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Animaniacs

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This article is about the television series. For the Tiny Toon Adventures episode of the same name, see Animaniacs! (Tiny Toons episode).
Animaniacs
The Animaniacs logo, featuring Yakko, Wakko,and Dot,plus Pinky and the Brain
The Animaniacs logo, featuring Yakko, Wakko,and Dot,plus Pinky and the Brain
The Animaniacs logo. From left to right:Brain, Yakko, Dot (bottom), Wakko,and Pinky
Created byTom Ruegger
StarringRob Paulsen
Jess Harnell
Tress MacNeille
John Mariano
Chick Vennera
Maurice LaMarche
Frank Welker
Bernadette Peters
Nancy Cartwright
Julie Brown
Laura Mooney
Sherri Stoner
Nathan Ruegger
Luke Ruegger
Cody Ruegger
Jim Cummings
Tom Bodett
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes99 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerSteven Spielberg
Running time30 minutes
Original release
NetworkFOX (1993-1995)
The WB (Kids' WB block) (1995-1998)
ReleaseSeptember 13, 1993 –
November 14, 1998

Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as the shorter title Animaniacs, is an American animated television series, distributed by Warner Bros. and produced by Amblin Entertainment. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven Spielberg and Warner Bros. Animation during the animation renaissance of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The studio's first series, Tiny Toon Adventures, had proved to be a big hit among younger viewing audiences, and it had attracted a sizable number of adult viewers as well. The Animaniacs writers and animators, led by senior producer Tom Ruegger, used the experience gained from the previous series to create brand new animated characters that were cast in the mold of Chuck Jones and Tex Avery's creations.[1]

The comedy of Animaniacs was a broad mix of old-fashioned wit, slapstick, pop culture references, and cartoon violence and wackiness. The show also featured a number of educational segments that covered subjects such as history, math, geography, science, and social studies. Animaniacs itself was a variety show, with many short skits featuring a large cast of characters. Each episode was traditionally composed of three short mini-episodes, each starring a different set of characters, and bridging segments.

Animaniacs first aired on "FOX Kids" from 1993 until 1995 and later appeared on The WB from 1995 to 1998 as part of its "Kids' WB" afternoon programming block. The series had a total of 99 episodes and one film, titled Wakko's Wish. Like many other animated series, it has continued to appear on television through syndication long after its original airdate. As of 2007-06-19, the first 75 episodes have been released in three DVD boxsets; the remaining 24 may be released by the end of the year.

Background

Premise

Animaniacs segments had varied in both length and setting. Although Animaniacs had been set in Burbank, California, the series often took place in various places and periods of times. The Animaniacs characters also interacted with famous persons and creators of the past and present as well as mythological characters and characters from modern television. Although characters from Animaniacs acted in their own segments, characters often made cameos in each other’s segments. Andrea Romano, the voice director and caster for Animaniacs, had said that the Warners had functioned to "tie the show together," by appearing in other characters' segments.[2] Animaniacs segments sometimes ranged in time, from bridging segments less than a minute long to episodes spanning the entire show length. Writer Peter Hastings had said that the varying episode lengths gave the show a "sketch comedy atmosphere"[3] Although some episodes went on for longer or shorter periods, each episode usually consisted of two or three cartoon shorts.[4]

Characters

Main articles: List of Animaniacs characters; Yakko, Wakko, and Dot; Pinky and the Brain; Slappy Squirrel; Goodfeathers; Rita and Runt; Buttons and Mindy; Chicken Boo; Flavio and Marita; and Minerva Mink

Animaniacs had a large cast of characters. The large cast was separated into separate segments, with each pair or set of characters acting in its own plot. The Warners, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, were three cartoon stars from the 1930s that were locked away in the Warner Bros. water tower until the 1990s, when they escaped.[5] Pinky and the Brain were two genetically altered laboratory mice that continuously plotted and attempted to take over the world.[6] Slappy Squirrel was an aged cartoon star that would easily outwit antagonists and educate her nephew, Skippy Squirrel, about cartoon techniques.[7] Additional principal characters included Rita and Runt, Buttons and Mindy, Chicken Boo, Flavio and Marita (The Hip Hippos), Katie Ka-Boom, a trio of pigeons known as The Goodfeathers and Minerva Mink.

Creation and inspiration

The general premise of Animaniacs and the Warner siblings were created by Tom Ruegger, who also came up with the concept and characters for Pinky and the Brain. Ruegger was also the senior producer and creative leader of the show. Producer and writer Sherri Stoner and staff writers Nicholas Hollander and Deanna Oliver also created characters that made it into the series. Deanna's contributions included The Goodfeathers scripts as well as Chicken Boo. Sherri contributed heavily to Slappy Squirrel and other characters. Nicholas Hollander's Katie Kaboom was based on his teenage daughter.[3] The Animaniacs cast of characters had a wide variety of inspiration, from celebrities to family members to other writers. Executive Producer Steven Spielberg had said that the Animaniacs cast had also been inspired by the irreverence in Looney Tunes cartoons.[1]

Senior Producer Tom Ruegger had modeled the Warners’ personalities heavily after those of his three sons.[8] Because the Warners were portrayed as cartoon stars from the early 30's, Ruegger and other artists for Animaniacs made the images of the Warners similar to cartoon characters of the early 1930s.[8] Simple black and white drawings were very common in cartoons of the 1920s and 1930s, including Bosko, Felix the Cat, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Bimbo, and the early version of Mickey Mouse.

