And now our Ruegger collection is complete! Of the ones that matter, anyway.
Discuss the show here. For starters, this is one of my favorites. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVqf8ZfHtBs)
Edit: It's altered a little, so the actual Power Rangers theme song is entered in. I actually kind of like it that way.
I'm sure to take some heat for this, but here goes; was never really a fan of this like most people were. Honestly... I dunno, I just thought pretty much everything
else from the Silver Age (the major stuff, I mean; not garbage like Waynehead) was better. Pinky & the Brain, Freakazoid, Tiny Toons... I just thought all three of these were better shows overall.
I think the characters have a lot to do with that, and the fact that Animaniacs had a large cast of generally useless, and rather unfunny characters. I liked the Warner siblings, to a certain degree. Pinky and The Brain were both great, and Slappy Squirrel was fun... but everyone else was either mediocre and underwhelming (the Goodfeathers), or just plain sucked (Mindy and Buttons, Minerva Mink... and lest I not forget, the fucking Hip Hippos.). The show was fun when it would stay on focus towards the aforementioned "good" characters, but once the tape on a Hip Hippos short started rolling... ughhhhh...
Don't get me wrong; I still like Animaniacs. Just not to the degree that everyone else does. Between a somewhat sprawling cast of forgettable characters, and the fact that the series took a
huge tumble towards the end of its run (seriously; those late-run episodes SUCK), I just never liked it as much as I did everything else noteworthy from the Silver Age. It's still fun, though, and definitely holds its fair share of nostalgia.
Quote from: Avaitor on July 05, 2011, 11:26:57 AM
And now our Ruegger collection is complete! Of the ones that matter, anyway.
My username would beg to differ. :whuh:
Edit: Woah, what happened? Half of my post up and disappeared when I went back and fixed something. I had to type that entire last paragraph AGAIN. Bah to that, I say.
Quote from: Kiddington on July 05, 2011, 09:59:26 PM
I'm sure to take some heat for this, but here goes; was never really a fan of this like most people were. Honestly... I dunno, I just thought pretty much everything else from the Silver Age (the major stuff, I mean; not garbage like Waynehead) was better. Pinky & the Brain, Freakazoid, Tiny Toons... I just thought all three of these were better shows overall.
I think the characters have a lot to do with that, and the fact that Animaniacs had a large cast of generally useless, and rather unfunny characters. I liked the Warner siblings, to a certain degree. Pinky and The Brain were both great, and Slappy Squirrel was fun... but everyone else was either mediocre and underwhelming (the Goodfeathers), or just plain sucked (Mindy and Buttons, Minerva Mink... and lest I not forget, the fucking Hip Hippos.). The show was fun when it would stay on focus towards the aforementioned "good" characters, but once the tape on a Hip Hippos short started rolling... ughhhhh...
Don't get me wrong; I still like Animaniacs. Just not to the degree that everyone else does. Between a somewhat sprawling cast of forgettable characters, and the fact that the series took a huge tumble towards the end of its run (seriously; those late-run episodes SUCK), I just never liked it as much as I did everything else noteworthy from the Silver Age. It's still fun, though, and definitely holds its fair share of nostalgia.
It's okay, I pretty much agree with everything you've said, and I've ranted on it before. Not sure if those rants are on this site or were on the old site though...
Animaniacs is my least favorite of the good Silver Age shows, too. When it's funny, it's really funny, but I do agree the lows are more painful compared to TTA's.
Guess what? Volume 4 is coming out, too! (http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Animaniacs-Volume-4/17619)
Unlike TTA, this will finish the show's run, so yay.
Oh shit.
Hey, we are only one release away from the last of TTA(except the specials I suppose, but we still don't have Wakko's Wish on DVD), and at least the end of TTA is watchable(most of the better eps are in these next two volumes) unlike Animaniacs, where just about every episode is mediocre to bad.
Umm... yay?
I'll probably buy it anyway just to finish off the set, but I'm not looking forward to this nearly as much as TTA. Late-run Animaniacs was pretty much trash from what I remember.
There are some highights if I remember correctly, but yeah, the show really took a turn for the weaker when Paul Rugg and Sherri Stoner left the writing staff. I'll get it for completion regardless.
So volume 4 of A! is finally coming out, and on my birthday, no less.
I guess it'll be good to finally have the complete set....
Pity so many of the show's final crop of episodes were among the weakest of the series.
Quote from: KiddingtonI'm sure to take some heat for this, but here goes; was never really a fan of this like most people were. Honestly... I dunno, I just thought pretty much everything else from the Silver Age (the major stuff, I mean; not garbage like Waynehead) was better. Pinky & the Brain, Freakazoid, Tiny Toons... I just thought all three of these were better shows overall.
I think the characters have a lot to do with that, and the fact that Animaniacs had a large cast of generally useless, and rather unfunny characters. I liked the Warner siblings, to a certain degree. Pinky and The Brain were both great, and Slappy Squirrel was fun... but everyone else was either mediocre and underwhelming (the Goodfeathers), or just plain sucked (Mindy and Buttons, Minerva Mink... and lest I not forget, the fucking Hip Hippos.). The show was fun when it would stay on focus towards the aforementioned "good" characters, but once the tape on a Hip Hippos short started rolling... ughhhhh...
Don't get me wrong; I still like Animaniacs. Just not to the degree that everyone else does. Between a somewhat sprawling cast of forgettable characters, and the fact that the series took a huge tumble towards the end of its run (seriously; those late-run episodes SUCK), I just never liked it as much as I did everything else noteworthy from the Silver Age. It's still fun, though, and definitely holds its fair share of nostalgia.
Tcha....that's pretty much how I feel, except that I never thought that Pinky & the Brain should've got their own show. Their shorts were among the better ones, I agree, but as a weekly series with no other attractions they just got repetitive. I would've rather gotten a Slappy spinoff; she was always my favorite character on the show.
It's coming back to TV!
The Hub is airing it in December. (http://www.toonzone.net/forums/huburbia-%96-hub-animation-forum/299785-animaniacs-joins-hubs-lineup-jaunary-2013%3B-marathon-starts-christmas-eve.html)
I saw. Don't they also have Pinky & the Brain?
Not altogether bad news. But I still don't have that channel. :-X
Huh, interesting.
I have the channel now, because I'm at home and have my parents' DirecTV, but I lose it in a few days when I go back home to my Cox basic cable.
If they do a commercial starring Pinkie Pie and Pinky interacting, my life would be complete.
Quote from: Avaitor on November 22, 2012, 06:01:12 PM
I saw. Don't they also have Pinky & the Brain?
No P&tB as of yet, but The Hub does air
Batman: TAS, Superman: TAS and
Batman Beyond, primarily because all of these shows had toy lines which were made by (guess who?) Hasbro.The Hub also airs (or did air at one time)
Men In Black: The Series.
Animaiacs will be the 1st comedy cartoon from Kids' WB to air on The Hub.
I really hope this leads to Freakazoid.
If The Hub did/does pick up Freakazoid!, I imagine it would have to air weekly rather than daily, since there were only 26 episodes. Perhaps The Hub could launch a comedy cartoon block (sort of like the comedy equivalent to HuBoom!) and Freakazoid! could air on Fridays only, like how the Legend of Zelda cartoon did on The Super Mario Brothers Super Show!.
(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/644604_10200332593409816_1009404685_n.jpg)
Here they are, 20 years later. Even if the last batch of episodes weren't so strong, isn't it nice to have the whole show out on DVD now?
Well, the final episode just aired yesterday on the Hub, completing the show's 99 episode run.
Did anyone tune in these past few months to watch it all?
I certainly did. There were several episodes that I hadn't seen from the show's Kids' WB! days (I grew out of cartoons for a brief period during my teen years), so it was interesting to see the latter episodes for the first time.
I saw some of the Animaniacs episodes on The Hub. I didn't watch it ritually, since I already own the DVDs, but I caught them every so often. It was interesting seeing the Kids WB episodes for the 1st time since their brief run on Cartoon Network and their even briefer run on Nicktoons TV.
Been catching some episode of this show on the HUB. I've seen almost all of these episodes before, and the ones I've always really liked I still really like, while the ones I only thought were okay are now often irritating to me. Even so, the animation and jokes in this show, for the most part, are top-notch and it's a shame we don't have this sort of quality in most children's animated series today. I'd say Tiny Toonsstill holds up better to me, and I would love for the HUB to air that and the other 90's Warner Bros. animated comedy shows as well.
Out of curiosity, what did you guys think of each characters' segments?
Animaniacs: Funny as always, although looking back on them 20 years later, they're much bigger jackasses than I remember them to be. They bother people who really don't deserve it; they tend to create slapstick fights with people who really did nothing bad to them beforehand. It makes them seem superficial in that regard. It doesn't really hurt the shorts, though; they were consistently brilliant.
Slappy Squirrel: I would say as good as the main trio, if not better. They tried to get the rights to Screwball Squirrel from MGM, but couldn't, so they just reinvented the character in their own way. She pays a great tribute to Tex Avery by taking classic cartoon gags to the next level. Skippy was kinda bland, though. He was always overshadowed by his aunt and he seemed superfluous most the time. He was...there, but he didn't do much.
Pinky & the Brain: They deserved their own spinoff show, and for good reason: They really are that well-written! Their clashing personalities bounce off each other really well and they're the most complex of the Animaniacs cast. It also helps to have a villain for a protagonist, a rarity in kids' shows.
Goodfeathers: Eh... Not too fond of these. These guys do have great dialogue and they're a great homage to Martin Scorsese, but that's really all they have going for them. If you're not familiar with Scorsese's films (a.k.a. most kids, whom this show was created for), who in the target audience would get the joke? They're also a victim of the "once an episode" scripting that most of the other Animaniacs segments fall prey to. The Goodfeathers are tasked with something simple and mundane, they get hit by vehicles (A LOT), the Godpigeon fixes their problems, Squit offends Pesto and gets beaten up while Bobby laughs, fade to black. Bada-bing, you have all the episodes.
