Animaniaci

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.

I finally caught up on all 13 episodes of this reboot and it's.... alright. The show starts out kind of weak but it progressively gets better. Warners and PATB are just really fun characters to watch. It can also be pretty funny at times and the songs are pretty decent. I don't mind the political stuff, I think people are just overreacting especially when the original had political jokes in it and made fun of famous figures. Animation is also really good. Overall I recommend it.

This series is at its best when it the irreverent, satirical, absurd comedy is getting shoved down your throat. This series is at its worst when it decides to instead shove its political opinions down your throat. I know I don't like Trump, I don't need cartoon characters telling me to not like him! It's stupid that they expect me to take a cartoon character's political opinion seriously...come on.

This show is honestly really funny though.

Recently, director Christopher Columbus complained about Disney's plans to remake HOME ALONE. He pointed out that when something has staying power, you cannot recapture that lightning in a bottle, no matter how much money you throw at it. That's kind of the way I feel about this reboot. While it often imitates the style of the original cult series, everything feels so much safer-- and dare I say it, a little more mean-spirited.

Good things first: the Pinky and the Brain segments are amazing. They understand these characters and what made the original shorts so funny without saturating themselves in nostalgia. Also the animation is pretty good on the whole as is the orchestrated music in the style of the old Looney Tunes cartoons.

Unfortunately, the rest of the show doesn't live up to the old one. Firstly, there's something off about this presentation of the Warner siblings. They seem to be going for a more "the 21st century is so insane that the Warners are the sane ones now" approach, which doesn't really work. These characters as originally presented were essentially the Marx Brothers filtered through classic cartoon logic: they spread anarchic madness wherever they went, to both the innocent and the not-so-innocent. The Variety review of the reboot is on point when it says that the Warners were agents of madness driving an uptight world insane, not "snarky pundits commenting on its flaws." To be fair, the Warners shorts do have good jokes and flashes of the old style-- it's not a total failure, but the smug attitude gets old fast, especially when they make the same jokes about being sellouts to Hulu.

But the bigger problem is the lack of other characters beyond the Warners and the mice. I once read that ANIMANIACS was in a way THE MUPPET SHOW of its generation: a variety show that appealed to adults and kids with its vaudevillian sense of humor and willingness to take creative risks. The original series featured several reoccurring characters, ranging from the cartoony to the more dramatic. Not all of them stuck or worked, but the variety made the show interesting to watch. There was a willingness to play around that the reboot lacks-- making all the show's self-aware jokes about the creative bankruptcy of reboots hit a little more sourly.

I seem to be in the minority, but that's fine. There is a lot to enjoy, but it doesn't work for me. Personally, I think the most successful modern reboot is still DUCKTALES 2017, which remembers what made the original series good while updating it in ways that add to its charms.

'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.