Tom Ruegger created Pinky and the Brain after being inspired by the unique personalities of two of his Tiny Toon Adventures colleagues, Eddie Fitzgerald and Tom Minton, respectively. Ruegger thought of the premise of Pinky and the Brain when he wondered what would happen if Minton and Fitzgerald tried to take over the world.[9]

Slappy Squirrel had been created by Sherri Stoner, when another writer and friend of Stoner, John McCann, had made fun of Stoner’s career in TV movies playing troubled teens. When McCann had joked that Sherri would be playing troubled teens when she was fifty years old, Sherri had developed the idea of Slappy's characteristics, an older person acting like a teenager.[3] Sherri Stoner had also liked the idea of an aged cartoon character because an aged cartoon star would know the secrets of other cartoons and "have the dirt on [them]".[2]

Production

Producers

Steven Spielberg was the executive producer during the entire run, Tom Ruegger was the senior producer, Jean MacCurdy was the executive in charge of production, and Rich Arons and Sherri Stoner were producers of the show. Later into the series run, Stoner and Aarons had left their roles as producers and were replaced by Peter Hastings, Rusty Mills, and, later on, Liz Holzman. The producers of the show usually had other jobs on the show as well; Tom Ruegger, Rich Arons, and Sherri Stoner had all served as writers on the show, and Spielberg was very involved in the show’s writing, checking every script for the series.[4] Voice director Andrea Romano had said that Spielberg had also come up with story ideas, read storyboards and come to some recording sessions.[2]

Writers

Writers for Animaniacs included story-editors and head writers Tom Ruegger, Sherri Stoner and Paul Rugg, as well as staff writers Deanna Oliver, John McCann, Nicholas Hollander, Peter Hastings, Charlie Howell, Gordon Bressack, Earl Kress, Tom Minton, and Randy Rogel. In later seasons of the series, story-editors also included Peter Hastings, Tom Minton and Randy Rogel. [3] Many of these writers had been involved in sketch comedy, and many had been involved in Tiny Toon Adventures.[3]

Voicing

Many people of the Animaniacs voice cast had come from Animaniacs predecessor, Tiny Toon Adventures, including the voices of Yakko and Dot, Rob Paulsen and Tress MacNeille, respectively. Andrea Romano, the voice director and caster for Animaniacs, had said that the casters had wanted Paulsen to play the role of Yakko: "We had worked with Rob Paulsen before on a couple of other series and we wanted him to play Yakko." Romano had also said that the casters had "no trouble" choosing the role of Dot: "Tress MacNeille was just hilarious (...) And yet [she had] that edge."[2] The voice of Wakko, Jess Harnell, on the other hand, had not been in Tiny Toons, and had said that before Animaniacs, he had had little experience in voice acting other than some roles for Disney which he "fell into."[2] Harnell had said that at the audition for the show, he had done a "John Lennon" impression and the audition "went great."[2] Slappy the Squirrel had been played by producer and writer Sherri Stoner, who said that, when she gave an impression of what the voice would be to Spielberg, Spielberg said she should fill the role.[2] The voice actress who played the voice of Rita, Bernadette Peters, had been a professional singer and was wanted for the role by Romano herself.[2] Other voice actors included Maurice LaMarche, the voice of the Brain and the belching segments "The Great Wakkorotti" (although Jess Harnell is commonly mistaken for the role);[2] Frank Welker, the voice of Runt; and Jeff Bennet. Tom Ruegger's three sons also played roles on the series. Nathan Ruegger voiced the role of Skippy Squirrel, nephew to Slappy, throughout the duration of the series; Luke Ruegger voiced the role of The Flame in several historical segments on Animaniacs; and Cody Ruegger played the voice of Birdie in Wild Blue Yonder and other segments.

Animation

In order to speed up the production of episodes, many different studios, both American and international, simultaneously animated Animaniacs over the course of the show’s production. The animation companies included Tokyo Movie Shinsha, StarToons, Wang Film Productions, Freelance Animators New Zealand, and AKOM, and most Animaniacs episodes usually had animation from different companies in each episode's respective segments.[10] While these companies animated and colored Animaniacs, the background layouts were done by a domestic studio.

Animaniacs was also made with a higher production value than standard television animation. Rich Aarons, an Animaniacs director and producer, had said that Animaniacs had had a higher cel count (drawings per unit of time) than most television animation. Aarons had also said that Animaniacs was unlike other television animation in that characters moved more fluently, and did not simply pose, stand still, and speak, as in other cartoons.[11]