Mindy & Buttons: I like these segments a lot, and yet I feel so terrible for it at the same time. "Once an episode" applies here and I feel terrible for Buttons (that's the point of these shorts), yet the slapstick is really good. I can't bring myself to hate these segments just for that alone, even if they are same-y.
Rita & Runt: I'm going to be honest: I fast-forwarded past these shorts on my DVR. I thought I'd watch the first of them just to see if I could reevaluate it, and it just doesn't click with me. Rita's dialogue is great and the songs are well done (just like any other musical number in Animaniacs), but the shorts are tonally detached from the other segments on the show, mainly due to Rita. Runt is okay, but he's just dumb, not really wacky, and it's not enough to balance out Rita's seriousness. I feel like they should have been on a different show; they feel out of place here.
Hip Hippos: Talk about characters who were underutilized. Throughout the entire show's run, they only had about five (I believe?) segments where they had starring roles, and it's not hard to see why: There isn't much you can do with these characters. They're a source of fat jokes and they're barely developed beyond two rich snobs looking for excitement. It felt like they were rejects from Taz-Mania who were somehow transferred to Animaniacs--a couple of characters who were okay, but neither great nor memorable.
Minerva Mink: Another character who was also sadly underutilized. (From what I heard, they stopped using her due to parents' complaints. I'm not sure how much of that is true.) The few shorts she was in, though, were great. She was funny and her slapstick antics were wonderfully executed. They should have used her more often before they had to pull the plug.
Chicken Boo: Again, slave to "once an episode" scripting. I felt this character was better utilized when he WASN'T the star of his shorts. It was fun watching him manipulate the characters in other segments from offscreen. I remember the episode where the Warners were loaned out to other studios in the 60s and Chicken Boo was masquerading as a superstar to Mr. Plotz just to take up free rent in the water tower. :lol: Brilliant! They should have made him an antagonistic force to other characters' segments rather than giving him a starring role. It was more fun that way.
Colin: Okay, so this one time, Randy Beaman's friend ran out of his house and told us a funny story about his friend Randy Beaman who may or may not exist and the delivery was fast-paced and darkly comedic. Ok, bye.
The Flame: Should I really count these? I don't think the writers even wanted to make them; I think these were an FCC mandate just to add in some education and please the network execs. Regardless, they're still pretty good shorts; they're just better suited for PBS.
Good Idea/Bad Idea: Hit or miss. A lot of the Bad Ideas can be really funny, but other times, you can predict the Bad Ideas coming from a mile away.
Mime Time: Lame. Too predictable. You can see what's going to happen in each segment.
Katie KaBoom: :unimpressed:
Quote from: Cartoon X on March 20, 2013, 11:00:31 PM
I would love for the HUB to air (Tiny Toons) and the other 90's Warner Bros. animated comedy shows as well.
Ehhh, I kind of hope that
doesn't happen. While I agree that it would be nice to see some more animated comedies on The Hub which aren't toy-based, I'd rather see them gain more original comedy cartoons and newer or first-run comedy acquisitions. I'd rather The Hub carve its' own niche for itself rather than just resurrecting the zombies of Kids' WB!. Plus, most of the Silver Age WB stuff is already on DVD, and not all of them have aged too well (
Tiny Toons in particular practically screams 90's) so I don't necessarily need for The Hub to pick them all up.
I hate myself for noticing this, but some of A!'s animations look kind of clunky now, particularly the Kids' WB! eps. The TMS segments were the best animated of them all; pity TMS couldn't have done the entire series.
As for the segments themselves, the best ones IMO are still the Warners and Slappy. Seeing them again, I notice that the Warners come off as assholes a lot, particularly when they're paired with Dr. Scratchansniff, but they're still consistently funny and the good concepts work.
Slappy was the character I wanted to see get a spinoff, honestly. Slappy was one of those characters like Daffy Duck that I consider to be my alter ego; to this day I find myself droning things like "This...is sad" in my daily life. Yeah, Skippy was kind of vanilla, but he was necessary; Slappy needed a patient, sane, rational character to talk to and bounce her quips off of. Several old-school comedians required a straight man.
Pinky & the Brain were OK, but IMO they should have stayed on
Animaniacs. They were good once in a while, but on their own show with no other recurring segments the limitations of the premise became all too obvious.
Goodfeathers: some funny moments, but if you've seen one short, you've pretty much seen them all.
I agree that Rita and Runt seemed like they belonged on another show. Their segments reminded me more of some leftover from
The Disney Afternoon than something from Warner Bros.
Mindy & Buttons is the 1 segment that I always have to fast-forward past on my DVR. It's the same thing every time and I feel bad for Buttons.
Hip Hippos: yeah, they're just walking fat jokes, plus they didn't have appealing nor deep enough personalities to compensate. Not much to see here. Move along.
I can't sum up Katie Ka-Boom any better than Chad Rocco (CR!) did on his
Familiar Faces series, so I would just say check out his review.
Quote from: Cartoon X on March 20, 2013, 11:00:31 PM
Been catching some episode of this show on the HUB. I've seen almost all of these episodes before, and the ones I've always really liked I still really like, while the ones I only thought were okay are now often irritating to me. Even so, the animation and jokes in this show, for the most part, are top-notch and it's a shame we don't have this sort of quality in most children's animated series today. I'd say Tiny Toonsstill holds up better to me, and I would love for the HUB to air that and the other 90's Warner Bros. animated comedy shows as well.
I tend to think that The Hub acquiring
Tiny Toon Adventures would be taking a step back, not forward. Don't get me wrong; I loved TTA back in the day, and Babs Bunny rocked the planet, but the show's constant spouting out of "Hey-hey, it's the 90s!" makes the show seem horribly dated now.
If The Hub were to acquire
Freakazoid!, that'd be a hoot, but overall, I likewise would prefer it if The Hub found it's own voice and become it's own thing rather than just become the Kids' WB Leftovers Channel.
I've always taken the Warners to be a tribute to the Marx Brother's Paramount-era films, where they'd mercilessly attack anyone who is a part of the system because they don't understand how to conform.
It may make them seem like jackasses, but IMO, it worked a lot of the time.
DarthGonzo started up an Animaniacs blog. (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/)
Interesting. I always wondered when he'd show up again.
You know, Animaniacs sure does get a lot of love; none of the other Silver Age stuff even comes close for most people. I think, given the 20th anniversary of the series and all, it's about time I give it a fair shake again. Maybe a full-scale rewatch is what I need to see what everyone else sees (you already know my feelings about it by now).
Quote from: Kiddington on April 17, 2013, 01:08:40 AM
You know, Animaniacs sure does get a lot of love; none of the other Silver Age stuff even comes close for most people.
Yeah, a lot of the people on That Guy with the Glasses (including Doug Walker himself) are nuts about
Animaniacs. You'd think
Tiny Toon Adventures would've been the favorite Silver Age WB show, since it more or less started them all (the comedies, anyway), but A! is clearly the favorite among the Silver Age crowd. I would have loved it if it had just been the Warners, Slappy, Pinky & the Brain, and maybe Chicken Boo and Minerva Mink, as those were the ones which I found consistently funny and the least repetitive with the fewest hiccups. The other segments I could take or leave.
The funny thing is, the last time I checked, Darth agreed with a lot of you guys that Tiny Toons holds up better. I think he went with Animaniacs because the whole series is now available, while we're still waiting for the last TTA set, and yeah, it's the 20th anniversary.
Maybe he'll get to TTA afterwords, or during its 25th anniversary.
It might also be because Animaniacs is so all over the place that dissecting it might be really fun. There's a lot to talk about good and bad in that show.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on April 17, 2013, 10:44:18 AM
It might also be because Animaniacs is so all over the place that dissecting it might be really fun. There's a lot to talk about good and bad in that show.
DG did mention in the first blog post on how many stations Animaniacs aired on, even going as far to mention it airing currently on The Hub. Imagine if we do have a new audience being introduced to A! from The Hub. DG does focus on the strengths and weaknesses of certain segments, like Goodfeathers and Buttons and Mindy.
Another reason Animaniacs seems more popular overall right now is because the A! characters and concepts were original; they weren't just kiddifications of popular characters who already exist, and also on the whole A! as aged better than Tiny Toon Adventures. There were some pop-culture jokes and references in A!, but not as many has on TTA, and TTA tried hard to be very hip and contemporary, so while it's still holds up pretty well overall, a lot of the material seems kind of dated. (Kiddifications in general are also very much a product of their time.)
Also, A! contained a lot of jokes and cultural references which soared over the heads of kids, but there was enough visuals and general slapstick humor for them to be entertained, unlike Freakazoid!, which, while very funny, might have been a little too 'inside' for its' own good. For a lot of F!'s humor, you had to be at least 25-30 years old and/or a film and TV buff to get a lot of the jokes. I was 30 when F! debuted in 1999, and I didn't get several of the jokes right away. (I didn't know Jack Valenti was a real person until doing some research on the net later on, for example.)
Quote from: Avaitor on April 17, 2013, 10:41:30 AM
The funny thing is, the last time I checked, Darth agreed with a lot of you guys that Tiny Toons holds up better. I think he went with Animaniacs because the whole series is now available, while we're still waiting for the last TTA set, and yeah, it's the 20th anniversary.
Maybe he'll get to TTA afterwords, or during its 25th anniversary.
Back when I said that I preferred TTA and that it held up better, I was going through a period where I was really being way too hard on Animaniacs. Simply put, I feel Animaniacs - at it's best - was easily the better show. Elements of TTA are horribly dated now, and very, very few of the characters hold up the way they do on Animaniacs.
While I really enjoyed TTA when it was brand new, Animaniacs was and continues to be very close to my heart.
I'm glad everyone is enjoying the blog. I'd love to get more feedback on how I'm doing.
Oh hey, you're on here now!
And yes, I'm loving your blog. I always keep up with it.
Discussion on TZ seems to have pretty much trailed off, especially since they banned PC Famicom.
Whenever I update the blog, I'll post links to each new entry here too.
Sounds cool. I'd like to see more. :)
Quote from: DarthGonzo on June 15, 2013, 03:22:27 PM
Back when I said that I preferred TTA and that it held up better, I was going through a period where I was really being way too hard on Animaniacs. Simply put, I feel Animaniacs - at it's best - was easily the better show. Elements of TTA are horribly dated now, and very, very few of the characters hold up the way they do on Animaniacs.
