Welcome to Crass Cartoons. Today is one of my favorite cartoons ever: The Animaniacs. Great animation, fantastic writing, and some of the best cartoon songs ever put together. Let’s take a look back.
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs (the actual title of the show) ran on Fox (and later The WB) between 1993 and 1998. It was produced by Amblin Entertainment in cooperation with Warner Brothers Television. The show was created by Tim Ruegger (Snorks, Pinky and the Brain) with Spielburg as the executive producer. There were 99 episodes of the show and it spun off Pinky and the Brain another popular Ruegger project.
The show followed the adventures of the Warner Brothers Yakko, Wakko, and their sister Dot. The main characters have a classic cartoon look and many of the plot lines were homages to earlier Warner Brothers characters and shows. Yakko is the ring leader character and was voiced by Rob Paulsen, who also does the voice of Pinky. Wakko (voiced by Jess Harnell) is a mirthful troublemaker who has a Beatlesesque accent. Dot is the baby. Voiced by legendary Tress MacNeille (The Simpsons and Futurama) she often tells inappropriate jokes and causes trouble for those who are fooled by her innocent appearance.
The show was organized into smaller episodes within each show. These short story lines had a number of different characters including Pinky and The Brain, Slappy Squirrel, and the Good Feathers. Here’s a clip of Buttons and Mindy, a sweet series that has a really classic Warner Brothers look.
The Animaniacs had that successful combination of jokes for both kids and adults. The sharp writing is really what made this show stand out and it was clearly put together by people who really had a passion for cartoons. Here are a couple of great clips, feel free to add your favorites in the comments.
Here is a cool Pinky and the Brain based on Disney’s Fantasia.
Here’s Rita and the Runt giving us their take on history.
In this one Yakko explains it all.