Music

See also: Animaniacs Title Sequence, Yakko's World, and Wakko's America

Animaniacs was a very musical cartoon, with every episode featuring at least one original score. The idea for an original musical score in every episode came from Steven Spielberg.[12] For its music, Animaniacs used a forty-piece orchestra.[2] The use of the large orchestra in modern Warner Bros. animation began with Animaniacs predecessor, Tiny Toon Adventures, but Spielberg had pushed for its use even more in Animaniacs.[2] Although the outcome was a very expensive show to produce, every episode was given an original score, as "the sound sets us apart from everyone else in animation," said Jean MacCurdy, the executive in charge of production for the series.[12] The music for the show was composed by Richard Stone, and the lyrics for the songs were usually written by either Randy Rogel or Tom Ruegger. Ruegger had also said that writers Nicholas Hollander and Deanna Oliver had also written "a lot of music."[3] Steve and Julie Bernstein, assistant composers for Richard Stone, had said that not only was the Animaniacs music written in the same style as that of Looney Tunes composer Carl Stalling, but that the music used the same piano that Carl Stalling used.[2]

Animaniacs had a variety of music types. Many of the Animaniacs songs were parodies of classical or folk music, often with an educational twist, such as "Wakko's America", which listed all the states in the U.S. and their capitals.[13] Another song, titled "The Presidents", named and described every president to the tune of the William Tell Overture.[14] Non-educational songs included songs that were simply parodies of other songs, like the segment "Slippin' on the Ice", a parody of "Singin' in the Rain";[15] songs mocking things in everyday life, such as the song "Be Careful What You Eat" that made fun of all the ingredients in junk food;[16] and songs making fun of celebrities and other media, such as the song "Video Revue", which listed movie stars and films.[17] Most of the show's songs were sung by the Warners. Pinky and the Brain occasionally got songs to sing as well, and the most complicated songs in the series usually went to Rita, voiced by singer Bernadette Peters. Most of the groups of characters even had their own theme songs for their segment on the show.

The song "Yakko's World," with lyrics by Randy Rogel, is perhaps the series' most famous. Other well-known songs include "Yakko's Universe", "U.N. Me", and "Schnitzelbank". The Animaniacs series theme song, which was sung by the Warners, was a very important part of the show. The theme song had a variety of alternate endings and in the series' first season won an Emmy Award for best song.[18] The music for the title sequence was composed by Richard Stone, and the lyrics were written by Tom Ruegger.

Several albums of music from the series were released, including Animaniacs, Yakko’s World, and Variety Pack. Sing-along VHS tapes, such as "Animaniacs Sing-Along: Yakko's World," were also released.

Hallmarks and humor

The humor of Animaniacs varied in type, ranging from parody to cartoon violence. Animaniacs often made parodies of television shows and films, one of which being a parody of a large Animaniacs competitor, Power Rangers.[19] In an interview, Spielberg had also defended the "irreverence" of Animaniacs saying that the Animaniacs crew has "a point of view" and does not "sit back passively and play both sides equally."[19] Spielberg had also said that Animaniacs' humor of social commentary and irreverence had been inspired by the Marx Brothers[19] and Looney Tunes cartoons.[1] Animaniacs, among other Spielberg-produced shows, had had a large amount of cartoon violence as well. Spielberg had defended the violence in Animaniacs by saying that the series had a balance of both violent humor and educational segments, so the series would never became either too violent or "benign".[19] Animaniacs had also had also made use of catphrases, recurring jokes and segments, and "adult" humor.

Yakko, Wakko and Dot shake hands with their Tiny Toon Adventures predecessors: Buster and Babs Bunny and Plucky Duck, who make a cameo appearance in an episode of Animaniacs

Recurring jokes and catchphrases

There are many catchphrases on Animaniacs, some characters having more than one. Notable catchphrases include Yakko’s "Goodnight, everybody!," Wakko's "Faboo!" and Dot’s "I’m cute!". The most prominent catchphrase that was said by all of the Warners at one time or another was "Hello-o-o-o, nurse!"[5] Other Animaniacs characters also had their own catchphrases. Characters Pinky and the Brain had a catchphrase where, during an episode, Brain would ask Pinky, "Are you pondering what I’m pondering?" to which Pinky would respond with a non-sequitur ('I think so, Brain, but...where are we going to find a giant rubber pencil and forty gallons of superglue?') Furthermore, at the start of all Pinky and the Brain episodes Pinky asks "Gee Brain, what do you want to do tonight?", to which Brain answers "The same thing we do every night, Pinky... try to take over the world!" This usually preceded the theme song. Brain would also occasionally shout "Yes!" in response to an idea that he liked.[6] Also, Skippy Squirrel had the catchphrase, "Spew!" which was used whenever something disgusting was brought up. Slappy had the catchphrase, "Now that's comedy!" which would be said at the end of every Slappy Squirrel cartoon.[7] Catchphrases were also found in the segments Goodfeathers and Buttons and Mindy.

Running gags were also very common in the show. One example is the close-up of the water tower after the closing credits; right before the end of the episode, the water tower door would open, one or more of the characters would come out, say something to the audience (usually a catchphrase or a reference to one of the episodes), and the water tower door would close.[20] Director Rusty Mills and senior producer Tom Ruegger had said that segments like the water tower gag, such as the segment The Wheel of Morality were sometimes used to take up time in an episode that was running short.[11]

Another major running gag was that characters would often appear in one another’s segments. While one set of characters would be moving along in their episode’s plot, another set of characters would make a brief appearance, and sometimes point out that they are not in the correct episode. Animaniacs even devoted an entire episode to characters and segments being switched around.[21] Animaniacs took this recurring joke even further, and Animaniacs characters appeared in other Spielberg shows, such as Pinky and the Brain, Freakazoid, and Histeria. Characters from some of these shows also made appearances in Animaniacs.

