| Animaniacs | |
|---|---|
_logo.png){kind=logo} | |
| Also known as | Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Animaniacs byTom Ruegger |
| Showrunner | Wellesley Wild |
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer |
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| Opening theme | "Animaniacs Theme (2020)" performed by Rob Paulsen, Tress MacNeille, and Jess Harnell |
| Ending theme | "Animaniacs End Title" |
| Composers |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 36 (125 segments)(list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 23–27 minutes (3–9 minutes per segment) |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | Hulu |
| Release | November 20, 2020 (2020-11-20) – February 17, 2023 (2023-02-17) |
| Related | |
Animaniacs is an American animatedcomedymusical television series produced byWarner Bros. Animation forHulu.[1] Arevival of the 1993 TV seriesAnimaniacs created byTom Ruegger, the new series sees the return of the Warner siblings, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot (voiced respectively by their original voice actors,Rob Paulsen,Jess Harnell, andTress MacNeille), andPinky andthe Brain (voiced by their respective original voice actors Paulsen andMaurice LaMarche).
The series was first announced in January 2018 with a two-season order andAmblin Television andWarner Bros. Animation producing; the series debuted onHulu on November 20, 2020. The second season debuted on November 5, 2021. The third and final season was released on February 17, 2023.[2]
Animaniacs continues to focus on the adventures of the Warner siblings,Yakko, Wakko, and Dot—three inseparable, hyperactive kids—as they embark on further adventures after being absent from television for 22 years, bringing with them the usual wackiness and mayhem they create while adapting to the changes and life of the 21st century. Episodes are composed of several shorts, with each episode consisting of segments following the adventures of Yakko, Wakko and Dot; the vast majority of episodes also include a segment featuring fan-favorite charactersPinky and the Brain—two lab mice, one of whom is intelligent and wants to take over the world, while the other is dim-witted and clumsy, often messing up his friend's plans.[3]
Recurring segments new to the revival includeStarbox and Cindy, which follows a miniature alien who is part of a fleet who wants to destroy the Earth. (He ends up in the hands of a young girl);The Incredible Gnome in People's Mouths, centered on the titulargnome who ventures into different people's mouths to speak for them,Math-terpiece Theater, which involves dramatized math lessons taught by Dot, andEveryday Safety, a parody of 1980s safety videos featuring the Warner siblings.
| Season | Segments | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42 | 13 | November 20, 2020 (2020-11-20) | ||
| 2 | 44 | 13 | November 5, 2021 (2021-11-05) | ||
| 3 | 37 | 10 | February 17, 2023 (2023-02-17) | ||
Early stages of developing the revival ofAnimaniacs at Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation began in May 2017. The interest in the revival was driven by a surge of popularity for the original show when it was made available onNetflix in 2016, plus numerous successful projects that have revived interest in older shows, such asFuller House.[4] The revival was officially announced by the streaming serviceHulu in January 2018 in partnership with Spielberg and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The broadcast rights for the new series also included rights for Hulu to stream all episodes ofTiny Toon Adventures,Animaniacs,Pinky and the Brain, andPinky, Elmyra & the Brain.[5] Hulu considered the show its firstoriginal series targeted for families.[6]
Spielberg returned to serve as executive producer, alongside Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Digital Series, and Amblin Television co-presidents Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank. The show was produced by Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation.[7]Wellesley Wild, a writer forFamily Guy, was named the showrunner, while Gabe Swarr was named as co-executive producer.[8] In addition to Wild and Swarr, Carl Faruolo served as supervising director.[9][10]
Wild and Swarr developed the revival to be respectful of the original series as closely as possible. Wild stated "There's lightning in a bottle here and the first thing I'm going to do is keep that lightning in the bottle, vigilantly."[11][12] In addition, with the show's 20-plus year hiatus, Wild and Swarr believed that a good portion of their audience would be parents who had watched the show as children themselves and were introducing their own children to the new show; they wanted to create a similarJurassic World effect due to the similar gap from the originalJurassic Park film, and thus partially inspired the series' introductory short being a parody ofJurassic Park.[13] Wild wanted to make sure to keep the same type of bi-level humor that the original show had, with more slapstick and visual comedy that would appeal to younger audiences, while having a higher level of humor that parents and adults would catch on to, often where some of the more risque humor could be included without evoking any censoring.[14]