While I really enjoyed TTA when it was brand new, Animaniacs was and continues to be very close to my heart.
I'm glad everyone is enjoying the blog. I'd love to get more feedback on how I'm doing.
Hey, Gonzo! Good to see you again. :) I enjoy your Animaniacs blog too, you've put a great amount of details into and the effort really shows.
Well you got me to rewatch the Russian episode earlier. That was 18, I believe?
Obscure joke. Ask your parents.
Hey Darth, do you plan on reviewing any of the other Silver Age shows?
Nope, just Animaniacs. Sorry, man.
My fiance would kill me if I decided to anything like this again. :sweat:
:yakko: :wakko: :dot:
That's cool. I understand. Maybe someday I'll do something similar with Freakazoid and Histeria!, two shows that are old favorites of mine.
I watched Animaniacs all the time back in 1994, before I got into Power Rangers and forgot about everything else. Watching repeats a while back, the show still holds up despite all the dated 90s stuff. However, the overall quality takes a significant drop after the show moved to WB.
Oh man, I forgot to comment about the latest review.
"Bubba Bo Bob Brain" is by far one of my favorite P&TB shorts, on Animaniacs or not. Even if its portrayal of country music isn't wholly relevant today, the short is a complete pleasure.
Episode 35 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/53244951390/animaniacs-stew-episode-35
I remember the cold opening to this one playing at the beginning of one of my old Animaniacs tapes. I believe one of the musical ones.
And of course Animaniacs Stew was the focus of a tape of its own. I might just pull out my old VHSes, even though I own all of those shorts on DVD, just for the hell of it.
Episode 36 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/53398051407/okay-whos-the-wise-guy-that-moved-the-balcony
Episode 37 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/53549726955/frankly-wed-prefer-the-spanking-machine-episode-37
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ff8bcea0e361df0642a1574b97c1b9efa%2Ftumblr_inline_morjyrwBYq1qz4rgp.png&hash=193394cdaf0a26a69ee77e087993d39b8f773503)
haha, wtf Squit. I don't remember this episode very well at all, but I'm surprised that the Snafu cameo didn't ring to mind more vividly. That's pretty hard to forget.
How long does it usually take you to make these blog posts, Darth?
Quote from: Daikun on June 21, 2013, 08:32:17 PM
How long does it usually take you to make these blog posts, Darth?
Wednesday and Friday posts are started two days before, and the first day usually just consists of me writing out the basic template for the entry and re-watching the episode with my fiance. The day before I'll usually summarize each cartoon and take the screenshots and the day I post them I summarize the cartoon, take care of various odds and ends and put everything together. Monday entries are a bit of a crap shoot depending on what my weekend looks like. The first week and a half of the blog I blew through one episode a day. Even got THREE episodes on that first Saturday.
Episode 38 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/53793364281/all-my-thoughts-are-in-dutch-episode-38
Hansel?
Hansel?
Hansel...
But wow, are there a lot of cameos in this one. It does feel like a pilot of sorts to P&TB's own show, but I wouldn't put it up there with their finest myself.
Episode 39 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/54056444033/im-going-to-blow-chunks-episode-39
Geez Dot, no one wants to see your panties. Except for maybe YoshiAngemon.
And personally, I love the Shakespeare translations. They're a tad one not, but hell, I crack up none stop.
Wait, is that the Randy Beaman kid in the polka Good Idea, Bad Idea short?
That first Good Idea Bad Idea probably sounded better on paper. (The second one was a good one, though)
I entirely forgot about the glove short. That scene with the cop and robber gloves is still bizarre to this day.
When you're done with the series, Darth, will you be doing Wakko's Wish afterward?
Quote from: Daikun on June 29, 2013, 08:53:12 PM
When you're done with the series, Darth, will you be doing Wakko's Wish afterward?
If I can find a way to get screenshots, I will.
And episode 40 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/54303416919/were-not-acting-we-really-are-like-this-episode-40
Honestly, you should have gone with Blogger. Tumblr is just such an incredibly slow and shitty site.
Blogger's for squares. People use WordPress nowadays.
Mine and Goldstar's blog is on Blogger. I could probably switch to WordPress, but I'm just getting a decent handle on Blogger and let's not forget that I'm incredibly lazy.
Anyway, good job as always, DG. One question about "Puppet Rulers": how did Pinky know that he and brain have missed the disco years when he and Brain were mouse-cicles during that whole decade? Did Pinky catch a glimpse of a history book or the History Channel, was that a savant-like guess or just a writers' hiccup?
I was incredibly happy with Tumblr until they messed with the set-up for the post archives. Now the archives won't even load. On top of that they've started including ads. I'm not sure if that's what's screwing up the archive page, but it stinks that you can't browse past posts anymore.
Yeah, tumblr's archives have been shit to try to use. But that's the thing with the site. It's hard for a day to go by without some kind of change go on to the site, except for the kind that people actually one.
Yahoo! bought Tumblr back in May. Of course they would fuck it up. It's Yahoo! tradition. (http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/20/technology/social/yahoo-tumblr-acquisitions/index.html) :sly:
The thing is, tumblr has seemingly always had bad updates.
Apparently tumblr started doing ads last year (from what I've read), but I never even noticed it until Yahoo moved in.
Anyway, I don't miss it.
This is why I have Ad Block on my computer. I rarely see ads on my dash anyway.
Episode 41 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/54473594146/and-now-some-sad-news-episode-41
I love the ending to that episode. But man, it's a real shame to see Phil Hartman wasted there like that since he's usually so funny.
For an alternative, watch his episode of TaleSpin. That's a goodie, and I believe it's on the recently-released last volume too. ;)
Both as a kid and an adult, that Good Idea/Bad Idea segment still makes me bust a gut.
I was watching ER last night, and caught this.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F24.media.tumblr.com%2F3156b5aa636784f7b591435346b9329d%2Ftumblr_mpdgb2gJpF1r6se0bo1_500.jpg&hash=43ca2a5f32e5c5cb8f0d06d2b2d21a013ba21bb8)
I thought it was pretty cool. This isn't the first time the show reminded us which studio made it, either. In the episode Tarantino directed in season 1, one of the girls (I think Susan) was wearing a Yosemite Sam shirt while sunbathing, while Lil Suzy has a Sylvester plushie.
Episode 42 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/54631744885/uh-oh-theres-that-bear-again-episode-42
I can't help but think the whole Hollywoodchuck short is just a joke about the old cliche arrogant small town kid coming to the big city to "be somebody". I would guess the whole lip gag is because he has a big mouth. I'm not going to say it succeeds at what it does, but I think there could have been a good short in there if it wasn't in the typical Animaniacs fashion of grinding a character down to paste and little else. Because while he is unlikeable... he's not that unlikeable. The things he suffers through is completely out of proportion to what would be considered funny.
The best part of the short is easily the narrator and the quote.
Episode 43 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/54840122561/wouldja-like-to-take-a-survey-episode-43
I've always had a soft spot for this Rita & Runt short in particular. It isn't a masterpiece, but it's just a pleasant ride for me, while "Survey Ladies" is a classic. And didn't South Park do the same Raiders reference before Family Guy did, too?
Episode 44 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/54971393613/this-song-doesnt-make-any-sense-episode-44
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Fb0bff21f9d6270396a720dccb8fb1a0d%2Ftumblr_inline_mpndbc8YwM1qz4rgp.png&hash=d63017a0bd646728db3a4043b915445cebadf2f3)
Yikes. What's up with Yakko here?
The Useless Facts could have been fun stuff, but yikes, these are not funny. At all.
Peter Paltridge on TZ is angry because I'm too hard on certain cartoons. I'm not seeing it.
Well, he may just have it in for you. I think you've been very fair in your reviews.
different strokes (https://animationrevelation.com/DifferentStrokes.jpg) for different folks, man.
Quote from: Avaitor on July 09, 2013, 05:04:21 PM
different strokes (https://animationrevelation.com/DifferentStrokes.jpg) for different folks, man.
Let it be known that all utterings of that phrase must be followed with this video. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHHe4zKdZuI)
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on July 09, 2013, 07:11:25 PM
Quote from: Avaitor on July 09, 2013, 05:04:21 PM
different strokes (https://animationrevelation.com/DifferentStrokes.jpg) for different folks, man.
Let it be known that all utterings of that phrase must be followed with this video. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHHe4zKdZuI)
Scream real loud in my ass!
Quote from: Avaitor on July 09, 2013, 07:19:31 PM
Quote from: Dr. Insomniac on July 09, 2013, 07:11:25 PM
Quote from: Avaitor on July 09, 2013, 05:04:21 PM
different strokes (https://animationrevelation.com/DifferentStrokes.jpg) for different folks, man.
Let it be known that all utterings of that phrase must be followed with this video. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHHe4zKdZuI)
Scream real loud in my ass!
And everyone learned a valuable lesson.
I recently found out that kid was Budnick. How did that pass my radar?
Episode 45 is up, there.
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/55131740920/ive-always-been-a-believer-in-the-big-bang-theory
Man I love MTM. The spoof is just as catchy as the theme song, too.
Oh, I was watching ER again tonight, and this time, caught a kid with an Animaniacs show. Nothing really special, but I find little facets like that interesting.
Episode 46 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/55226679369/be-gone-pests-and-give-me-the-bird-episode-46
Episode 47 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/55567019194/wake-me-at-the-noon-of-time-episode-47
The X-Toons shot definitely looks like Buster and Plucky, unless Wang is really bad at drawing Bugs and Daffy. Anyway, what is Don Corleone doing in the Godfather III tape?
Another question- aren't we getting close to the Christmas episodes?
A question about "Video Review": one of the celebrities present in the final number is Katie Ka-Boom's mom. Is she supposed to be a caricature of someone famous, or did the animators just run out of famous people?
I noticed the Baby Plucky becoming teenage Plucky thing when the show was first-run. Weird little slip-up there.