Because of Steven Spielberg's involvement in the series, several of his films were mentioned and a caricature of Spielberg appeared numerous times; in the episode "Hooked on a Ceiling", Spielberg was even made the "eminence" of the Sistine Chapel, and the Warners also painted an E.T. picture on its ceiling.[22]

"Adult" humor and content

A great deal of Animaniacs's subversive humor and content was aimed at an adult audience. A number of Animaniacs spoofs were rather "high class", or at least above the heads of most children. The comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, most notably Pirates of Penzance and H.M.S. Pinafore were parodied in episode 3, "HMS Yakko". Furthermore, many jokes, as well as statements that could be considered double entendres (such as Yakko’s song of eight of the nine planets in the Solar System, after which Wakko reminds Yakko that he forgot Uranus), were used throughout the duration of the show. These jokes are signified by Yakko blowing a kiss and shouting, "Good night, everybody!", thereby ending the sketch.

Some aspects of Animaniacs were not only aimed at an adult audience but were also of a suggestive nature. For example, one character, Minerva Mink had episodes that were considered too sexually suggestive for the show's intended audience, for which she was soon de-emphasized as a featured character.[3]

Also, the Animaniacs characters had personalities and character traits similar to those of film stars in movies marketed to adults. The Warners personalities were made similar to those of the Marx Brothers and Jerry Lewis, in that they, according to writer Peter Hastings, "wreak havoc," in "serious situations."[3] In addition, the show's recurring Goodfeathers segment was populated with characters based on characters from the 1990 film Goodfellas, an R-rated crime drama neither marketed nor intended for children.[2] This segment also featured frequent allusions to The Godfather and Taxi Driver, other movies with an adult target audience.

Parodies

Main article: Parodies in Animaniacs

Animaniacs often parodied popular TV shows and movies, as the Animaniacs animators made fun at everything and everyone. One episode, "The Please Please Please Get a Life Foundation", even made fun of Animaniacs own Internet fans.[23] Many spoofs were multi-layered, with the episode parodying one specific subject and referencing several other subjects along the way. For instance, the episode "Hooked on a Ceiling" did not only parody The Agony and the Ecstasy, but it also featured Quasimodo shouting "Sanctuary! Sanctuary!", a direct reference to The Hunchback of Notre Dame.[22] Animaniacs also made fun of celebrities, major motion pictures, television shows for adults, television shows for children, and trends in the US. Animaniacs also made many potshots of Disney films, creating parodies of such films as The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Bambi, and many others. Animaniacs Director Russell Calaberese said that not only did it become a compliment to be parodied on Animaniacs but that being parodied on the series would be taken as a "medal of honor."[11]

Response

Animaniacs had become a very successful show, gathering fans in both demographics of children and adults. The series received ratings higher than many of its competitors and won several awards, including eight Daytime Emmy Awards and one Peabody Award.

Ratings and popularity

During its run, Animaniacs had become the second-most popular children’s show in both demographics of children ages 2-11 and children ages 6-11.[24][25] Animaniacs, along with other animated series, helped to bring "FOX Kids" ratings much larger than those of the channel’s competitors. For instance, in November of 1993, Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures almost doubled the ratings of their rival shows, Darkwing Duck and Goof Troop, in both the 2-11 and 6-11 demographics that are very important to childrens’ networks.[24] On "Kids' WB", Animaniacs gathered about one-million children viewers every week.[26]

Although Animaniacs was popular among younger viewers (the target demographic for Warner Bros.' TV cartoons), many adults also responded positively to the show, with more than 21 percent of the weekday audience (4 p.m., Monday through Friday) and more than 23 percent of the Saturday morning (8 a.m.) viewers being 25 years or older.[27] The large adult fanbase had even led to one of the first Internet-based fandom cultures.[28] During the show's prime, the Internet newsgroup alt.tv.animaniacs was an active gathering place for fans of the show (most of whom were adults) to post reference guides, fan fiction, and fan-made artwork about Animaniacs.[29] The online popularity of the show did not go unnoticed by the show's producers, and several of the most active participants on the newsgroup were invited to the Warner Bros. Animation studios for a gathering in August 1995[30] dubbed by those fans Animania IV. These people also received a sneak preview of a sketch that parodied the fans themselves, "Please, Please, Please Get a Life Foundation".[31]

Furthermore, the series had even gained high ratings under disadvantageous circumstances. During November 1993, the Fox-affiliate channel 33 had a three-day transmitter failure; in this time period, 11,000 homes tuned in to the blank screen during the Animaniacs timeslot, which was almost double the rating of the rival KXTX-TV childrens show.[32]