According to Wild, Spielberg was at every pitch meeting and insisted on maintaining most of the elements of the original show, including the original voice cast and orchestrated music, as well as producing the show as typical of most adult animated shows with a full writers' room in contrast to typical children's animated shows. Spielberg was also heavily involved throughout the storyboarding process to make sure that the show was heading in the right direction, according to Wild.[8][15] Both Wild and Swarr stated that Spielberg wanted the revival to feature more political satire, and they found a middle ground between that and being a children's show.[13]
The revival primarily features the returns ofYakko, Wakko and Dot,Dr. Scratchansniff,Ralph the Guard andPinky and the Brain, with many of the numerous other supporting characters from the original show not included in their own segments, instead having their roles largely reduced to non-speaking cameos; in the case ofHello Nurse, this has been one of the first characters that the staff knew they could not bring back due to the changing sensibilities between the 1990s and 2020, according to Wild.[16] Similarly,Thaddeus Plotz was confirmed to have departedWarner Bros. with a newLatina-American CEO namedNora Rita Norita in charge. For the rest of the extensive supporting cast from the original series (including characters such asSlappy Squirrel andButtons and Mindy), though there were plans for them to return in their corresponding segments in early stages of development, they were discarded because, as in a similar manner to Hello Nurse and Thaddeus Plotz, they wanted to update the reboot with a new set of characters that were far more relevant; for example, in the case ofthe Goodfeathers, Wild felt that a parody ofGoodfellas would be "so dated", thus giving them the opportunity to make spoofs of modern films, also due to the fact that in his opinion, some jokes will not be suitable for these segments; aside from making cameos throughout the revival, there has not been a word yet if these characters will return in the future.[17] Similarly, Dot was presented to be more reliant on her wits than being cute, an aspect Wild also believed would resonate better with current attitudes.[14] Similar to theDuckTales reboot, they also considered careful nods to other cartoon characters from related series or pastLooney Tunes, but without losing the show's focus on the Warners or Pinky and the Brain. They had attempted to have a segment to featureFreakazoid from the show of the same name, but this fell through due to actor availability.[13]
The revival features Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, as well as Pinky and the Brain; Paulsen (as Yakko, Pinky and Dr. Scratchansniff), Harnell (as Wakko), MacNeille (as Dot), and LaMarche (as the Brain) were confirmed to be reprising their voice roles in October 2019.[18]Abby Trott was picked as a new voice artist on the team.[19] Steven Bernstein, composing partner of the late Richard Stone, and his wife Julie Bernstein, composed underscore and songs during the show's original run. The Bernsteins scored the revival with a 35-piece orchestra, recording remotely after the COVID-19 lockdown.[20][21] A stable of songwriters, includingRoddy Hart andTommy Reilly, and Randy Rogel who wrote featured songs in the original series, compose songs in the revival. However, other key production personnel from the original series, like Tom Ruegger, were not asked upfront to help craft the series. Ruegger said he was later offered the opportunity to submit a script but declined, as "basically it would be like an audition and I just didn't feel comfortable auditioning for a show that I created".[11] Original series writer and voice actressSherri Stoner returned in 2023 as the voice of Slappy Squirrel for the revival's final episode.[22]
WaterTower Music released the first season soundtrack album of the revival digitally on August 13, 2021.[23] An album for season two was released on August 19, 2022. An album for season three was released on September 8, 2023.
Initial storyboarding work started around July 2018.[24] Paulsen confirmed that voice recording had begun around May 2020.[25] The music was recorded during theCOVID-19 pandemic, with the Bernsteins coordinating with each musician individually from separate locations to assemble the final pieces.[26]
Swarr said of the look for the series, they initially explored various different styles drawn by a variety of artists, but recognized that the original series had its own series of differences in how the Warners were drawn due to the different animation studios. In reviewing those, they found that the episodes produced byTMS Entertainment were generally considered the best and Swarr described their work as "The construction is so good; they have so much control."[27] After doing a deep dive to identify the factors that made the TMS portrayals of the Warners work, the team behind the revival were introduced to Genevieve Tsai, an artist working on Warner Bros. and Netflix'sGreen Eggs and Ham series, who also had been a fan of the original show. Tsai helped to take the details from the TMS deep dive as well as other research into past works that had inspired the original show such as olderLooney Tunes shorts, and developed the new look for the Warners, generally more angular and following the same approach TMS had used.[27] They crafted a set of rules alongside the models for the revised characters that they then used when they sent the show off to be animated by seven different studios:Yowza! Animation in Toronto; Tonic DNA in Montreal;Titmouse, Inc. in Los Angeles (specifically Titmouse Canada from Vancouver); Snipple Animation Studios in Manila, Philippines; and three studios in Seoul, South Korea:Digital eMation, Tiger Animation, andSaerom Animation. WB Animation in Burbank otherwise handled the pre- and post-production of all episodes.[15] In additional to the character model updates, they wanted the background art to feel like paintings but avoiding some of the stylings of the 90s, like exaggerated curved features.[27]
