I was a huge fan of the series when it originally hit the airwaves in 1993. I would regularly watch the series, and find myself still to this day quoting, or referencing the series on a regular basis. So when I heard the series was returning to Hulu for a two season contract I was excited. When I found out that Steven Spielberg was attached to oversee the process, I was relieved. Before I start into the process of reviewing the new series, It’s important for me to admit that nostalgia has a double edged sword to rebooted or refreshed content. Some people can’t see the mistakes or issues with the series, and others can’t accept the new property as a result of clinging to hard to the past. I have done my best though to watch and review the content from a reserved and unattached perspective. I probably horribly failed, GOOD NIGHT EVERYBODY…. no I kid. Let’s jump into it though!
Like all other critiques this critique will be based on three categories: Story, Acting, and Overall.
STORY: 7/10
The series has been off the air since 1998, and while the intro, and in passing comment is made about the fact that the Warners have been missing all this time, they don’t specifically showcase where they have been. They regularly make reference to being out of time, and not knowing about what happened to the world for the last 22 years, until Yakko absorbs the internet. It feels weird, and frankly as far as story is concerned, I would have really liked to know a little more about where they were. Maybe locked back in the water tower on accident by Ralph, but no. Nothing so succinct is shared with the public. Now Pinky and the Brain, we get a really clear and awesome explanation of what they spent the last 22 years doing.
That being said, once we drop that one annoyance, the show is off, and hits the ground running. Regularly the series hits it’s stride, and puts the Warners back into the fray. Telling stories of the siblings destroying the lives of everyone around them, as they interact with, and change those around them. One of the strongest things about the groupings of the characters brought back is family. Even when being jerks with one another, you can feel the love between the Warners, and especially with Pinky and the Brain. Normally in the past, the relationship of the two lab mice has been pretty one sided, but this season showed how connected Brain is to Pinky.
Maybe it’s why they didn’t bring a lot of the other characters to the first season back. Either way, I really enjoyed the stories presented. I will say that my favorite so far was the Ralph Cam segment.
ACTING: 8/10
Jess Harnell (Wakko), Rob Paulsen (Yakko), and Tress MacNeille (Dot) are so effortlessly able to jump back into the characters. Additionally Rob again (Pinky) and Maurice LaMarche (Brain) sound like, and act thing nothing has changed. I normally would say that it is a sign of skill of the voice actors to jump back into characters after 22 years, that’s not the case here. Jess, Rob, Tress, and Maurice have been touring the world connecting with fans at conventions and shows. Showing off the characters who never left them.
They don’t need time to jump into the characters, because they will always be them, and frankly if anything had happened to these actors, I would rather that no reboot had been made, in place of a recasting.
If you want to know more about the actors in their roles, you can always check out Monica’s interview with the producers and voice talent from the series. Check out that article Here.
OVERALL: 8/10
A lot of people have attacked the show for making “light” of things like mansplaining, gender neutrality, and ethnically diverse (all of which is in the intro song), but I feel like they are a bit disconnected from the Animaniacs. They always brought to attention topics like that prior. They do a really good job not specifically pointing clearly how they feel about a topic, but bringing it to light. They never treated children like… well detached from the worlds around them. Nothing they said about those topics were outwardly negative.
I will comment that their representation of Donald Trump is negative, and some political groups might take offense, but it’s important to note that the entertainment industry has been making fun of Trump since the 1980s and his presidency wasn’t going to change that. My only upset about them representing him as the Cyclops in the Odyssey, is they totally missed out on an easy and epic “He’s a Nobody” joke… sigh.
Should your kids watch it though? Definitely. I think while the topics might be more for a 7 and up crowd, and might require you to explain things to them, it’s important not to infantize children. We need to prepare them from the world, no matter how zany, not shield them from it like it will all go away. Teach them it’s okay to question authority, and be a bit of a jerk, as long as while doing so they learn the importance of standing by family, and approaching every situation with honestly, and the ability to process and think for yourself. That’s the strongest lesson from the Animaniacs.
Conner’s Final Thought(s):
As a long time fan of the show, I will specifically say that I felt the show was small. It felt like the universe shrunk from the original series. I don’t know specifically why they choose to cut the cast down to the siblings, and Pinky and the Brain, but with so many amazing characters to work with in the prior series, it felt like the biggest failure, and opportunity from the series. Not to spoil one episode in the reboot series that makes me look like an idiot for saying that, but my opinion still stands for the rest of the episodes. Hopefully this is something that will change in the following second season.
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