After 22 years, The Warner Siblings, along with Pinky & The Brain, have returned with the original cast but new contracts.
The Animaniacs was a beloved cartoon series from the 90s that won the hearts of many people, including myself, with its witty and risky humor, hilarious slapstick, 4th wall jokes and a large ensemble of characters. They were so popular that many of their characters ended up getting their own individual spin off shows that were also beloved by many.
They were created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Steven Spielberg, who has partnered with Hulu to bring us this revival. Spielberg insisted on maintaining most of the elements of the original show, including the original voice cast that made the show so beloved in the first place. The Warner Siblings: Yakko (Rob Paulsen), Wakko (Jess Harnell), and Dot (Tress MacNeille) are all reprised by their original voice cast along with Pinky (Rob Paulsen) and The Brain (Maurice LaMarche).
I truly couldn’t believe this was actually happening and I was so excited yet also worried about how this revival was going to turn out due to the current climate, changes in technology, and the hit/miss ratios of most reboots or revivals. I’m happy to say this was a serious hit. The Animaniacs are back in top form with a lot of major updates.
The voice cast is back and as perfect as they were in the 90s. While they sound noticeably older, they still bring the zanyness and hilarity that they did before, and were able to flesh out the characters much more than they did before. There are also some new characters, voices and fun cameos that debut in the series, including Honest Trailers’s Jon Bailey who plays as a hilarious Pegasus.
Just like in previous seasons the show revolves around various skits. Most of them are with the Warner siblings and Pinky & the Brain, who are still trying to take over the world. The jokes are fantastically delivered, having the feeling of the old seasons mixed with the modern. Some running gags have been dropped but there are still others present that you may remember.
But the best part is that they still have risky and adult jokes present, which I was initially afraid they wouldn’t do. They have jokes that target certain political groups, political figures, celebrities, internet trolls, memes, demographics, focus groups, popular movies and shows, reboots (even their own), modern technology, expanses of the internet, trends, world issues and even other Warner Bros franchises. If there is anything they can make a joke of they sure will do it. Some of the jokes they even do immediately in the introduction and in their songs (which are also back) and they are just so damn smart and well thought of.
I guarantee some of these jokes will definitely go over people’s heads, including the adult jokes. They really slide some good ones in there that had my jaw drop a few times, but I absolutely loved it. And even when there is a super corny joke they always make it work somehow, which is the beauty of the show and its writing. And of course the good old 4th wall humor is still present and done really well.
The animation is absolutely fantastic for both the characters and the entire series. Redesigns of old animated characters are always risky, however in the case of the Animaniacs they all have been completely redesigned and yet look exactly the same as they did before, with more fleshed out looks and movements. With how far animation has come since the 90s it will was truly wonderful to see the show get a modern update that doesn’t take away anything from the original series. They even get to experiment with other types of animation through the episodes, sometimes purely for visual gags like when the Warner Siblings turn into anime fighters. Everything feels so unrestricted, which adds so much more to the looks and the humor in each episode.
The songs are fun, funny and great to listen to, and the music is classic yet with modern instruments, allowing the world of the Animaniacs to be more alive than before.
I had an absolute blast with this revival and I love how even after 22 years it still manages to capture what made the previous seasons so fantastic, without fully relying on nostalgia. And with how crazy this year is, this is definitely the show that needs to be seen to brighten everyone’s day. And much like how Agent Coulson said in the first Avengers film, “With everything that’s happening and the things that are about to come to light, people might just need a little old-fashioned.. I’m going to give The Animaniacs Revival Season an A+.