Animanía

This is my third attempt at writing a review for this title, I am not so sure why IMDb rejected the previous two, but here we are with my third try at leaving a comment.

Anyway, Animaniacs was one of my favorite shows growing up and still remains a favorite of mine now as an adult. I was skeptical a revival could work because the original is too much of a product of the 1990's - back then the internet was nowhere as complex of a system as it is today, there was actually such a thing as Saturday morning cartoons, and western animation itself didn't venture out as much to appeal to strictly adult audiences as they do so now so a lot of animation writers had to work around censorship. There were no streaming services, if you wanted to watch an episode of television you had to make you were there on time when it aired, you could only tape programs instead of DVR. Cable networks such as HBO and Showtime were known mostly for showing movies and would not become known for having daring and critically acclaimed original programming. Blockbuster season at the movies generally occurred in the summer time and occasionally in the winter but not all year round as they would like to have you believe these days, either. It was a pretty different time, and other attempts at revivals of 90's favorites haven't always gone over too well. Coupled with the fact that the majority of the original writing staff of Animaniacs didn't return I had serious skepticism about this. Having seen the first season on Hulu my feelings are that it is largely a mixed bag.

On the one hand it does seem like they ae really trying to keep the spirit of the original strong despite it being the 2020's, and you have the original voice artists back which is a plus. The animation is a bit clunky in areas but not awful - it could look worse. Some of the writing is clever and funny, but on the other hand the series misses much of its original cast of characters, a lot of the satire feels overdone in parts without much to any subtlety whatsoever, and the political satire feels much too one-sided for comfort.

Could have been great, could have been worse.

Upon hearing the news that one of my childhood animated shows was going to be rebooted. I was excited and anxiously awaited it's return only to be let down and disappointed by it's neutered and emasculated storylines and the absence of some of its funniest characters. What gave the original series is comedic flare and variety is now lost. Hopefully the second season will be better.

'Animaniacs' is one of my favourite animated shows, loved it when younger but love it even more so due to understanding the references and humour more. Likewise with 'Pinky and the Brain' (don't like its spin off very much at all though), due to absolutely loving Brain as a character. Although 'Tiny Toon Adventures' is not related to this really characters-wise, that was a show that was brilliant at its best though 'Animaniacs' and 'Pinky and the Brain' were a lot more consistent.

Expectations were mixed for this 'Animaniacs' reboot. Part of me was fascinated, being a fan of animation for goodness knows how long and some reboots have been better than expected. Also was interested with how far the humour had come on and how the Warners would fare in a more contemporary setting. Having said that, the point of it was questioned. Part of me was questioning, is this even needed and was worried about how lacking in new ideas animation has become. The 'Animaniacs' reboot was actually better than expected. When it hits, it does so incredibly well. It is though a very uneven show and when it is not so good it's disappointing.

Shall start with the good things and they are many. The animation is bright and beautifully detailed with some suitably wild expressions in faces, eyes and body language, despite preferring the bolder and more traditional look. The music fits well and while it may not enhance the action it adds to it in a way that's appealing and accessible. The theme tune is hip and catchy. The voice acting, done by some of the best and most prolific voice actors in the business now and ever, is impeccable. It was a masterstroke bringing the voice actors back and the right thing to do. Cannot for instance imagine Brain being voiced by somebody other than Maurice La Marche.

Do agree with everybody that has said that the Pinky and the Brain segments are amazing, true in spirit to the segments in the original in atmosphere and writing and the two characters were clearly written by writers that understood the characters and loved them. Brain alone is worth seeing the show for. Enough of the writing is funny, smart and witty, there is a liveliness to the pace, and mostly the target audience is not a problem (some of the references are adult-oriented).

The humour though is inconsistent. Too many instances where it is too smug and tame. There are also too many political references that are very heavy-handed, repetitive and add nothing, the show also forgets the target audience with these references as younger viewers are very likely to not understand them. Yes there is political humour in the original too, but it was clever witty humour that wasn't beat around the head.

Furthermore, the storylines do lack variety and the energy could have been more consistent, especially in the Warners segments. The supporting characters are too few and are fairly forgettable. Also inconsistently written are the Warners, the writers don't understand them as much as Pinky and the Brain and their writing isn't as affectionate or witty. Sometimes they are suitably absurd and then at other times their writing is too safe.

Overall, not as pointless as feared but uneven. 6/10.

Hi readers. I know it has been 8 months since I have posted a review. I told you I was not going to review in IMDB that much. But here I am planning to post a review once or twice a month.

This review will be on the; Animaniacs 2020 reboot. I always wanted to make a review on it; and this reboot is really great. Probably not as good as the original, which I have seen which I think was a hilarious blast. But this reboot is still really awesome maniacs.

Let's look at the animation first. It's good and fluid with the animation, like how the Warner siblings are still cartoony. But if I have a nitpick, it's that I'm not really a fan of the human designs in the show. They're not the worst, but I still dislike them.

The stories are still enjoyable and fun. In the reviews, I have heard a lot of people criticize how political the show is. While some of it might be too forced. I think it still doesn't ruin how the Animaniacs reboot is still zany to the max.

Now let's look at the characters. The Warner siblings; Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are still fun and chaotic like from the original. Pinky and the Brain also return in the reboot. While still being a fun duo trying to take over the world. It was disappointing that other characters from the original haven't returned yet; like Slappy Squirrel. They might come soon in season 2.

The characters that meet the Warner siblings, and Pinky and the Brain are a mixed bag though. With some of them being fun, while others are not. The short with the alien and girl were cute, but the one with the gnome...ugh.

So my overall thoughts on the Animaniacs reboot are that the animation is good. The storylines are still fun and enjoyable. The returning characters were great as themselves. But there are still flaws like what I mentioned in my review. I would give the Animaniacs reboot a 8/10.

I grew with the original Animaniacs. I must've been 7 years old when it came out and I was hooked on it!

No need to mention that I was looking forward to the reboot to relive those memories.

The new series does an alright job getting the 34-year-old kid inside me back in the series, but not "great."

There are good gags, the music is amazing, the HD quality is looking slick (although needs some getting used to, especially if you've just binge-watched the original series,) the intro-song gags are fun and pretty clever but maybe too overthought (e.g. "Animany, totally-insany, don't-need-to-mansplany, Animaniacs.)

However, the animation is not as extravagant and over-the-top funny as the original. It really feels like there is a brand new (too young) team of animators that are not that familiar with the original and rushed into making the new series.

I really miss some of the old characters and recurring sketches, like Slappy and Skippy Squirrel, Mime Time, Mindy and Button, Rita and Runt, the Goodfeathers, The Wheel of Morality, etc.

At the same time, it felt to me a bit desperate in certain episodes to dive into Asian types of animation, such as Japanese anime and K-pop. Really hard to understand, even if the series is trying to recruit new audiences.

The self-mocking jokes on their reboot were pretty funny in the beginning, but as they recur more often, they start to wear off quickly.

This said, I still had plenty of laughs and chuckles throughout the season and looking forward to the second season coming out.