Episode 48 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/55832524349/i-am-stupefied-as-to-what-has-just-occurred-episode-48
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2F825cc295d66c526f969695681ff49007%2Ftumblr_inline_mq5t4aiVdl1qz4rgp.png&hash=476c1dbbe5006e5706002a0d95cc976eecefb3dd)
That is frightening.
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/56296765833/its-all-about-to-hit-the-fan-you-greedy-ceo-episode
Ph man, we're getting super close to the 50 episode mark, and I only have the first 2 volumes. I might have to stop reading after the next article.
Episode 50 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/56611963301/whoa-pesto-its-christmas-quit-whackin-on-squit
I never watched Animaniacs that much as a kid. But I do remember some things. The Kids WB episodes were a definite step down in quality.
One thing that stands out in my mind is the very last Katie Ka-boom segment were she looks absolutely nothing like she did in any of the others.
The Prom Night one? She looks the same to me.
No, Broken Date.
Were they asleep when they made that one? It looks like a totally different show.
That's because Freelance animated it.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Fb3496154bee726bc0c9aba33be2bd1ae%2Ftumblr_inline_mqll8zQ49h1qz4rgp.png&hash=c857483c921c68f08e1cb0b88b77ba9cf153bc84)
:unimpressed:
I just found my sig next Christmas.
Episode 51 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/57024101733/fee-fi-fo-fum-i-fall-down-and-hurt-my-bum-episode-51
I still need to get the last 2 volumes, but I recall the "Branamaniacs" and Warners sketch quite well. Great stuff.
Episode 52 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/57251957905/max-wants-to-come-in-and-go-crazy-episode-52
Okay, I haven't seen either the movie or the short in a LONG time, but this sure looks like a spoof of the Brave Little Toaster.
Even if that isn't among the best, the Wakko and Brain sketches sure are.
I haven't sat through this episode since it first aired on FOX. As I recall, the lack of Yakko and Dot in the first short lessened my enthusiasm, then we got that Disney-mimicking short, and I never liked those, and at the time I just plain didn't get "Yes, Always". So I would always change the channel and watch something else when this one came on.
This is one of the few episodes of Animaniacs that I've never watched in reruns. "Ups and Downs" just bored me. It felt more like I was watching a live action sketch than a cartoon short, and honestly, a "real" kid would have been a better choice for that role than Wakko. And for what reason would Wakko ever not have his gag bag?
"The Brave Little Trailer", No, just no. I didn't (and still don't) enjoy the 1950s Disney shorts of this nature, so I had/have zero desire to see Warner Brothers try to imitate one of them.
"Yes, Always" - I get what was being parodied here, but I doubt very much that kids in the 1990s did, and frankly, this was just too talky for my tastes. I'lll give A!'s writers credit for trying something different with Pinky &the Brain, but this short just bored me when I first saw it, and I haven't re-watched it since.
Yeah, this was certainly one of the worst episodes of Animaniacs.
I remembered the first two shorts quite well when I was a kid, and I completely forgot about the third one until I saw this episode again on the Hub earlier this year. This episode really is that forgettable.
"Ups and Downs" was okay, certainly not up to par with other shorts in the series (and unfortunately, it's as good as it gets for this particular half-hour). "The Brave Little Trailer" barely felt like a spoof; it felt like it was playing things way too straight. "Yes, Always" is easily the weakest P&tB segment.
I'm pretty shocked at all the negativity here. One of the worst episodes? Are you kidding me?
"Yes, Always" only works if one knows what's the short is a parody of, which I'm sure most kids at the time did not. I imagine to kids, this short just looked like Brain, Pinky and some people sitting around a studio talking to each other. They were probably just scratching their heads asking "When are they going to try to take over the world?" And sure, A! was always more appreciated by adults than by children, but I didn't find "Yes, Always" to be a great short, even when viewing it as an adult.
As for the other 2 shorts in this episode, I just didn't care for them. "The Brave Little Trailer" didn't do it for me for the reasons I already mentioned above. "Ups and Downs" shouldn't have had Wakko in it at all, because he barely acted like himself. Why is Wakko telling a Randy Beaman story? For what it was worth, they probably should have cast Colin as the kid in this short instead of Wakko. The short still wouldn't have been great, but it would have been more in character. And sorry, but Wakko not having his gag bag made no sense at all.
Quote from: Goldstar on August 03, 2013, 08:54:39 PM
As for the other 2 shorts in this episode, I just didn't care for them. "The Brave Little Trailer" didn't do it for me for the reasons I already mentioned above. "Ups and Downs" shouldn't have had Wakko in it at all, because he barely acted like himself. Why is Wakko telling a Randy Beaman story? For what it was worth, they probably should have cast Colin as the kid in this short instead of Wakko. The short still wouldn't have been great, but it would have been more in character. And sorry, but Wakko not having his gag bag made no sense at all.
And Colin being thrown around in the elevator at the end WOULD have made sense?
I always just assumed that separating Wakko from his siblings mellowed him out a little. This cartoon never felt weird to me.
Episode 53 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/57390747846/stay-on-your-side-episode-53
Next someone is going to tell me they hate Drive-Insane...
"I'm Cute" was on the musical Animaniacs tape I had as a kid. It's... gahhhh, it's infectious.
In the bad way. Less "Give Your Heart a Break" infectious, more "California Gurls" infectious. But unlike anything Katy Perry-related, the writing is strong on it. Cute enough to examine in repeat listenings.
Regarding "Drive-Insane": normally I'm not a fan of stories in which an innocent character just gets dumped on throughout the whole thing, especially when they didn't do anything to warrant such treatment, as I find that motif a little too mean-spirited, but there's enough genuinely funny lines and moments here to keep things from becoming unbearable.
The scene at the snack bar is my favorite; it resonates with me because I've experienced similar trials with fast food service: once I was at a chicken place and asked for a small drink; the kid working there told me that they didn't sell small drinks, only medium and large. When I pointed out that that would then make a medium a small, I got a similarly blank reaction from the kid at the register. Another time I was at a burger place and asked for one chicken tender meal (that was exactly how I worded it), and I got a single chicken tender in a box; when I complained about it, the waitress replied, "I only charged you for one!" like that was the problem.
Is it a wonder that I rarely eat at fast food places anymore?
Episode 54 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/57658531972/that-cloud-looks-like-a-big-pomegranate-episode-54
Upon reflection, it's not hard to see why Minerva Mink never got another starring role "Moon Over Minerva" (which was intended to air after "Meet Minerva", but ended up airing before for a Halloween themed A! episode). Minerva really didn't have an outstanding personality; she was basically a furry fetishist's wet dream. There's only so many variations on the "male animal does an extreme take after falling in lust with Minerva" gag that they could have done without inevitably repeating themselves.
A few seasons later, there was a WB short ("Wakko At the Bat", IIRC) that had Minerva standing next to Hello Nurse and being ogled by human men! It's one thing when other anthropomorphic animals flip out at the sight of Minerva, but seeing cartoon humans lusting after the character just seems wrong somehow.
Minerva Mink stopped being used after two shorts, supposedly because the censors caught up to what they were doing with her. Even if that's true, I don't believe it to be the only reason. I think they realized that with Hello Nurse, she was really redundant. Neither of her shorts were very funny to me, and plus she kind of wasn't portrayed nicely so I don't mind that they made her a background character.
Episode 55 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/57911561257/i-want-quiet-quiet-quiet-episode-55
Episode 56 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/58093082090/is-das-nicht-ein-ottos-butt-episode-56
Episode 57 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/58288291630/didnt-i-see-this-in-a-david-copperfield-special
You had a Bugs phone like that? I wanttttt
Sorry I'm not replying that much on here, but like I've said before, since I only have the first 2 volumes, I don't have a whole lot to say about the latter half of the show. But I had the tape with "Schnitzelbank" on it, and it really is an incredibly catchy tune.
Episode 58 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/58660588196/remind-me-to-publicly-snub-you-episode-58
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2Ff5e05cead883b892a0db2f5cbc8dad1f%2Ftumblr_inline_mrr79mp9Vo1qz4rgp.png&hash=fe3352081699051bc926d544cd31d23c43437b93)
...Is Slappy trying to blow up Skippy?
DG basically nailed why "Smell Ya Later" didn't quite work. There were some good gags here and there and Jonathan Winters was great as usual, but the short didn't exactly gel since it focused more on the basset hounds than Slappy and Skippy, and Stinkbomb didn't make an effective punching bag for Slappy for the simple fact that he was too appealing a character to be continually dumped on.
Quote from: Silverstar on August 20, 2013, 05:32:18 PM
DG basically nailed why "Smell Ya Later" didn't quite work. There were some good gags here and there and Jonathan Winters was great as usual, but the short didn't exactly gel since it focused more on the basset hounds than Slappy and Skippy, and Stinkbomb didn't make an effective punching bag for Slappy for the simple fact that he was too appealing a character to be continually dumped on.
On top of that, the way that "Smell Ya Later" was structured, if felt more like a Stinkbomb & Bumpo cartoon that just featured Slappy (as with "Frontier Slappy", Skippy was in it, but he didn't do much). "Smell Ya Later" is probably the only Slappy Squirrel cartoon in which Slappy doesn't deliver the last line.
Episode 59 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/58962342226/get-rid-of-those-john-lennon-glasses-and-look-episode
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2F4bb9af2910409c5ee777b9dff47dd5ad%2Ftumblr_inline_mrwkqzjLSi1qz4rgp.png&hash=b2c12000a61bb0cc2ac91215780c0fdb834184d9)
Well that's just perfect. Also, Yes did release their first album in 1969, but they got better as they went along. Just putting that out there.
Episode 60 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/59355200660/thank-you-my-little-friends-my-small-friends
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2F3d5d56ef5840ac0a8d1ca0702cdfb9c3%2Ftumblr_inline_ms43u9Bnak1qz4rgp.png&hash=b4a59697d2a7ad19db57490a563ef1313dcad1ca)
I see Clinton, Roger Ebert and Pitbull.
Episode 61 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/59447404953/are-we-being-punished-episode-61
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmedia.tumblr.com%2F8fe92a38a90daed1ab366e0bbba27bdd%2Ftumblr_inline_ms5z00jFa61qz4rgp.png&hash=9a0ced452fce5e729bb1def3e164e645e83ba89f)
Slimer on crack.