Nominations and awards

Animaniacs' first major award came in 1993, when the series won one Peabody Award in its debuting season.[33] In 1994, Animaniacs was nominated for two Annie Awards, one for "Best Animated Television Program", and the other for "Best Achievement for Voice Acting" (Frank Welker).[34] Animaniacs had also won two Daytime Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition" and "Outstanding Original Song" (Animaniacs Main Title Theme).[18] In 1995, Animaniacs was nominated four times for the Annie Awards, once for "Best Animated Television Program", twice for "Voice Acting in the Field of Animation" (Tress MacNeille and Rob Paulsen), and once for "Best Individual Achievement for Music in the Field of Animation" (Richard Stone).[35] In 1996, Animaniacs won two Daytime Emmy Awards, one for "Outstanding Animated Children's Program" and the other for "Outstanding Achievement in Animation".[36] In 1997, Animaniacs was nominated for an Annie Award for "Best Individual Achievement: Directing in a TV Production" (Charles Visser for the episode "Noel").[37] Animaniacs had also won two more Daytime Emmy Awards, one for "Outstanding Animated Children's Program" and the other for "Outstanding Music Direction and Composition".[38] In 1998, the last year in which new episodes of Animaniacs were produced, Animaniacs was nominated for an Annie Award in "Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Daytime Television Program".[39] Animaniacs also won a Daytime Emmy Award in "Outstanding Music Direction and Composition" (For the episode "The Brain’s Apprentice").[40] In 1999, Animaniacs won it’s last Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition".[41] When Animaniacs won this award, it set a record for most Daytime Emmy Awards in the field of "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition" for any individual animation studio.[42]

History

Preproduction

Before Animaniacs was put into production, various collaboration and brainstorming efforts were thought up in order to create both the characters and premise of the series. For instance, some ideas that had been thrown out were Rita and Runt being the hosts of the show and the Warners being duck characters that Senior Producer Tom Ruegger had had since his college years.[11] After the characters from the series were created, they were all shown to Executive Producer Steven Spielberg, who would decide which characters would make it into Animaniacs (the characters Buttons and Mindy were chosen by Spielberg's daughter).[11] Characters for the series were put into various walk cycles, and the characters' designs had come from various sources, including caricatures of other writers,[9] designs based on early cartoon characters, and characters that simply had a more modern design.[11]

"Fox Kids" Era: Episodes 1-69

Animaniacs premiered on September 13, 1993 on "FOX Kids"; new episodes aired from the 1993 through 1995 seasons. While on "FOX Kids", Animaniacs gained fame for its name and became the second-most popular show among children ages 2-11 and children ages 6-11, second to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.[25][43] In 1994, Yakko, Wakko and Dot had also starred in the theatrical short "I'm Mad".[44] New episodes were aired on "Fox Kids" until the 65th episode aired; FOX had then ordered no more new episodes, with the exception of four episodes that had been hastily put together from unused scripts during the Animaniacs syndication period on "FOX Kids".[43] After "FOX Kids" had put Animaniacs into syndication for a year, Animaniacs switched to the new Warner Bros. channel, "Kids' WB".

"Kids WB" Era: Episodes 70-99

The series was popular enough for Warner Bros. Animation to invest in additional episodes of Animaniacs past the traditional 65-episode marker for syndication. Animaniacs premiered on the new "Kids' WB" line-up on September 9, 1995, and new episodes were aired until 1998. During this time, the show's popular cartoon characters Pinky and the Brain, were subsequently spun-off from Animaniacs into their own TV series in 1995. While on "Kids' WB", Animaniacs gathered over one-million children viewers every week.[26] However, Animaniacs was only successful in an unintended way, bringing in many adult viewers and viewers outside the "Kids WB" target demographic of very small children.[43] This unintended result of many adult viewers and not enough very young viewers put pressure on the WB Network from advertisers and caused dissatisfaction from the WB network towards Animaniacs.[43] Slowly, orders from the WB for more Animaniacs episodes dwindled and Animaniacs made it through a couple more short seasons, relying on leftover scripts and storyboards.[32][43] Finally, in 1998, Animaniacs was canceled by the WB, led by executive Jamie Kellner, who has also been held responsible for the cancellations of Freakazoid! and Pinky and the Brain.[45] Animaniacs was ended one episode short of its 100th episode, having which is a milestone in television. Afterwards, Animaniacs segments were being shown along with segments from other cartoons as part of The Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie Show.[46] On December 21, 1999 a direct-to-video movie starring the Warners, titled Wakko's Wish, was released.[26]

Aftermath and syndication

After Animaniacs, Spielberg collaborated with Warner Bros. Animation for a third time to produce the short-lived series Freakazoid, along with the Animaniacs spin-off series Pinky and the Brain. Warner Bros. also produced two additional "zany" series in the later half of the decade entitled Histeria! (much like Animaniacs, but focusing on American and World history, and designed to satisfy US government requirements for educational programming) and Detention (an animated sitcom of several quirky junior high kids trying to get out of after-school detention), but neither of these series found a sizable audience, and they were both eventually canceled. Warner Bros. cut back the size of its animation studio because the show Histeria! had gone over its budget,[40] and most production on further Warner Bros. animated comedy series ceased.[46]

Animaniacs, along with Tiny Toon Adventures, continued to rerun in syndication through the 1990s into the early-2000s after production of new episodes ceased. The series has run in syndication on both Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, but Animaniacs is not currently broadcast on US television, with the exception of the movie Wakko's Wish. Although the series was scheduled to re-run on Warner Bros and AOL's new broadband internet channel Toontopia TV,[47] Animaniacs is no longer a featured show on the site, possibly for the reason of stimulating DVD sales.

