Animaniacs

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FOX (ended 1998)
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Show Summary

  • Ended
Warner Bros. follow-up to Tiny Toon Adventures was a show even nuttier than its predecessor. It originally ran every weekday afternoon and Saturday mornings on Fox for the first season, then moved to Saturday mornings on the (new at the time) WB permanently for the remaining seasons. The two Warner Brothers, talky Yakko and Liverpool-accented Wakko, and their Warner Sister, Dot ("I'm cute") had supposedly been created in the 1930s, but their cartoons were too screwball for the general public. The three Warners (all black with long ears, but no distinguishable species or breed) were locked up in the studio water tower until they escaped in the early 1990s. Yakko, Wakko, and Dot ran wild around the lot, pursued by studio CEO, Thaddeus Plotz, security guard, Ralph, studio psychiatrist, Dr. Scratchinsniff, and Scratchinsniff's buxom assistant, Hello Nurse (who didn't really have to do much pursuing, if you know what I mean. "Hellooooooo, Nurse!"). The show spat out pop culture references and throwaway visual gags with machine-gun rapidity, entertaining kids and adults alike. Also popular were the many songs and song parodies that graced the program. Various shorts rotated through the program, and characters often popped up randomly in other characters' segments. Among the supporting featurettes: "Pinky and the Brain" were a duo of lab rats, one goofy (Pinky), one bent on taking over the world (Brain). The Brain's best-laid plans always went astray, but he kept trying with Wile E. Coyote-like persistence. This was the most popular of the supporting segments, later spinning off into its own series. "Slappy Squirrel" was an aged cartoon star with a cranky temperament, plenty of anvils and dynamite, and a nephew named Skippy. "Mindy and Buttons" were a baby and dog, respectively. Cute, but mischievous, Mindy perpetually escaped from some sort of baby harness, playpen, etc., forcing Buttons to rescue her, sacrificing his own body in the process. "Goodfeathers" parodied mob movies with a trio of pigeons. And, yes, there was a Godpigeon. "Good Idea/Bad Idea" was an informative segment starring Mr. Skullhead ("Good Idea: smell the roses. Bad Idea: grab the roses.") "Chicken Boo" was a chicken who masqueraded as a human Santa Claus, sheriff, prom date, etc., but was always discovered at episode's end. "Rita and Runt" were a singing cat and dog team searching for a good home (and food). "Mime Time" showed a hapless mime practicing his art, which inevitably led to some painful physical consequences. "The Hip Hippos" were husband and wife Flavio and Marita, always concerned about being fat. "Minerva Mink" was a spoiled, but beautiful mink model who made male characters faint in about every episode. "Katie Ka-Boom" was a moody teen who exploded (literally) when things didn't go her way. Colin told stories about his friend Randy Beaman and his family. The show ran five seasons of original episodes, then reappeared as part of The Cat & Birdy Warneroonie Pinky Brainy Big Cartoonie Show.They're zany to the max!moreless
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Episode Guide

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S 5 :  Ep 28 Aired 12/14/99
S 5 :  Ep 27 Aired 11/14/98
S 5 :  Ep 26 Aired 5/25/98
S 5 :  Ep 25 Aired 5/25/98
S 5 :  Ep 24 Aired 5/25/98

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Fan Reviews (138)

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  • Perfect for kids!

    10
    "Perfect"
    By T_VFan, May 01, 2012
    Your kids will have a blast going on adventures with this bunch! These characters are very well played and hard to keep up because they're so lively. The graphics were really good for the 90's.

  • I remember this.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Garfieldlover1, Nov 01, 2011
    This show is about three cats who go on adventures with people, and they do smart stuff like go teach us some stuff or anything, like the short when one of the cats taught us the names of the states. This is the coolest show I've ever seen in my entire life!