Paulsen said in an interview that, within the revival, the Warners are aware that they have been off the air for over 20 years.[28] The episodes were prepared in 2019 and the writers had anticipated for events in 2020, but some ended up being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the planned2020 Summer Olympics.[29]
The first 13 episodes of the revival premiered on November 20, 2020. The second season of 13 episodes debuted on November 5, 2021.[30][31] On October 11, a first-look clip was released during theAnimaniacs panel at the 2020New York Comic Con, parodying Spielberg's ownJurassic Park with a caricature of Spielberg in the role of John Hammond having "reanimated" the Warners. The clip was introduced as thecold open from the first episode of the revived show.[8][32] On October 12, 2020, the names for the first episode segments were leaked.[33] The trailer was released on October 21, 2020.[34]
On October 10, 2021, a second season teaser was shown at the 2021 New York Comic Con, satirizingSaturday morning cartoons of the 1980s, specificallyThunderCats,Transformers, andG.I. Joe.[35] Season 2 was initially released under aTV-14 rating; it was later fixed to TV-PG.[36][37]
Hulu ordered a 10-episode third season in February 2021, bringing the series total up to 36 episodes.[38] In December 2022, the third season was announced to be the show's last, with a premiere date of February 17, 2023.[2]
A series of four Pinky and the Brain shorts, in collaboration with education platformMasterClass, was released on March 17, 2023.[39]
The show also aired in Canada onTeletoon. It began with a four-episode marathon on the evening of November 20, 2020, before easing into a permanent time slot of Saturday mornings the following day.[40] The show is available on Canadian streaming service Teletoon Plus. In March 2023, reruns and new episode debuts moved to the reorganizedCartoon Network Canada, which replaced Teletoon's feed.[41]
The show became available to stream onHBO Max[42] and airs onCartoon Network in Latin America[43] on August 14, 2021, some scenes got censored during the Cartoon Network airing.[44]
In Australia, the show became available onStan on September 1, 2021.
In Ireland, the show aired onTRTÉ onRTÉ2 on March 9, 2023.[45][better source needed]
The first season was officially released on DVD on June 1, 2021, byWarner Bros. Home Entertainment through Studio Distribution Services.[46] In April 2021, the first season ofAnimaniacs was released on iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, and the Microsoft Store.[47][48] The DVD release of the reboot's second season released for June 21, 2022,[49] with a digital release following on July 10, 2022.[50] The digital release for season 3 occurred on June 18, 2023, along with a Complete Series bundle.[51][52]
The first season of the show received positive reviews from critics who praised the voice acting, musical score and animation. OnRotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 81% based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Charming and chaotic, if slightly too caustic,Animaniacs is a delightful revitalization of a beloved series that's fun enough to make up for any early fumbles."[53]
Some critics felt that the revival of the series lacked the same charm that the original show had, which was attributed to the lack of any of the original production staff on the new show, as well as the influence of more recent animated shows likeFamily Guy on the show's approach.[54][55]Alan Sepinwall ofRolling Stone said that while the revival maintains the humor for the Pinky and the Brain shorts, the shorts with the Warners were not as well done as the original series. Sepinwall said, "Where their powers of exasperation once made them unstoppable, now they're the ones who seem impotent and irritated by the people and culture around them.", a factor he attributes to the lack of the original producers' involvement with the revival.[56]Variety's Caroline Framke said that the series focused too much on trying to lampoon current and political events, a measure exacerbated by the fact that the forward-looking writing approach was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of simply parodying the entertainment industry in general, and left the show "more of a sour aftertaste that keeps it from being as effervescent as it once was, and could be."[57]The A.V. Club's Danette Chavez gave the first season a C+, stating that "whenAnimaniacs remembers to have fun, it makes for lively, occasionally impressive, viewing" but felt that the balance between satire and silliness was off, with many of the parodies that targeted modern issues lacking subtlety.[58] Beth Elderkin ofGizmodo said that the revival did not have the same "biting" satire as the original, with some jokes having to be explained to some degree to the audience, and that the show felt that it held on to trying to be a product of the 90s, and thus did not have a clear target of what audience it was trying to please.[59]
