About

Animanics is an American animated series created by Tom Ruegger, produced by Steven Spielberg and by Amblin TV and Warner Bros.^[1] The series is a variety show and features an ensemble cast, most notably Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, a fictional (that is to say, created specifically for Animaniacs) trio of cartoon characters ostensibly created in the 1930s and since imprisoned and removed from Warner Bros. canon for being too out-of-control. Other characters/segments include Rita and Runt (the former of whom was voiced by Bernadette Peters), Slappy The Squirrel (based on actual vintage cartoon character Screwy Squirrel), Pinky and the Brain (whose series later became a spin-off show of its own) and more. The series is known for its very intelligent and culturally-topical writing featuring numerous references and homages to famous films, celebrities, etc. as well as a surprising number of subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) adult-oriented jokes/innuendos.

History

Before reaching the air, Animaniacs went under several revisions with Spielberg having the final say on which characters and designs would make the final product. For example, the Animaniacs were originally ducks and Rita and Runt were supposed to be the original hosts.

The series premiered on September 13th, 1993, where it ran until September 8th, 1995. There were 69 episodes produced during this run. The series then was picked up by Kids WB, where it ran until its final, 99th episode. The series was discontinued after Warner Brothers began to invest in less-expensive series such as Pokémon. Several series succeeded Animaniacs, including Pinky & The Brain and Freakazoid though neither achieved the same level of success during their original runs. A direct-to-video film, Wakko's Wish, was released on December 21st, 1999, serving as a closure to the series.

Reboot

As of May 30th, 2017 an announcement has been made that a reboot of the series is coming in the future in response to the show's popularity on Netflix and the mid 2010s wave of 90s nostalgia. It has also been reported that Steven Spielberg will also come back to work on the reboot.^[3]

On October 21st, 2020, subscription video on demand service Hulu released a trailer for upcoming reboot of the show.^[4][5] The trailer (shown below) received over 350,000 views on Twitter and 160,000 views on YouTube in three hours. The premiere of the new series is scheduled for November 20th, 2020.

Reception

Animaniacs was very well-received during its run. It won eight Daytime Emmy Awards and one Peabody Award. Not only was it popular with kids, but the adult fandom created one of the earliest online Fandoms. Since its run, Animaniacs been highly praised by many people who watched it while growing up and have since found even greater appreciation for it as adults, most notably Doug Walker who has produced, among other tributes, a multi-part retrospective video featuring interviews with several of the actual personnel involved in its creation.

Online Presence

According to a book by pop culture academic Sean Ross, the website alt.tv.animaniacs hosted one of the first online fandoms during the show's run. The show currently has over 239,000 Facebook^[2] likes.

Related Memes

Pop Culture Parodies

Pop Culture Parodies is a popular gag of the series making fun of movies and tv shows.

Yakko’s World

"Yakko's World" is a song sung by the character Yakko in the animated television show Animaniacs in which he lists nearly all the countries in the world extant in 1993. The song became arguably the best known song from the show and online was later parodied in replacement remixes.

Search Interest

External References