Film

"I'm Mad"

Yakko, Wakko, and Dot’s first theatrical appearance was in the animated short, "I'm Mad", which opened nationwide alongside the full-length animated feature, Thumbelina, on March 30, 1994.[44] The short was a musical about Yakko, Wakko, and Dot bickering during a car trip.[48] "I’m Mad" was to be the first of a series of shorts, wanted by producers Steven Spielberg, Tom Ruegger, and Jean MacCurdy, to bring Animaniacs to a wider audience.[44] However, "I'm Mad" was Animaniacs' only theatrical appearance. The short was later incorporated into Animaniacs episode 69.

"Wakko's Wish"

Main article: Wakko's Wish

The Warners, along with the entire Animaniacs cast of characters, also appeared in the feature-length, direct-to-video movie Wakko's Wish. The movie takes place in a fairy-tale-like setting in the fictional country of Warnerstock, in which the Warners and the rest of the cast are under the rule of a greedy dictator. When the Warners find out about a star that will grant a wish to the first person that touches it, the Warners, the villagers (the rest of the cast), and the dictator race to get to it first.[26] Although Wakko’s Wish had been rated highly among children and adults in test-screenings,[49] Warner Bros. had decided to release it direct-to-video, rather than spend money on advertising.[50] The movie was released on VHS on December 21, 1999;[26] there has not yet been a DVD release.

Merchandise

VHS

Main article: Animaniacs in Home Video

Several VHS videos were released in the United States and in the United Kingdom. All of these videos are out of production, but are still available at some online sellers. The episodes featured are jumbled at random and are in no particular order with the series. Each video featured four to five episodes each and accompanied by a handful of shorter skits, with a running time of about 45 minutes.

DVD

Main article: Animaniacs in Home Video

Beginning on July 25, 2006, Warner Home Video began releasing volume sets of Animaniacs episodes in order of the episodes' original airdates.[51] Volume one of Animniacs had sold very well; over half of the product being sold in the first week made it one of the fastest selling animation DVD sets that Warner Home Video ever put out.[52] So far, these DVD box sets are available only in United States and Canada. Sales are spreading overseas, too.

DVD name Ep # Release date Additional information
Volume 1 25 July 25 2006[51] This five disc box set contains the first 25 episodes from season 1. Includes the featurette "Animaniacs Live!", where Maurice LaMarche hosts an in studio via satellite TV with Animaniacs friends (voice actors, composers, etc.) as they comment on the show. The video is presented in its original television aspect ratio, with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio in English, with French, Portuguese, and Spanish subtitles.
Volume 2 25 December 5 2006[53] This five disc box set contains the second 25 episodes (26-50) from season 1. Includes the featurette "The Writer's Flipped, They Have No Script", where Maurice LaMarche leads a gathering of writers on what their favorite Animaniacs episodes are that they wrote.
Volume 3 25 June 19 2007[54] This five disc box set includes the last 15 episodes (51-65) of season 1, all 4 episodes of season 2, and the first 6 episodes of season 3. Includes two featurettes: "They Can't Help it if They're Cute, They're Just Drawn That Way": Production commentary from the character designers, storyboard artists and art directors of the series; and "They're Totaly Insane-y: In Cadence With Richard Stone": Discussion on the music of Animaniacs, highlighted by a tribute to the late Composer.
Volume 4 24 TBA 2007

Print

An Animaniacs comic book, published by DC Comics, ran from 1995 to 2000 (59 regular monthly issues, plus two specials). Initially, these featured all the characters except for Pinky and the Brain, who were published in their own comic series, though cameos were possible. Eventually, the Pinky and the Brain comic was discontinued, and was merged back into the Animaniacs series, which was then titled as Animaniacs! featuring Pinky and the Brain. The Animaniacs comic series, like the show, had parodied many TV and comics standards, such as Pulp Fiction and The X-Files, among others.

An Animaniacs comic strip with art by Walter Carzon ran in the United Kingdom, but was never printed in the United States.

Video games

Animaniacs was soon brought into the video game industry to produce games based on the series. Some of the early notable games include Play Zone!'s PC game Animaniacs Game Pack! (1997) and Konami's Animaniacs for Super Nintendo (1993). More modern games include Animaniacs: The Great Edgar Hunt and Animaniacs: Lights, Camera, Action!. Other Games include Animaniacs for Sega Genesis and Game Boy; Animaniacs: A Gigantic Adventure for PC; Animaniacs: Splat Ball! for PC; Pinky and the Brain: World Conquest for PC; and Pinky and the Brain: The Master Plan for Game Boy Advance (Europe only).

Musical Collections

Because Animaniacs had many songs, with many episodes having their own original score, several albums featuring songs from the show were produced. These albums include Animaniacs (1993), Yakko's World (1994), A Christmas Plotz (1995), The Animaniacs Faboo! Collection (1995), Animaniacs Variety Pack (1995), A Hip-Hopera Christmas (1997), The Animaniacs Go Hollywood (2003), and The Animaniacs Wacky Universe (2003).

Media information

Broadcast history

Animaniacs first aired on Fox Kids from September 13, 1993 to September 8, 1995.[4] Animaniacs had then switched networks to the new Kids’ WB! on September 9, 1995,[4] and the last new episode was aired on November 14, 1998.[55] Animaniacs also aired in syndication on the WB’s sister network, Cartoon Network, from January 24, 1997[4] until Nickelodeon had bought the rights to air the series for spring 2001.[56][57] Animaniacs does not currently air on either Nickelodeon or it's sister network, Nicktoons Network.