Oooh. I wanna watch "Baloney and Friends" is a fun one. Although I don't remember the Nancy Kerrigan jokes at all.
Episode 62 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/59913929066/i-love-a-pointless-eyeball-gag-dont-you-episode-62
I like how Skippy was dressed up as Buster for Halloween.
Episode 63 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/60230214745/anybody-notice-the-godpigeon-had-gas-episode-63
Man, these last few shows before the season finale were really sub-par. Clearly the bottom-feeders of the season.
Episode 64
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/60569263678/that-was-a-weird-one-episode-64
Yeah, I read that Elmyra was one of Steven Spielberg's favorite Tiny Toons characters, which explains why she turned up in so many Silver Age WBA shows. (She was all over "K-ACME TV".) Thing is, I used to despise Elmyra with the fury of 1000 suns when TT was making first-run episodes; re-watching these shows now on The Hub, I no longer loathe Elmyra, though she's still not a favorite of mine.
That said, "Lookit the Fuzzy Heads" wasn't a great short, but there were some laughs to be had. You pretty much echoed my thoughts on "No Face Like Home", so I can't add anything to that.
Episode 65 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/60694359114/were-having-soup-today-episode-65
Oh man, reading this now really makes me want to track down a cheap copy of volume 3.
Quote from: DarthGonzo on September 08, 2013, 05:45:58 PMEpisode 65 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/60694359114/were-having-soup-today-episode-65
The episode I've been most waiting for on this blog! ;D This is certainly one of my favorite episodes.
I remembered watching Buddy cartoons when I was wee little (Nickelodeon used to air them in the very early 90s). Even as a kid, I was extremely bored with them. It was a surprise that WB's most famous Silver Age show would bring back the company's most despised character, and boy, what a "comeback" they gave him! I have trouble deciding whether this or the Bosko episode of
TTA was better; they're both very well done.
Only 4 episodes left before the series says goodbye to Fox Kids.
Episode 66 is finally up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/61334848932/romp-romp-romp-romp-romp-hey-episode-66
I've always had a soft spot for ?Morning Malaise?. It's not a very original short, far from the best for the Warner, but there's some great lines in there.
Episode 67 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/61549057523/would-someone-please-explain-what-that-was-all-about
The hell's up with that Henry Blake shot?
Oh, man...
When I was rewatching this series on The Hub, I had completely forgotten about this episode until I saw it on the blog.
Was this really even an episode? It was like a bunch of rejected DVD materials stitched together.
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/61906372037/youre-whackin-my-eyeballs-episode-68
The end of an era approaches. The next blog post will be the final Fox Kids episode.
After episode 69, WB starts its own network and pulls its shows away from Fox Kids.
Wait, is that skunk Pepe?
Episode 69 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/62682001786/gotta-use-the-potty-better-stop-the-car-episode-69
See you on some other channel.
Enjoy your break, DG. :)
I have to agree with DarthGonzo's assessment of "I'm Mad"; it wasn't a bad short, but there was nothing really stand out about it either. You'd think that to be the Warners' first theatrical short that Warner Brothers would have chosen something more manic than this short, which could just as easily been about 3 generic kids and their dad/mom. Seeing Yakko, Wakko and Dot behaving like "real" kids was just odd. I didn't dislike "I'm Mad", but it just wasn't up to the shows' usual quality.
Also, congratulations on your upcoming nuptials, DG! :thumbup:
Rejoice! Episode 70 is finally up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/65196385548/here-have-a-fat-free-yogurt-episode-70
Yeah, that Power Rangers parody is easily one of my most favorite moments in the show.
Welcome back!
I have good memories of the whole episode, as well as Kids WB! in general. Granted, I was a little too young to have seen this one as it first aired, or at least remember if I did, but I've seen it quite a bit since then. And yes, the Power Rangers short is a classic.
That was the first KWB episode? ??? I thought for sure that it aired on Fox Kids.
Maybe they were just poking fun at the old network. I'd heard that there was a dispute between Fox and WB before the shows were taken off (not sure if that's true, though).
Episode 71 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/65644971913/o-9-bingo-episode-71
I don't really have memories of this episode, but I LOVE that silhouette cameo with the Warners.
I agree with Darth on Variety Speak. It's a hilarious song, but the actual short itself never quite flowed together to compliment it the best way possible. Not to say I don't enjoy the short, but I definitely think it could have been better than it was.
Episode 72 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/65823205131/keister-i-learned-a-new-word-episode-72
"Be the First Kid on Your Block: To Actually Watch the WB!"
Prophetic!
Episode 73 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/66461205976/you-crazy-fans-episode-73
"A Hard Day?s Warners" is honestly one of my favorite shorts.
And I LOVE seeing the Mask of the Phantasm poster in the Batman booth. And I want ALL of that Warner swag.
Oh, and "I Am the Walrus" was mostly a Lennon tune.
A Hard Day's Warners is my FAVORITE short in the series, personally. :D
The fat nerd from the final short looks familiar. Did he appear in Freakazoid?
Episode 74 is up!
http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/66644541835/yadda-yadda-flambe-episode-74
Yes, "The Tiger Prince" is indeed a classic bit.
I haven't seen "The Kid in the Lid" in ages, but is it just me, or is the random cutaway to wartime in there a callback to Seuss' previous history with Warner's animation department?
Yo, you've been behind on updating us with your blog here. You're up to 76 now!
What episode had the Rugrats parody in it?
Quote from: Comeau on November 19, 2013, 06:24:18 PM
What episode had the Rugrats parody in it?
The one with "Jokohantas".
Quote from: Avaitor on November 19, 2013, 12:01:23 PMYo, you've been behind on updating us with your blog here. You're up to 76 now!
Here are the links to the other two posts, to save DG the trouble.
Episode 75 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/67168504840/harry-truman-weird-little-human-episode-75)
Episode 76 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/67310909169/you-wanna-forget-this-cartoon-episode-76)
I have to say "Buttons in Ows" is really the only Mindy and Buttons short I really like, myself. Between those two eps, it's the only segment besides "The President's Song" I can stand to rewatch, honestly.
I honestly only remember "The President's Song", which is one of my favorite songs from the show.
Episode 77 is up. (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/67712222782/fascinating-live-long-and-perspire-episode-77)
I'm just reading it now, but let me just say, "This Pun for Hire" is one of my all-time favorites from the show. You don't even need to see The Maltese Falcon to enjoy it, but hey, you should if you haven't anyway.
DG, where are you? ???
Episode 78 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/67906896743/is-there-a-point-to-this-cartoon-episode-78)
Episode 79 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/68029306737/why-wont-anyone-say-hello-to-me-episode-79)
PETEY PIE!
I lovee that short.
And here's epsiode 80. (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/68328736249/oooo-creepy-everythings-alive-episode-80)
He's up to 83 now (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/69140855044/tooty-toot-toot-here-come-the-shrimp-boats-episode), one of the most controversial ones.
Which I haven't seen, so I can't comment here. What about you guys?
I actually like it. It's got problems for sure, but the core story was very emotional and hits close to home.
Episode 84. (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/69282217198/ladies-and-gentlemen-miss-banana-falana-episode-84)
Now "Cutie and the Beast", I've seen. I have to agree with Darth tbh. There are some truly inspired gags, and as someone who's never been a Taz fan, I think his usage in the cartoon was a wonderful touch. But yikes, it drags on. The bit with Dot flubbing her lines was funny at first, but it takes FOREVER to move on from it. It also was one of the first of the show's full-on attacks on Disney for an entire segment, which despite having some fair criticism, never fully sat well with me.
Shortcuts to 81 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/68614002189/as-long-as-we-dont-get-too-close-to-uranus-episode-81) and 82 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/68941911365/aye-yi-yi-yi-oops-magellan-episode-82) to save on scrolling time.
Was DG banned or something? :whuh: He's still posting his new blog links on TZ.
It's a long story, but he's more than welcome to return.
It's just as well.
Is it because Marquis called him a manchild?
I'm fairly certain it is.
I used to respect DG, but his increasingly bitter and negative demeanor coupled with all the crap he pulled on Watch has erased all of that. It's hard to be charitable to someone like that.
Open discussion on DG is not fair for any sides of the situation. Let's move on, shall we? :sweat:
I, for one, have enjoyed the blog. This is probably one of the most comprehensive breakdowns of Animaniacs episodes we'll ever see. I respect the time and effort he puts into it. There's nice pieces of trivia thrown in for good measure. :thumbup: One may not always agree with his opinions for each episode, but it brings about interesting thought/discussion.
Yeah, let' cut the discussion about members of the board, please. It's one thing to talk about someone who's never been on the site, and another for someone who is a registered member.
Here's 86. (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/69390191653/just-the-same-old-heroine-episode-85) As a Rugrats fan, I find the opening to be brilliant, myself.
But yikes, "Jocahontas". Pocahontas will always be one of my lesser-favorite Disney movies, and I usually liked Earl Kress' writing (RIP), but this short never sat well with me.
"Wakko At the Bat" - The scene with Hello Nurse and Minerva Mink using their feminine wiles to distract 2 of the opposing team's players is kind of a brain fart. Not only are both characters nearly the same height in this short (which is weird), but the idea of a couple of humans lustily eyeballing an animal (albeit an anthropomorphic one) is just bizarre, even for Animaniacs.
Episode 87 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/70255733720/he-managed-to-fit-all-this-inside-a-little-potty)
Looking back, those Kids WB episodes really did take a nosedive in quality.
I makes me sad how the great Silver Age just petered out the way it did.
Episode 88 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/70857186486/a-twinkle-bun-is-a-twinkle-bun-is-a-twinkle-bun)
When the Hippos short seems like the better one of the episode, you know there's trouble.
89 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/71483852256/thats-a-dollar-everythings-a-dollar-episode-89), 90 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/71575944909/goo-take-me-to-my-money-episode-90), 91 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/71704452140/weve-suffered-enough-on-saturday-mornings-episode-91)
"Ten Shorts About Wakko Warner"'s a good one to my tastes.
