and not always interacting. But Animaniacs have the Tunes-legacy of having both slapstick, Pop Culture references and adult innuendo`s. And also being zappy, zingy and frivilous fun. And yes, the humor was inspired by Tunes and the Marx Brothers.

Yes, I may look like
far behind, but I`m
actually close :)

However, Animaniacs was also made in the same mold as Tiny Toons Adventures, as it was a variety show and executed in the same way. Most episodes were made of two or three shorts (and while there were exceptions, they were few), starring different characters. But it wasn`t a bad thing for someone who loved Toons as a child. Animaniacs lasted for five years and five seasons, but it`s the second and third seasons that`s regarded to be the best ones by aficionados. Which is easy to see in hindsight. But first and foremost, Animaniacs was essentially a parody of many series and movies. But unlike Toons, Animaniacs was essentially a musical with many songs.

This was way
before Singstar :)

Animaniacs was successful, gathering both child and adult fans (on Kids' WB, it gathered 1 million kids every week). And became the second-most popular kids show of ages 2–11 (behind Mighty Morphin Power Rangers). Animaniacs brought Fox Kids ratings larger than it`s competitors. And it won eight Daytime Emmy Awards. Rob Paulsen voiced Yakko, Pinky, and Dr. Otto von Scratchansniff. Tress MacNeille was Dot and Jess Harnell was Wakko. Writer Sherri Stoner (who was the model of Ariel in The Little Mermaid) was Slappy Squirrel. Maurice LaMarche was Brain and Squit. Veteran voice actor Frank Welker (Abu in Aladdin) was Ralph the Security Guard, Thaddeus Plotz and Runt. Bernadette Peters (Anastasia, Beauty and the Beast The Enchanted Christmas) played Rita. Other voices were provided by Jim Cummings.

Behind the Scenes Information

We`re the Turtle version of
Huey, Dewey and Louie :)

The idea for Animaniacs came from Ruegger. Fresh off Tiny Toons's success, Spielberg and Jean MacCurdy pushed for a next idea for a series. As Spielberg wanted something with a marquee name. Ruegger had already envisioned three characters he created for his student film The Premiere of Platypus Duck at Dartmouth College. About a trio of platypuses and connected it to the water tower at Warner Bros. Studios. But despite how Spielberg liked the ducks, he suggested them to be other animals, cause ducks were overdone. The look of the Warners were inspired by Foxy and Roxy from Tiny Toons. And yes, they were originally blue. But believe it or not, Rita and Runt were going to be the main stars. Before the show aired, a Yakko balloon was put on the actual Warner Bros water tower for promotion, which made Bob Dylan confused.

I`m so glad that I`m getting a
diamond for our wedding :)

The Warner siblings were inspired by Jerry Lewis. Just as Ruegger wrote the Warner siblings based on his own sons, other characters were based on relations the staff had. Ruegger created Pinky and the Brain after two of his Tiny Toon colleagues, Eddie Fitzgerald and Tom Minton. Nicholas Hollander based Katie Ka-Boom on his teenage daughter. I Got Yer Can-episode was based on actual incident with Stoner. The Survey-episode was modeled after a real-life happening where seller with different wigs would ask different questions. The same with the Up and Downs episode, which happened with Andrea Romano. And Mindy was inspired by a real life kid. LaMarche had been a long-time fan of Orson Welles and gave his voice for the role. Paulsen took inspiration from Monty Python's Flying Circus for Pinky's voice. It was Romano who suggested Harnell to shape Wakko of Elvis and then John Lennon. LaMarche did the burping. And Harnell experienced once a kid who didn`t believe he was Wakko, despite how he did the voice. There was an popular singer who was already cast as Rita (before Peters), but dropped out afterwards. So Romano personally chose Peters. Most of the actors recorded together. Spielberg suggested Stoner to do Slappy`s voice.

I`m good at bending my finger
backwards :) Just a pity that I
couldn`t make it longer :)

The writers were free to write about parody subjects that wouldn`t be in other series. Animaniacs was made when Children's Television Act in 1990 required that children`s shows would have educational content. That`s why segments with historical figures and songs like Yakko's World were made. Spielberg was involved in story ideas. But Slappy was created by Stoner from a in-joke about how she would audition forever and aging, without getting a job. And yes, Minerva Mink was originally perceived for being too sexy for kids. Spielberg`s kids picked out Mindy and Buttons. The name Hello Nurse was inspired from Bugs` "What`s up, Doc"-comment. Spielberg defended the violence the show in by saying that it had a balance of both violent humor and educational segments, so the series would never become neither. Writer Peter Hastings unintentionally created the catchphrases on the Win Big episode, and Stoner used them. The recurring parts like the water tower gag and The Wheel of Morality eased the production, because the same scenes could be reused (as the latter part made the crew to add a something in where there was not room for anything else in the episode). It became a compliment to be parodied on Animaniacs.