Season lengths

The Animaniacs seasons had widely varied in length. The first season had been 65 episodes long because these episodes were ordered by FOX all at once.[43] The second season was much shorter and consisted of only 4 episodes that were made of leftover material from the first season's production.[43] The third season had had 13 episodes which began the new Kids' WB lineup.[43][4] The fourth season had had 8 episodes, which was reduced from 18 because of the WB's dissatisfaction with Animaniacs.[43] The last season had had 9 episodes, bringing the total number of Animaniacs episodes to 99.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Carugati, Anna (October 2006). "Interviews: Steven Spielberg". World Screen. WSN Inc. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Maurice LaMarche et al. (2006). Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs: Volume 1. Special Features: Animaniacs Live! (DVD). Warner Home Video. {{cite AV media}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |authors= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Maurice LaMarche, Tom Ruegger et al. (2006). Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs: Volume 2. Special Features:The Writers Flipped They Have No Script (DVD). Warner Home Video. {{cite AV media}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |authors= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f Lenburg, p. 520. Accessed on 2007-04-29
  5. ^ a b "Newsreel of the Stars". Animaniacs. Season 1. Episode 1. 1993-09-13. FOX Kids.
  6. ^ a b "Win Big". Animaniacs. Season 1. Episode 2. 1993-09-14. FOX Kids.
  7. ^ a b "Slappy Goes Walnuts". Animaniacs. Season 1. Episode 3. 1993-09-15. FOX Kids.
  8. ^ a b Unnamed author (July 1995), "TV Production: What a Character! Part II of a series: The Evolution of Animaniacs", Animation Magazine, p. 12 {{citation}}: |author= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  9. ^ a b Will, Ed (June 11, 1996), "BRAIN POWER: Pinky, genius pal to resume plotting in 1997", The Denver Post{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  10. ^ Credits from various Animaniacs episodes.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Tom Ruegger et al. (2007). Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs: Volume 3. Special Features: They Can't Help It If They're Cute, They're Just Drawn That Way (DVD). Warner Home Video. {{cite AV media}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |authors= (help)
  12. ^ a b Schmuckler, Eric (April 17,1995), "The new face in toontown. (Kids WB chief Jamie Kellner)(Special Report: Kids TV).", MEDIAWEEK, vol. 5, no. 16, p. 22 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  13. ^ "Wakko's America". Animaniacs. Season 1. Episode 25. 1993-10-11. FOX Kids.
  14. ^ "The Presidents". Animaniacs. Season 3. Episode 75. 1995-11-11. Kids' WB.
  15. ^ "Slippin' on the Ice Song". Animaniacs. Season 1. Episode 50. 1993-11-29. FOX Kids.
  16. ^ "Be Careful What You Eat (Song)". Animaniacs. Season 1. Episode 23. 1993-10-15. FOX Kids.
  17. ^ "Video Revue". Animaniacs. Season 1. Episode 47. 1993-11-23. FOX Kids.
  18. ^ a b O'Dell, Ron. "Warner Bros. Animation Chronology: 1994". The Warner Bros. Animation Archive. Toon Zone. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  19. ^ a b c d Closs, Larry (October 28, 1995), "Spielberg Toons In: Moviemaker extraordinaire Steven Spielberg reveals he's also an animaniac at heart", TV Guide, pp. 33–36
  20. ^ "Closing Credits". Animaniacs. Season 1. Episode 1. 1993-09-13. FOX Kids.
  21. ^ "Very Special Opening; In the Garden of Mindy; No Place Like Homeless; Katie Ka-Boo; Baghdad Cafe". Animaniacs. Season 1. Episode 35. 1993-11-05. FOX Kids.
  22. ^ a b "Hooked on a Ceiling". Animaniacs. Season 1. Episode 4. 1993-09-16. FOX Kids.
  23. ^ "The Please Please Please Get a Life Foundation". Animaniacs. Season 3. Episode 73. 1995-09-23. Kids’ WB.
  24. ^ a b Kent, Milton (January 30, 1994), "Warner Bros. is whistling a happy toon: New characters have attitude and an audience", The Baltimore Sun{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  25. ^ a b Freeman, Michael (1994), "Fox Children's Network's. ('Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' viewer ratings) (Syndication) (Brief Article).", MEDIAWEEK, vol. 4, no. 38, p. 6, ISSN 1055-176X
  26. ^ a b c d e Unknown author (October 26, 1999). "First-ever "STEVEN SPIELBERG PRESENTS ANIMANIACS" feature-length spectacular unveiled". TimeWarner.com Newsroom. TimeWarner. Retrieved 2007-04-30. More than one million kids watch "Animaniacs" every week on Kids WB!... {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  27. ^ Gates, Annita (February 14, 1995), "'ANIMANIACS' IS ONE 'TOON THAT'S LOONEY AS ITS PREDECESSORS", The Chicago Tribune{{citation}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  28. ^ Sandler, p. 200
  29. ^ Sandler, p. 194
  30. ^ "Warner Bros. Press release". Retrieved 2007-05-11.
  31. ^ Wheeler, Rex. "The Animania IV Report". Retrieved 2007-06-30.
  32. ^ a b Lupercal. "Animaniacs". Keyframe. Retrieved 2007-04-15.
  33. ^ "The Peabody Awards: Animaniacs (1993)". Retrieved 2007-05-19. (Search for the title "Animaniacs" to view award.)