Paste's Joseph Staniclar spoke more highly of the show's take on political and contemporary topics, saying that while it may rely too heavily on modern references, "it's refreshing to see the show's satire actually take political stances instead of falling into the crowd-pleasing 'both sides'-isms many modern comedies now take."[60] Ethan Anderton ofSlashfilm also stated that the new show heavily references political commentary, but, as with the original series, praised that the show equally targeted aspects across partisan lines, and that "no one is safe from the buffoonery and mockery ofAnimaniacs."[61] Jesse Schedeen, writing forIGN, gave the first season an 8 out of 10, writing, "Animaniacs is a mostly witty and faithful update to an old favorite. Despite the march of time and a flashier coat of paint, the new series plays remarkably similar to its predecessor. Yakko, Wakko, and Dot's misadventures are still a hoot, and the Pinky and the Brain segments help add just enough variety to keep each episode humming along. Some fans may lament the loss of so many classic supporting characters, but the emphasis on the big guns has its clear benefits.Animaniacs is a concentrated blast of cartoon nostalgia that any Fox Kids or Kids' WB veteran would do well to check out."[62]
The Verge's Joshua Rivera stated that the show's approach to satire of the entertainment industry, political topics, and modern culture done in the same style as the original show did not hold up well, considering newer animated shows likeFamily Guy,BoJack Horseman andRick and Morty that had more innovative ways to present such satire.[63] Kate Cox ofArs Technica said that with some of the repetition of humor between episodes and the lack of cast variety, the show does not lend well to binge viewing typical of streaming services, but otherwise still has the original show's trademark comedy and that "it has the seeds of a great show in it".[64]
Tom Ruegger, the creator of the original series who was not brought back for the reboot, was also disappointed with the final product, stating in an interview withRolling Stone that he found it "morally, ethically and professionally wrong", while at the same time, criticizing certain aspects of the reboot, most notably Warner Bros. not bringing back the original team and the absence of the other characters, stating about the former that the revival should not have used the title ofAnimaniacs, as he explains that it was an umbrella title for all of the characters, not only the Warners and Pinky and the Brain.[65]
Reception of the second season of the show was far more positive, currently having on Rotten Tomatoes arare 100% "Fresh" rating out of six reviews with an average rating of 7.5/10; the second season was considered an improvement over the first season by various critics and fans, while more mixed reviews felt that most of segments should've been released as part of the previous season, something that was attributed to the fact that both seasons were produced simultaneously.
The show's first episode has attracted controversy for a background joke in the first episode. During the "Reboot It" song sequence, two posters are shown referencing the nursery rhyme and Internet meme "Johny Johny Yes Papa",Johnny 2: Telling Lies andJohnny: The Beginning, the former of which featuresJohnny Depp in the title role. The series had aired a few weeks afterDepp lost in his lawsuit againstThe Sun related to publications of allegations of abusive treatment of his ex-wifeAmber Heard, which led to Warner Bros. asking Depp to resign from theFantastic Beasts franchise and replacing him withMads Mikkelsen. People voiced their outrage on social media about the unfortunate juxtaposition of Depp's image and the "Telling Lies" subtitle, calling it an unfair jab at the allegations, leading to petitions and social media campaigns to boycottAnimaniacs.[66] According to Paulsen, the series had been animated before the legal battle among Depp, Heard, andThe Sun had begun, and that the reference was only poking fun at the nursery rhyme.[67]
| Year | Association | Award category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Producers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Children's Program | Animaniacs | Nominated |
| Daytime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program | Tress MacNeille asDot Warner | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Voice Directing for a Daytime Animated Series | Sara Jane Sherman | Won | ||
| Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for a Preschool, Children's, or Animated Program | Steven Bernstein and Julie Bernstein | Nominated | ||
| Outstanding Original Song for a Preschool, Children's, or Animated Program | Jess Lacher, Andrew Barbot, Roddy Hart and Tommy Reilly "Suffragette City" | Won | ||
| Outstanding Editing for a Daytime Animated Program | Ryan Burkhard, Mark Jeffery Miller and Philip Malamuth (shared withHilda) | Won | ||
| Outstanding Individual in Animation | Karl Hadrika | Won | ||
| Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | Best Animated Series or Animated Television Movie | Animaniacs | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Producers Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Children's Program | Nominated | |
| 2023 | Astra Creative Arts TV Awards | Best Streaming Animated Series or TV Movie | Nominated | |
| Children's and Family Emmy Awards | Outstanding Voice Performance in a Children's or Young Teen Program | Rob Paulsen as Pinky, Dr. Scratchansniff and Yakko Warner | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for an Animated Program | Steven Bernstein and Julie Bernstein | Nominated | ||
| 2024 | Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production | Steven Bernstein and Julie Bernstein "Talladega Mice" | Nominated |
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