Episode 92 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/72014980232/oy-macadamia-episode-92)
"Dot-the Macadamia Nut" is a classic. As far as I'm concerned, it's one of the best sequences in the show's history.
Actually, this is one of the later episodes which I remember in full rather well, and I do like it all.
Episode 93 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/72252723438/what-a-fabulously-cheap-cartoon-episode-93)
Koko's first (and rather short-lived) attempt at animating this series. They were signed on so late into the show (seriously, there's only a few episodes left) that it makes you wonder why WB bothered bringing them on board here.
"Acquaintances" isn't as neutral on the show as DG makes it out to sound. It's a full-on attack. As someone who's always found the show to be overrated, I like it a bit more than he does, but yikes, is it mean.
Now he's on 94. (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/72384646609/i-guess-he-hasnt-seen-our-act-episode-94) Dang he's on a roll.
He's running out of things to talk about, and it shows.
Quote from: Zac Bertschy's Sex Slave on January 06, 2014, 12:34:04 AM
He's running out of things to talk about, and it shows.
To be fair, the last few episodes of A! offer little in the way of discussion.
Episode 95 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/72621968947/what-if-we-just-start-singing-thats-bad-episode-95)
StarToons' last work on the show.
Edit: Episode 96 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/72992417550/say-do-ya-have-any-licorice-episode-96)
Episode 97 is now up. (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/73371748714/im-gonna-be-carsick-episode-97)
We're almost there.
Episode 98 (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/73482680356/id-like-to-thank-the-academy-jack-warner-and-joan)
Also, to quote DG (http://www.toonzone.net/forums/warner-bros-club/303064-my-new-animaniacs-blog-13.html#post4200541) on TZ:
QuoteI'm doing to Pinky and the Brain finale as well, and Wakko's Wish too, obviously.
(https://31.media.tumblr.com/54acbb1c824614e04764c4204be27475/tumblr_inline_mzh2loIBlL1rjm3a5.png)
Yikes, she's tiny here. The hell, Wang?
SQUIRREL AIN'T EVEN HIGH ENOUGH TO REACH HIS KNEE-CAP! I am trying to take some perspective views into the equation as well.
Quote from: Avaitor on January 16, 2014, 11:04:37 AMYikes, she's tiny here. The hell, Wang?
They're called "Wang" for a reason. :happytime:
It's the ending of our story. (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/74190072762/it-actually-doesnt-stink-episode-99)
This is the ending... The ending...
Oh wow. That sounds like a great final episode.
I'm excited to see him tackle "Star Warners" and Wakko's Wish, but I'm not looking forward to the blog's end. Although DG did mention that he's making a personal blog, which might make similar posts for other shows.
And now, "Star Warners". (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/74496102094/the-face-is-strong-in-this-one-star-warners)
Only one more blog post, and that's that, cat.
Well, it was an enjoyable ride while it lasted.
If he wants to archive his blog then he really needs to put it somewhere else. I still can't believe he used Tumblr of all places.
I'm really looking forward to what he has to say about Wakko's Wish. I do hope he considers doing another blog like this sometime later, cause he's really good at it.
Quote from: Cartoon X on January 25, 2014, 05:13:08 PM
I'm really looking forward to what he has to say about Wakko's Wish. I do hope he considers doing another blog like this sometime later, cause he's really good at it.
A blog as detailed as this one? Nah, not anymore, now that he's married. But he has expressed interest in doing similar posts to these in a personal blog he'll set up soon.
I'm not anticipating anything will come of that idea. I predict he'll make a couple of posts and then abandon it.
Wakko's Wish part 1 is up. (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/74656041675/even-my-nuts-are-frozen-wakkos-wish-part-1)
I'm surprised at the image quality in this post. Well done, brother-in-law of DG.
Part 2 is up. (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/74995106778/this-is-our-golden-opportunity-wakkos-wish-part-2)
Final part of
Wakko's Wish. (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/75116316148/just-cheer-up-and-never-ever-give-up-hope-wakkos)
He's not done yet, though!
QuoteUp next?one last post with my final thoughts on the series, as well as some worst and best lists. Keep reading!
I have to agree with DG, the scenes with Dot near the end never did much for me. The show had spent so many gags dedicated to mocking Disney, that to see it try to gain the same response as one of their movies would rubs me the wrong way.
The lists should be fun to see though!
The very last post of the blog. (http://legion1979.tumblr.com/post/75226952215/goodbye-nurse-the-final-wrap-up)
I have to LOL at him using the opportunity to once again complain about all those mean Internet haters who rag on poor Family Guy.
What a fun ride that was. Like Darth, I can't say that Animaniacs was a wholly consistent show by any means, but I still genuinely enjoy a lot of it. It's hard for me to pull out an episode from one of my DVDs and not crack up at least a couple of times, and his blogs helped to remind me of the show's highs and lows.
DarthGonzo has launched his new blog.
And it's about Disney this time. (http://disneymusings.tumblr.com)
This isn't going to get as many people's attention as his Animaniacs blog did, but I'm still enjoying it. While that made me want to pull out my Animaniacs DVDs and pick up the rest, this one has me feel the same for DuckTales.
I still need the second set, man.
Wakko's Wish is finally getting a DVD release.
Now if only the Tiny Toon specials would also come out.
The entire series is now on Netflix. (https://www.netflix.com/title/70266087)
Saw this just a bit ago. Awesome, now a lot more kids will get to see it!
The unthinkable has happened: It's getting rebooted. (http://www.indiewire.com/2017/05/animaniacs-reboot-steven-spielberg-amblin-1201817336)
Don't know want...
I doubt a new Animaniacs will work in an era where you can go anywhere to find topical jokes or people acting like smartasses. The mere idea of the Warner siblings making Trump quips fills me with dread.
That's a big reason why I don't think this will work. The animation and television industry have changed a lot in the past 20 years- seeing a cartoon meant for younger audiences make topical jokes was fresh, but seemingly everyone makes their own jokes about Trump, social media, the DCEU, etc.
It'll take a lot to bring that charm back.
Ugh, another reboot.
Just make a Freakazoid comic instead.
Stupendous news!! Hope they get as much of the original writers on board, since I know the main cast are already shoe-ins.
This was in the credits for the final episode:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FmXdQWpo.jpg&hash=1a08cd973e911708314b38e95ca13f5ffd996c87)
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fvignette2.wikia.nocookie.net%2Fsimpsons%2Fimages%2Fd%2Fd4%2FLisa%2527s_Nightmareopaw.jpg%2Frevision%2Flatest%3Fcb%3D20140926085025&hash=3d42b9c1a88680e94d802cb2edd18d3c81e19529)
I wish for an Animaniacs Reboot! Time to see what the Monkey's Paw has in store for us.
Quote from: Daxdiv on May 31, 2017, 08:05:32 AM
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fvignette2.wikia.nocookie.net%2Fsimpsons%2Fimages%2Fd%2Fd4%2FLisa%2527s_Nightmareopaw.jpg%2Frevision%2Flatest%3Fcb%3D20140926085025&hash=3d42b9c1a88680e94d802cb2edd18d3c81e19529)
I wish for an Animaniacs Reboot! Time to see what the Monkey's Paw has in store for us.
Given the state of the industry right now, it could be anything!
I am fully expecting the art style to look like it came out of CalArts, done in Toon Boom and maybe like 1 main animation studio like most of the stuff you see on TV.
The new show will stream on Hulu in 2020 (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/animaniacs-revived-at-hulu-2-season-order-1071663). Two seasons are already announced, and Pinky & the Brain will be a part of it.
They look good here so far, but this could just be old art added on.
I'm really excited! Animaniacs is my favorite show of the 90s.
I just hope that they add in new things to keep it fresh and awesome. That's what I love about the DuckTales Reboot. It's fresh, yet familiar. Not to mention it improved on some things like the characterization. Keep what made the original great, but also update it for a new audience. Also, I am glad Animaniacs is on a streaming service, since I am not sure if it would fly by on a network nowadays. I think streaming is the perfect place for Animaniacs.
Also, looks like Hulu grabbed the rights for Animaniacs from Netflix.
Glad the show is back, really wished Netflix had gotten it though. I don't want to have to add Hulu on top of Netflix. Oh well, DVDs of the new seasons should not take as long to come out. 90s Nostalgia Wave is picking up!
It looks like Hulu already has most of the Spielberg/Ruegger cartoons, barring Freakazoid! Even the Tiny Toon specials are included.
The only good to come out of this is finally having an excuse to give the old wb series a streaming home. Tiny Toons especially, a few of those specials never did make it DVD and I can't recall ever having seen the Spring Break one.
Animaniacs sucks, sorry. It's aged the least gracefully of any of these imo. Cool if it's your thing but I'm not a fan.
I was reading some of DarthGonzo's old Animaniacs blog posts when the announcement was made yesterday. It's a really inconsistent show, even at its prime first season, but I still think that there's a lot of good segments.
The show was never the same when it moved to Kids WB! and lost its best writers, though. Speaking of which, while it seems like the original voice actors are coming back, it's looking like none of the original writers are. This could be a good thing, as some of them could easily be stuck in the 90's, and fresh perspectives might be for the best. Or this could go in the way of PPG 2016. We'll see.
Who's doing the music now that Richard Stone is dead? Is Randy Rogel still the spark? He wrote the song at the beginning of 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure and it's very much not in form, but that WAS 15 years ago...
I don't know. Warner Bros. Animation has seen better days and everybody knows it, but if this is what it takes to put them back on the map...
At this point with how terrible just about every reboot has been over the last decade I'm going to wait to see anything before I get excited. For every DuckTales you have... every other one.
I'm still waiting to see what the Monkey's Paw has in store for us. C'mon, CalArts art style, I can see it happening!
I am very excited for this reboot! Animaniacs is one of my favorite shows of all time and I am excited to see what stuff they will parody.