The animation on
This is our magic carpet :) And
yes, we`ll make it fly by
reading these instructions :)
Animaniacs was made by different studios, both American and international. Still it was made with a higher production value than most TV animation. As it had a higher cel count than most TV cartoon shows. Which made it expensive to produce. The idea for an original score in every episode came from Spielberg. The composers used a 35 piece orchestra for the show. The music was recorded at the same stage as Looney Tunes, Eastwood Scoring Stage Carl Stalling. The theme song won an Emmy Award for best song. However, the show was unintentionally more successful with adults than with kids on WB TV.

The Cast of Animaniacs

We wanted to show that we
could be both classy and goofy
at the same time :)

The main characters of Animaniacs are of course the Warner siblings (excuse me, Warner Brothers and their Sister. Who despite having adult voices were still kids). With three distinct personalities: The snappy, wisecracking Yakko, the goofy and ditzy Wakko and the snarky and vain Dot. All of them looked like a blend Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Felix the Cat (despite how their exact species were never confirmed, Ruegger named them "Cartoonus characterus"). Who lived 50 years in their famous tower and never escaped it. Most of the episodes revolved around them mocking their psychatrist, Scratchansniff and Plotts. Yet due to the easy way of anachronism of animation, it allowed both the Warners and the rest of the cast to travel back in time and be in other timelines. And yeah, in true Looney Tunes fashion, all of the siblings were crazy about humans of their opposite gender (as Yakko and Wakko were nuts about Hello Nurse and Dot was equally crazy about all of hot guys). And true that all of them could change into costumes and become new characters.

I thought wearing a cap
backwards would make you
jealous of me. But apparently
you`re not :)

However,

Animaniacs was also known for it`s other cast (despite how they`ve given less recognition than the Warner`s): The second most famous characters were Pinky and the Brain. Two mices with the brainy and cunning Brain and the goofy and silly Pinky. Who always failed at take over the world. Other characters were the snarky Slappy the Squirrel (a rare cartoon character who was deliberately made to age) and her nepwew Skippy. Who always had their subplots with Walter Wolf. Otherwise, we had Mindy and Buttons, which segments always consisted of Buttons having to rescue Mindy by babysitting her while her parents went away. Otherwise, we had Rita and Runt: The snarky cat and the ditzy dog who befriends each others while looking for a home (and how Runt mistakes her for a dog). And the three Goodfeathers, about the three pigeons. Who were an obvious reference to the Godfathers and Goodfellas. And not mention Flavio and Marita, the two Hippos who were constantly looked after by zoologist Gina Embryo. And last, but not least it had minor characters like Mime, Chicken Boo (who always dressed up like a human) and Katie KaBoom, the teenage girl who explodes with her tantrums.

My Own Personal Memories of Animaniacs

Yes, this is our version of Las
Vegas :)

Growing up as a kid in the 1990`s, I do have my personal bias for Animaniacs. I remember discovering the show when I was 11 years old and loving it. The show arrived later in Norway (in 1994) and unfortunately didn`t have so much merchandise released. But it still gained some popularity here. And yes believe it or not, all of the episodes were shown in English and never dubbed in Norwegian (with the exception of the theme song in a Freakazoid episode). Having both my favorite episodes and characters (my favorites were Wakko, due to his fun and goofy nature and funny accent, Slappy/Skippy and Squid from The Goodfeathers). But being the reflective person that I am, I grew up to realize that most of the jokes went over my head as a child.

Because my mom couldn`t
find me the right ones :)

And that they were meant for an adult audience. My favorite episodes were Taming of the Screwy, Temporary Insanity, Hello Nice Warners, La La Law, Potty Emergency, I Got Yer Can, Clown and Out, Baghdad Cafe, Fair Game, The Warners and the Beanstalk, Ups and Downs, Girlfeathers, Woodstock Slappy, Scare Happy Slappy and The Warners' 65th Anniversary Special. Still, regarding the different studios who animated the show, my favorite look was frsom Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS Entertainment), as most people thought the same. Yet when I rediscovered in my early 20`s when I bought the first three seasons on DVD, I happpened to love and enjoy the show even more than ever. And yes, I admit it: I still have the Super Nintendo Game of the show, who was brilliant and entertaining. And I still love it to this day.