  • Perfect

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Southparkfa, Oct 04, 2011
    I love this show so much. It's about 3 animal (mouse or rat) siblings and their wacky adventures. To me this is as good as Rocko or Spongebob, or any of the best cartoons often mentioned. It uses all the normally mentioned cartoon antics (extremely crude violence, silly humor, loveable characters) and makes them seem new all over again. The show was also very original with it's plots, and so it was easy for it to not go stale. This show is definitly one of the biggest enjoyments of my young childhood, and I reccomend it to you. 10/10 A+moreless

  • This is what a cartoon should be like, have humor for all ages, have awesome characters, and be well written

    10
    "Perfect"
    By That_TV_Dude, Oct 04, 2011
    What is there to say about Animaniacs that hasn't already been already said? Nothing at all. In short, everything in this show is perfect, the characters, the humor, and the plots. The show is about Wacko, Dot, and Yakko, three Warner Brothers creations that were sealed away after being dubbed failures but escape. All three of them get into trouble at the Warner Studio and make life hectic for those who try to catch them. Yakko is the one who makes plenty of smart remarks to everyone. Wacko is a glutton and makes plenty of crude humor. Dot is the female and the one who flirts with men and is funny as well. All three of them have their own style of humor that is combined and executed perfectly. The stories with the Warner Bros and the sister are usually unique and revolve around the studio and driving everyone insane, but sometimes there are episodes that are satires like Star Trek and are well done. There are also other characters in the show who have their own funny segments. Slappy Squirrel and Skippy's episodes contain plenty of slapstick humor. Rita and Runt is about a cat and a dog who has no idea Rita's a cat who look for a new home and is a musical segment and combines humor and music together that is done very well. The three pigeons. can't remember names sorry, feels like watching the Three Stooges and is as funny as every other segment. Then there is Good Idea and Bad Idea witch has normal ideas that could work and exaggerated ones that don't. I could go on, but there are so many segments that I would probably be writing this review for a good hour. The humor itself may at first be for kids, but there are also adult jokes that are hidden well and some caught me by surprise when I saw this show again, so it appeals to kids and adults. The artwork and animation is perfectly well done and the characters are drawn with different and creative styles. There are really no other words to describe this show and I could go on for hours. The bottom line is, Animaniacs is truly a show that must be seen. The plots are original, the characters are funny and unique, and the humor appeals to everyone. I highly recommend this show for everyone, so go to a movie store and get the DVD season sets, or go to the internet and find episodes online. It's a masterpiece that must be seen by everyone and is a golden cartoon.moreless

  • One of the main reasons cartoon shows were so great in the 90's.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By CartoonKing50, May 05, 2011
    "Animaniacs" is an animated variety show that succeded in doing what it's predecessor "Tiny Toon Adventures" tried to do. Bring back the style of the classic Looney Tunes shorts from the 1930's, 40's, 50's, and 60's. It premiered in 1993 on Fox as part of their Fox Kids line-up (wich doesn't exist nowadays). But in 1995 when Warner Bros. launched their own network (The WB) "Animaniacs" aired on their Kids WB! line-up (wich like Fox Kids sadly no longer exists). "Animaniacs" was just amazing. It was not only a funny kids show, but it was enjoyable for adults too. To this day, this show makes me laugh so hard that I can hardly breathe. The Warner siblings Yakko, Wakko, and Dot always have some kind of hilarious, witty comeback to anything someone else has to say. This show was full of adult innuendo, and pop-culture references, along with old-fashioned slapstick, and the classic wit of the Looney Tunes shorts. The Warner Siblings were the funniest cartoon characters since Bugs Bunny, and Daffy Duck. The show ran until 1998, ending with 99 episodes, 5 seasons, and in 1999 they released a direct-to-video movie titled "Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish". This show was always funny, and clever. And the back-up segments like Pinky and the Brain (wich got it's own spin-off show), The Goodfeathers, and Slappy Squirrel were funny as well, but the Warners were the best. I don't see how anyone couldn't enjoy this show, anyone who hates it clearly has no sense of humor. Everyone should watch it. Oh, I almost forgot to mention, they did start to release this show on DVD, but sadly they stopped after only a few volumes, and never released the whole show. I say people who like "The Ren & Stimpy Show", "The Simpsons", "Rocko's Modern Life", "SpongeBob SquarePants", and classic cartoons like "Looney Tunes", "Tom & Jerry", "Popeye", "Droopy" and "Mickey Mouse" will most likely love this show. Not only is "Animaniacs" one of the best 90's cartoons, but it could possibly be the greatest cartoon of all time.

    Rating: 100% "Amazing"

    -Cartoon Kingmoreless
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Animation, Comedy, Drama, Kids

Themes

celebrity impersonations, childlike sense of wonder, essence of youth, for the child in you, for the nostalgic

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