I hope the reboot is at the very least good. I actually enjoy a lot of revivals of old properties this decade. Wabbit, The Tom and Jerry Show, Mickey Mouse (2013), DuckTales (2017), The Powerpuff Girls (2016), The Magic School Bus Rides Again, Samurai Jack Season 5, Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie, Teen Titans Go!, The Looney Tunes Show, and Wacky Races 2017 have all been enjoyable for me and I feel like some of them get a little too much hate (Especially Teen Titans Go!). Calm down people, it's just a cartoon. You know what's serious? Jobs, People, Health, and other stuff. Cartoons are a pastime. A hobby and nothing more than that. Yes, it's an art form, but still. Criticism is ok, but please don't obsess over hating it.
I just hope that they keep the educational and historical segments. Those were my favorite segments of the show. Animaniacs mixed entertainment and education really well. Up there with cartoons like Schoolhouse Rock, Stanley, JoJo's Circus, Blue's Clues, Arthur, The Magic School Bus, and others
Looking over the announcement, Spielberg is executive producing. The exec producer is the person who pays for everything. Since he's doing this with his company Amblin (along with WB Animation), this hopefully means that Spielberg will pay the staff plenty so they won't have a cheap animation style. Since we still have a couple years to wait and plenty of time for the animation team to work, I don't think we'll have to worry about the animation looking like CN's current crop of shows.
Do we know what the terms of the deal between WB and Amblin are? Because I'm curious. I know that on paper WB owns all the rights to TTA/A!/PATB/F! but they can't seem to do anything with them without Spielberg's involvement.
I actually got sick of Animaniacs...and Tiny Toons as a kid, but Pinky And The Brain has always been loved by me, once I think about it. I'll wait and see. I also want to see what they do with Wacko, Yakko and Dot.
Quote from: Nameless on January 06, 2018, 08:48:37 PM
Do we know what the terms of the deal between WB and Amblin are? Because I'm curious. I know that on paper WB owns all the rights to TTA/A!/PATB/F! but they can't seem to do anything with them without Spielberg's involvement.
That's a good question. Warner should technically own the characters lock, stock, and barrel, but yeah, they've only seemed to move forward when Spielberg is around.
I'm not surprised that he'd be interested in returning to the Warners, regardless. He's never been too far away from animation over the years, and if Ready Player One is any indication, he is not afraid to cash in on the nostalgia boom that has filled the market for the past decade or so. And since there still seems to be rights issues all around with Roger Rabbit (not to mention a lack of interest from most parties), it makes sense for him to return to his next most successful animated properties.
http://gregwhite.tumblr.com/post/174221283837/its-been-just-over-three-months-and-weve-already/amp?__twitter_impression=true
This is some very important news. If you enjoy Animaniacs, I encourage you to read this since it will give a clue about how the Animaniacs Reboot might be like
Mighty Magiswords creator Kyle A. Carrozza is working on the reboot (https://twitter.com/TVsKyle/status/1112813859453063169) as a storyboard artist.
The original voice cast is returning for the reboot. (https://geektyrant.com/news/the-original-animaniacs-voice-cast-is-returning-for-the-series-reboot)
Collider had a chat with Rob Paulsen (https://collider.com/rob-paulsen-voices-book-animaniacs-reboot) regarding the reboot.
It's arriving on Hulu this Fall.
Someone clued me in that Trey Parker is in the new Animaniacs. (https://www.palipost.com/executive-produced-by-palisadian-steven-spielberg-the-animaniacs-reboot-eyes-fall-2020-launch/) Expected that time he appeared in Despicable Me to be a one-off, but okay. Trey's stretching out and voice acting in kids' shows.
I forget, doesn't he have kids now? My guess is that he wants to do something they can watch if so.
So Terry Crews is going to voice Ralph now? Not sure if they're taking him in a new direction, or if Frank Welker is retiring from-non Scooby projects. The article also mentioned Rita, but no Runt.
I found a rumor saying the seven characters Trey's playing are ones Frank used to voice like Plotz, Buttons, Flavio, and Runt. It also said Katie Kaboom's coming back with her original actress, and Laura Mooney's been out of the acting game for 22 years so I don't completely believe them.
But if it is, it'll be surreal to hear everyone else sound like their old selves but then hear Randy come out of a character's mouth. At most, I would've thought Trey was up for a guest role instead of playing a quarter of the cast. And I haven't heard anything about Frank Welker slowing down or diminishing his workload. Not to mention how Nancy Cartwright will feel recording with Trey, given their opposing views on Xenu.
Yeah, I checked his Wiki and Imdb, and it looks like Welker is still fairly active. It might be possible that he can't hit the same notes required for characters like Ralph and Runt anymore, but it's still weird to see him MIA here.
But okay, I have been wondering about how much of the characters will be returning. For a while, it's been sounding like we would just be getting the Warners and Pinky & the Brain, which of course were the best, but a whole show of just them could easily get tiresome. Not every character needs to return- no one's hankering for more Katie Kaboom or the hippos- but I'd be highly disappointed if Slappy doesn't come back.
Granted, Slappy's shtick comes from the audience's familiarity with classic cartoon violence, which has been largely absent for this generation. I think that's the big reason why Tiny Toons doesn't have any plans to come back- with Bugs, Daffy and co not being nearly as prevalent as they once were, Buster and Plucky probably won't land as well with today's generation. Still, there are other directions to take Slappy in, and either way, it's still funny to see a character have an anvil fall on their head.
Yeah, Slappy's niche will have to be retooled. Not only are audiences familiar with a more different form of cartoon violence than back in the 90s, a grumpy former cartoon star brings to mind certain other characters these days, and the show's never been a stranger to parodying relatively recent pop culture. An Animaniacs take on Bojack will likely come off as either reactionary or shallow.
The reboot premieres November 20. (https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/animaniacs-reboot-steven-spielberg-premiere-date-hulu-1234728702)
Finally, a clip of the new show! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh_vASjvYQE)
So it's just the Warners, Pinky and the Brain, and Ralph in the reboot? I'm sure a surprise appearance might pop up, but if they actually had any decent screentime, they'd have popped up in the marketing by now. Because while some characters like Buttons or Katie Kaboom aren't any loss, I'm a little disappointed if Slappy doesn't show up, which seems to be the case since Tom Ruegger's son said none of the old writers were contacted to work on the new show, and Slappy's VA was one of the writers.
A part of me hopes they do the Ducktales route of waiting another season before going all out on older characters appearing, even if it is just a "Wink, wink, nudge, nudge" appearance. But the fact that it does appear to be the Warner Siblings and Pinky and the Brain is a bit concerning, but understanding since they were the most consistently funny shorts on the show. Shame about Slappy not appearing.
But with Ducktales, it kind of worked because they were more focused on an overarching narrative and introduced new characters of their own, while Animaniacs doesn't work that way. Or at least shouldn't. You need a wide variety of rotational characters because spending too much time on the Warners makes them annoying, and if you fall back on Pinky and the Brain too much, then you leave the audience asking why they didn't just bring back their show instead.
I understand wanting the new series to stand out on its own, but Sherri Stoner wasn't always a writer for Animaniacs- after a couple of seasons, she stuck to just voicing Slappy. Most of the rest of the original characters can stay stuck in the 90's- even the Goodfeathers, which were better than many, how many kids today will get the Scorsese references behind it? How many got them back then?- but if it's just the Warners and P&TB, that'll get old fast. Both series of shorts had already shown signs of wear after a while, already.
Found a tweet thread about the upcoming episodes, and the worries that every episode will just be Warners and P&TB became well-warranted. (https://twitter.com/AnimaniacsFanAc/status/1327345555492777987) Plus some political jokes that are already outdated even before the show can glimpse the light of day.
Quote from: Avaitor on November 15, 2020, 04:30:06 PM
Both series of shorts had already shown signs of wear after a while, already.
I'll admit I didn't like Pinky and the Brain as much when they got their own show. They certainly deserved a spin-off more than the other recurring segments, but they still worked better in 6 minute spots than a full series. You can only run the camera on these characters for so long before they grow stale or uncomfortable to watch. Same thing whenever an episode of Animaniacs spent too much time on one segment, like that time Slappy suffered from dementia and that consumed all the airtime. And as mixed as many of the other shorts were like the Hippos, Katie, or that fucking flame who narrated American history, you need them to give the show breathing space and a sense of variety.
I've seen the review of the revival/interview with Tom Ruegger making the rounds on Twitter today, so I'd thought to post a link here for posterity. (https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-features/animaniacs-hulu-revival-review-creator-interview-1088188/)
From the review side, I did see RS saying that the Pinky and the Brain segments were the better part, while the Warners are a bit hit or miss. As for the interview part with Rueggar, he does mention what he would have done differently, like have Slappy with an aged up Skippy, maybe not call the show Animaniacs if you're using 2 segments due to how the term "Animaniacs" is mostly an umbrella term for all the characters from the original.
Surprised/disappointed that Sherri Stoner never had many other voice roles outside of Slappy, her only other voice role happening over a decade later in another one of Ruegger's shows. (https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Sherri-Stoner/) I know she's a writer first and actor second, but she could've done both. She had the chops for it.
Found this show Tom Ruegger was working on a decade ago, that CN apparently loved and was about to greenlight before Register vetoed it. (http://cartoonatics.blogspot.com/search/label/Mixed%20Nutz) It's... something.
Watch episode 1 on Twitter! (https://twitter.com/TheAnimaniacs/status/1329605481795444738)
Eh, the first episode could have been worse. A lot of the jokes are too boomer-y for my taste, such as Brain finding out what memes are or the Warners singing about the nature of reboots, but I didn't hate it.
Then I watched more of the show, and it grows on you.
So far I've seen the first two episodes, and they've been pretty hit or miss to me.
Kind of like the original itself, right? I mean, yeah, but the animation is even more lifeless and jarring here than when they'd send the show over to Akom. That tends to be my biggest issue, but the writing rarely matches the high of the original show. There's a couple of good jokes throughout, but they do add some things that don't work on any level, like a Leroy Jenkins callout.
What I do like is the music. There are some nice original songs, and the score is terrific. I also like getting to hear the classic VAs again, even though some have aged better than others. Rob Paulsen's Yakko is a little off, but his Pinky is fine. Tress MacNeille can still do a good job with Dot, but you can tell that she can't really go as high as she used to, especially when she sings. No complains from Jess Harnell, Maurice LaMarche, or Frank Welker, though.