The Flaws of Animaniacs

Looking back on Animaniacs, despite how I loved the show, was it completely flawless? In my opinion, no. Despite how it`s a personal preference of mine, the show did had a couple of flaws that prevented reach it`s full potential, even as a point of view of a kid. Some of the segments worked less than others, as they ranked from being insipid or dumb to just sheer pointless. Chicken Boo and Mime were essentially the true duds on the show, as they happened to be both of the points that I`ve mentioned.

The Hippo`s weren`t exactly awful, but were less interesting than most of the other segments (despite how Gina was really annoying). However, the general consensus is how many people disliked Mindy and Buttons, the Goodfeathers, the Hippos and Rita and Runt (who I never had a problem with). But while I`m the minority, I was one of those who was less compelled by Pinky and Brain. Who I never saw compelling, as both they and their episodes lacked the spark of the other characters. I never personally hated them, I just found them both to be bland and boring.

The Spinoff-Properties & Reboot

These are my candies :)
They`re shaped like rats :)

Animaniacs managed to become a franchise with a couple of spinoff-properties. In March 1994, the Warner`s appeared theatrically in the short I'm Mad, which opened with Don Bluth`s Thumbelina. The siblings were bickering during a car trip. The crew wanted to make many Theatrical shorts. But I'm Mad was the only Animaniacs theatrical short made. However, regarding the other spinoff content, we can`t forget Pinky & the Brain show. Which premiered in 1995 and ran for three years (and was the first animated series in Dolby Surround). And it was popular enough. However, Pinky and Brain also starred in another TV series, Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain (yes, starring Elmyra from Tiny Toons). It aired from 1998 to 1999 on Kids' WB, only 13 episodes, also produced by Spielberg. Warner Bros. wanted them to be in a sitcom like The Simpsons, despite how it was met with resistance from the producers.

Wakko`s Wish is totally
wackiness all day long :)

However, regarding movies about Animaniacs, there was Wakko`s Wish. Released in December 1999 on VHS, it had songs by the same songwriting team. And it was well received by critics and audiences. But what made Animaniacs relevant lately again is something unthinkable: To have a reboot of the show. The reason for reviving was how popular the original was on Netflix in 2016, plus the trend of reviving older shows. Premiering November 2020 on Hulu, the reboot was also produced by Spielberg and had the same voice actors. To even have a reboot is somewhat contradictory, due to how unique the original show was. Yet the new reboot was pretty much setting itself up for failure before even be released. But yeah, it has happened. While there`s clearly a change in animation, at least it`s still hand drawn. Yet since Animaniacs is snarky meta-commenting, the first episode mocks the cynical truth about reboots: That they`re creatively deprived.

Hulu has officially become a
country :) Of Green :)

While the Warners and Pinky and Brain returned, the other characters didn`t (Hello Nurse couldn`t return due to PC reasons). Cause the crew wanted to bring new characters (despite how Slappy made a cameo in the last episode). The crew wanted the revival to be respectful to the original show. Yet having actually watched some episodes, I must say that it`s not bad. Despite the quality of animation (sorry, creators), it is pretty akin to it`s predecessor. However, the third and final season came in February this year. While the reviewers have been mixed, it has received high ratings. Still, despite it`s high ratings, the overall consensus is that the reboot is inferior to the original series.

Epilogue

Could you please give me
some beans to go to Jack`s
heaven? :)

At the end, Animaniacs was a worthy and fun addition into Warner Bros. great legacy and also to the world of animation and 1990`s Pop Culture. And sure, since it was released in that time, it could`ve been forever linked to that timeline. However, Animaniacs has still managed to live beyond the 90`s and remembered for what it was, nonetheless. And sure, it`s meant to be nothing more than pure, relentless fun.

Kids will love us because
we`re crazy :)

As aforementioned, Animaniacs was a huge part of my childhood and actually became a bigger part when I rediscovered it again in my early 20`s. By exploring many episodes that I never saw before. But regardless of it`s flaws, Animaniacs deserves to be credited and cherished for what it is. Cause it truly deserved it`s success and legacy in every single way. And since this entry was written to synergize with it`s Belated 30th Anniversary in 2023, there`s nothing left than to wish Animaniacs Happy 30th Anniversary and may you continue to have many more.