  34. ^ "22nd Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners". Annie Award Database. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  35. ^ "23rd Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners". Annie Award Database. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  36. ^ O'Dell, Ron. "Warner Bros. Animation Chronology: 1996". The Warner Bros. Animation Archive. Toon Zone. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  37. ^ "25th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners". Annie Award Database. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  38. ^ O'Dell, Ron. "Warner Bros. Animation Chronology: 1997". The Warner Bros. Animation Archive. Toon Zone. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  39. ^ "26th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners". Annie Award Database. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  40. ^ a b O'Dell, Ron. "Warner Bros. Animation Chronology: 1998". The Warner Bros. Animation Archive. Toon Zone. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  41. ^ O'Dell, Ron. "Warner Bros. Animation Chronology: 1999". The Warner Bros. Animation Archive. Toon Zone. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
  42. ^ Unknown author (May 17,1999). "Warner Bros. Television Animation Wins More Emmy Awards Than Any Other Animation Studio; Three Additional Emmys Won Saturday May 15th, Twenty-Five in Total". TimeWarner Newsroom. TimeWarner. Retrieved 2007-05-19. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  43. ^ a b c d e f g h i Weinman, Jamie (August, 2002). "When did the Warner siblings jump the shark? A look at the life of Animaniacs" (html). The WBAA Presents Voice. Toon Zone. Retrieved 2007-04-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  44. ^ a b c Lenburg, p. 51. Accessed on 2007-04-29
  45. ^ Unnamed author (March 20, 2001). "Cartoon Network says Toonami Network Rumors are Unfounded". AnimeNewsNetwork. Retrieved 2007-05-25. Jamie Kellner is known in many circles as the man who cancelled Pinky and the Brain, Freakazoid, and Animaniacs. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  46. ^ a b Unnamed author (March 12, 1999). "Kids WB! announces fall lineup". AWN.com. AWN, Inc. Retrieved 2007-04-30. The results of Warner Bros. TV Animation's massive 100+ artist layoff... are clearly obvious this season. The studio is not currently producing any new episodes of HISTERIA!, PINKY, ELMYRA & THE BRAIN, SYLVESTER & TWEETY MYSTERIES or ANIMANIACS. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  47. ^ Unnamed author (2006-11-09). "AOL In2TV". zap2it.com. Tribune Media Services, Inc. Retrieved 2007-04-24. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  48. ^ "I'm Mad". Animaniacs. Season 2. Episode 69. 1993-11-12. FOX Kids.
  49. ^ Unknown author (February 12, 1999). "Toon Zone News Archives: February 1999". Toon Zone News. Toon Zone. Retrieved 2007-05-11. ...97% of kids and parents gave it a review of "highly positive"... {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  50. ^ Unknown author (February 18, 1999). "Toon Zone News Archives: February 1999". Toon Zone News. Toon Zone. Retrieved 2007-05-11. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  51. ^ a b Lambert, David (2005-11-10). "How Long Before Animaniacs Escape the Water Tower?". TVShowsonDVD.com. Retrieved 2007-03-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  52. ^ ""Animaniacs" Vol. 2 on DVD: Wakkorotti and WHV Belch Out Another Great Set". Toon Zone. 2006-12-03. Retrieved 2007-05-24.
  53. ^ Lacey, Gord (2006-08-16). "Time to go Wakko (again)-Volume 2 News!". TVShowsonDVD.com. Retrieved 2007-03-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  54. ^ Lacey, Gord (2007-02-28). "Slappy the Squirrel joins the Warners on Volume 3". TVShowsonDVD.com. Retrieved 2007-03-26. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  55. ^ Unknown author (October 26, 1998). "Toon Zone News Archives: 1998: August - December". Toon Zone News. Toon Zone. Retrieved 2007-05-10. This special ["Animaniacs Super Special"] will no doubt feature the final episodes of Animaniacs... {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help); Check date values in: |year= / |date= mismatch (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  56. ^ John Dempsey (August 30, 2000). "Toon web sans synergy: WB sells to Nick: Cartoon Network turns down Spielberg-produced skeins". Variety.com. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2007-04-30. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  57. ^ Unknown (August 29, 2000). "Nickelodeon Acquires Exclusive Television Rights to Warner Bros. Animation's STEVEN SPIELBERG PRESENTS PINKY & THE BRAIN". TimeWarner.com Newsroom. TimeWarner. Retrieved 2007-06-08. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)

Further reading

  • Sandler, Kevin (1998). Reading the Rabbit: Explorations in Warner Bros. Animation. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-2538-1. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Lenburg, Jeff (1999). "Animaniacs [Theatrical Short]". The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. New York, New York: Checkmark Books. p. 51. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Unknown parameter |Edition= ignored (|edition= suggested) (help)
  • Lenburg, Jeff (1999). "Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs [Television Series]". The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. New York, New York: Checkmark Books. p. 520. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Unknown parameter |Edition= ignored (|edition= suggested) (help)
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