I'd say the show gets much better by the fifth episode and it's smooth sailing there, though the riffs on the political climate at the time of the show's writing are a little much. I get it. Tucker Carlson and Russia suck. The show doesn't need to remind me of that.
I finally got around to watching the whole first season, and it's not bad, although I don't think it has quite the same energy as the original series. I feel like it tries a little too hard to get the audience to laugh at its political and fourth wall breaking jokes, when neither were the original series' strong suits to begin with. The animation also comes off as mostly lifeless, especially on the human's side. The designs on the core characters are the perfect compromise between reverent to the original, and enough of their own thing to justify the show's place, but the characters move in weird shadow puppetry that just does not gel. But it can be funny, and the music is great. It's at its best when it lets the characters (the few we're allotted to see, anyway) be themselves.
But wow, Rob Paulsen just can't voice Yakko anymore, can he? It's like he can't find those high notes anymore, even though he can still do Pinky and Scratchnsniff just fine.
I didn't notice much off with Paulsen's performance. Just accounted most of it to age and his bout with cancer.
Yeah, I thought everyone sounded about the same from what I remembered.
I liked the show, but the Pinky & the Brain segments were so much stronger than the Warners' on average that I kinda wish it'd just be a P&B revival exclusively, especially since they got rid of the other characters that made the show what it was like Slappy and Rita & Runt anyway. Not to say the Warners segments were bad by any stretch, there was a lot I really liked, but the P&B's had more interesting and humorous plots, and even when I was enjoying the Warners stuff a part of me was just counting the minutes until they switched segments.
While I never found the animation lifeless - I think it's REALLY expressive and full of character, and the show looks more consistent than the old one by a mile - there was a sense of uncanniness I felt recognizing parts were they used puppeted animation versus traditional hand-drawn techniques, along with the obvious physical difference of the show now being drawn digitally versus pencil on paper creating a completely different aesthetic feel that also felt off. The show's human designs also veered into being more grotesque and caricatured, probably owing to the fact a lot of Spumco proteges worked on this show, and their designs didn't really feel like they meshed perfectly with the rounder and softer shapes and stylization that was used for characters in the old show. I think you can readily tell an old Animaniacs character from a new one pretty easily in a way that was sorta distracting, though I also don't think it's a big deal either. It's just... different.
Yeah, the animation was a little like if someone overused CGI instead of practical effects in a live-action film, or if someone used an air blower to make the leaves dance from a tree instead of using natural wind. Not to say the animation was bad, just uneven.
There was also too much talk-show humor for my liking. Despite the revival mocking Seth Meyers, it delves into that same level of surface-level political riffs and celebrity jokes that don't say anything everyone hasn't already said. I mean, I liked the Russia episode and found it pretty funny, but it's hard to disagree with some detractors that it's mostly a regurgitation of the same Putin jokes we've heard for years.
Yeah, the show didn't really bring anything new to the table in its topical episodes. The P&B ones about government surveillance, McCarthyism, and the election were great because those characters are primed to explore those topics considering Brain's megalomaniacal motivations, but the Warners have a habit of just messing with people just because so most attempts at satire using them feel kinda shallow because they don't ever feel like they genuinely represent or believe in anything. Plus the jokes and commentary themselves are pretty basic, like the point of the buns episode never amounting to much more than "guns are bad and we should follow Australia's example and get rid of them" which is fine but hardly an insightful take on the issue. I also didn't care for the Russia episode since it leaned so heavily into Cold War-era stereotypes of Russian people to feel irrelevant, and honestly kinda racist.
Quote from: LumRanmaYasha on January 01, 2021, 12:39:38 PMbut the Warners have a habit of just messing with people just because so most attempts at satire using them feel kinda shallow because they don't ever feel like they genuinely represent or believe in anything.
Pretty much. The Warners can be molded to say or do anything the writers want within their shorts, which makes them useful when you want to do whatever, but weak when you want to make a genuine point with them. Watching them talk about gun control or Dot singing about voting rights has the same hollow pathos as watching Alvin and the Chipmunks tell you drugs are bad.
Third season greenlit. (https://twitter.com/TheAnimaniacs/status/1365043897882312711)
Hopefully they deliver on adding back more classic characters to the show,
honestly think this incarnation of the show is rather poor despite the positive reception it received, but I do think much of the reason is lack of variety. The original show suffered from some of its variety being weak(Hip Hippos etc), but this version gets old just having the Warner siblings and PATB. Needs some of the stronger supporting characters , like Slappy etc.
I can't remember the exact interview, but I think one of them implied that because Ruegger wasn't hired back, Sherri Stoner wasn't interested in returning either, resulting in no Slappy. And I guess the new producers didn't care about any of the other characters. They couldn't even bring back the Goodfeathers even when a brand new Scorsese mafia movie had just come out they could've parodied, and even if they do now, they'll have to recast Pesto. And that wouldn't be bad on its own, but then the reboot has no faith in its new characters to give them more than minor bit parts, like the one about the gnome and that one with the little girl. If they were short on good enough rotational characters, maybe they should have cannibalized Freakazoid or some of the Tiny Toons and brought them back to lead their own skits.
I do like the idea of bringing back Freakazoid and Tiny Toons characters. Especially because I have a sinking feeling that the new Tiny Toons show may be just Buster and Babs...
Wondering if maybe they aren't able to use the Tiny Toon characters, since Animaniacs is being produced for Hulu and the new Tiny Toons is CN/HBO Max. Was hoping for more cameos than the one in the song Dot sang.
And I'm kind of dreading the new Tiny Toons show, was my favorite of the old Ruegger shows but they really seem like they are cheaping out on it.
I'm pretty curious what exactly happened between Ruegger and WB that he has no input in these shows, or why he hasn't had a successful show in the last 20 years. He has BTAS, Animaniacs, and Tiny Toons in his resume, and his latest credits have been a forgotten Seven Dwarfs show and a Pac-Man thing?
All I know is he wasn't even contacted about the new show, and didn't find out about it until the WB press release.
Yeah, I assumed some bad blood happened if they didn't tell him earlier, let alone offer him a producer gig on the new show.
Looking back, it was a bad idea to release all the new episodes in one batch instead of weekly. Not just because now there's a longer wait time for Animaniacs fans in between seasons (or halves of seasons? I've heard conflicting stories), but the show is difficult on binges. When watching multiple episodes of show at once instead of one a day or a week, you notice how many times they reuse the same jokes with little difference. (https://youtu.be/_EuCOhT0Bg8) The biggest fault with many of Ruegger's shows is that for many characters, the running gag is all they have. It was already a well-established problem with Katie Kaboom or Mindy & Buttons, but binging magnifies the flaw onto every skit with a few exceptions. And when anyone can watch these shows at any time instead of relying on a Kids WB schedule, these faults stand out more.
I've honestly always had that problem with the original Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain, has always been a tough binge show for me. When I bought the first DVD sets like 15 years ago(Christ) I noticed how difficult it was to sit through numerous episodes of each show at once.
Yeah, most of the recurring segments are too heavy on running gags and Mad Libs-ing all their jokes, it's rigidly formulaic. I know Tiny Toons is rougher around the edges, but at least it had more flexibility. Even your average Elmyra skit had more variety than Goodfeathers.
Season 2 is coming November 5.
Here's the trailer. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FNsVn53iOM)
Season 2 is up now. (https://www.hulu.com/series/animaniacs-b072680d-5485-4adf-87ac-4805c0e96bee)
Watched a few episodes. Unfortunately, I think the new car smell of getting fresh Animaniacs episodes for the first time in over 20 years lost its luster here. They weren't very funny, and it's even more obvious the scripts were written years ago. The My Super Sweet 16, Banksy, and Fortnite jokes were especially dated. And the political humor, already dated a year ago, is necrotic.
I also noticed Nancy Cartwright and Frank Welker were in an episode's credits together, and I wished they were playing Buttons and Mindy again for a skit. The Warners/P&TB/Warners episode formula is so tired it led me to miss fucking Buttons and Mindy.
Season 3 of the reboot is confirmed to be the final season (https://twitter.com/TheAnimaniacs/status/1601636415598518272)
Well, that didn't last long.
How much of this was Zaslav, how much was the show being unsuitable to the "dump a bunch of episodes about once a year" model, and how much was the show's already discussed flaws?
And please no "Yes" answer.
Still trying to find people that worked on it talking about how it's the end. Not sure how much Zaslav had to do with this, I know he tried to make TBS talk to Disney/Fox about cancelling/getting out of the contract responsible for the new American Dad episodes. Cause I would have figured that since Hulu streams the show, that they would be responsible for wanting more episodes made or not. Though like with the aforementioned American Dad thing & how even Craig of the Creek had it's episode order cut short, I can see Zaslav going "Stop production on this" due to thinking it would save money.
I'm not a big fan of the "Drop everything all at once" approach, since I don't think I remember anyone talking about Season 2 when it did drop, so I do sometimes feel that the "dump all of the season's episodes when ready" model does hurt it. Especially with how Animaniacs in general wasn't meant to be binged all at once & even after trying to watch the new series, I had to take a break or 2 after a few episodes because of that factor. You would have thought that something made today would be more streamer friendly compared to a show in the 90s where I don't even think that people would have seen things like streaming/complete box sets for TV shows.
Without the side characters to balance things out, it has to be hard to binge the show. The Warners and Pinky and the Brain's formulas can get pretty thin pretty fast.
Although I wonder if the show ending was also Disney/Hulu's idea, to get as much of their rival's content out as possible. While Zaslav has seemed to embrace earning revenue from as many factions as possible, Chapek was gung-ho on streaming being it, and it does appear that Disney is ready to merge Hulu into their adult-friendly section of Disney+.
I don't know. Zaslav recently tried to play hardball with Netflix over Sandman. So there's probably some wrangling going on from his end.
Also saw a guy try to push #RenewAnimaniacs as a hashtag, and I sympathize, but it's not like this show has loose plot threads or anything that narratively gets lost if it ends this season. Besides, if you count both this and the old show, Animaniacs has 8 seasons. Just rewatch that.
Too bad it took until the last episode to do it.