Pinky & the Brain

[Silverstar]

What exactly is meant by "Narf", anyway?

"Narf" was apparently something animation director Eddie Fitzgerald (whom Pinky was largely modeled after) liked to say that was incorporated into the character.

Eh, I liked the mice well enough on Animaniacs, but I never thought they needed their own show. When placed front and center, the limitations and repetition of the "try to take over the world" premise became all too obvious. After the network began meddling with the show and trying to turn it into the next Simpsons, it just got worse. Slappy was the one who deserved the spinoff, IMHO.

As for Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain, I couldn't stand to watch more than a few minutes of that when it was on TV, so I don't see myself buying a DVD of it. There's only so much I can take of Elmyra being her usual annoying self.

[gunswordfist]

IMO, 20x better than Animaniacs. There, I said.

Better characters (I'm sorry, but Pinky and The Brain are just far more likeable to me than the Warner siblings ever were; even a megalomaniac like Brain shows that he has a heart), better writing, didn't go the whole "Cast of Thousands" route that A! went (with entire episodes centering around forgettable burnouts like Minerva Mink and the Hip Hippos)... and unlike A!, there was never a steep decline in quality towards the end of its run. The late-run adventures of Pinky & The Brain are just as much fun as the early ones.

Just a better show all around, and one of the few instances in television history that the student (spin-off) surpasses the master (original). Don't get me wrong, I like Animaniacs... but for me, this was the superior series.

This...well except Animaniacs bores me.

[Avaitor]

For a show with such a predictable storyline, P&TB got a lot of mileage out of its run.

I don't think I'm going to end up being one of those people who will gravitate more to P&TB than Animaniacs though, although it's hard to argue that P&TB was stronger by the end of its run. Animaniacs has a lot of filler, but I'll always love the show when it's really good, and I even like the Warners when they aren't massive dicks. Still, I get why a lot of people prefer Brain and Pinky on their own show.

[GregX]

Yep.

Seriously?!

Well, Disney is finally finishing off some of their Disney Afternoon shows on DVD, so stranger things have happened. I love Pinky and the Brain, but the chances of me buying this are about the same as the chances of me buying "The Goliath Chronicles".

[Avaitor]

Hey Darth, random question, but is "Tokyo Grows" one of your favorite episodes of the show?

Because it's certainly one of mine! You can't top the Raymond Burr appearances.

[LumRanmaYasha]

Because it's certainly one of mine! You can't top the Raymond Burr appearances.

Yes. Yes, I see.

[Spark Of Spirit]

About a month back I saw some videos of Maurice Lamarche and Rob Paulsen voicing the characters in real life then watched some episodes with one of my friends. You know, the show holds up great.

But why is it that this formula works for me where Scooby Doo's doesn't?

I think it might be that P&TB's whole enjoyment comes from what wacky plan Brain will come up with and how it will fall apart. We want to see what he'll do, but we also want him to fail both due to his hubris and that we want to see them try again.

Scooby Doo is played as a mystery where literally every solution is pulled out of thin air with usually a pretty obvious answer. The reason I like a few of the movies (Zombie Island and such), Pup, and Mystery Incorporated, is that they either go all out with the comedy, actually use the mystery elements, or turn the stale old formula on its head. Scooby Doo is not the best HB show or franchise, but at least it has had some good entries in the franchise.

It's too bad WB and Spielberg have to sign off on everything regarding the Silver Age stuff, but I really wish they would. Tiny Toons, A!, P&TB, Freakazoid, and others, really do deserve a new chance at popularity. The Jonny Quest and Darkwing Duck comics make me think one for Freakazoid would be perfect.