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==Reception==
==Reception==
Television critics, while generally praising the animation work, voice acting, and musical numbers, found that the revival of the series lacked the same charm that the original show had, which was attributed to the lack of any of the original production staff on the new show, as well as the influence of more recent animated show like ''[[Family Guy]]'' on the show's approach. [[Alan Sepinwall]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' said that while the revival maintains the humor for the Pinky and the Brain shorts, the shorts with the Warners were not as well done as the original series. Sepinwall said "Where their powers of exasperation once made them unstoppable, now they're the ones who seem impotent and irritated by the people and culture around them.", a factor he attributes to the lack of the original producers' involvement with the revival.<ref name="rs review">{{cite web | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-features/animaniacs-hulu-revival-review-creator-interview-1088188/ | title = ‘Animaniacs’ Revival Misses the Zany Magic of the Original | first= Alan | last = Sepinwall | authorlink = Alan Sepinwall |date = November 16, 2020 | accessdate = November 16, 2020 | work = [[Rolling Stone]] }}</ref> ''[[Variety]]''{{'s}} Caroline Framke said that the series focused too much on trying to lampoon current and political events, a measure exasterbated by the fact that the forward-looking writing approach was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of simply parodying the entertainment industry in general, and left the show "more of a sour aftertaste that keeps it from being as effervescent as it once was, and could be."<ref>{{cite web | url = https://variety.com/2020/tv/reviews/animaniacs-reboot-review-hulu-1234834878/ | title = Hulu’s ‘Animaniacs’ Reboot Runs in Circles Trying Old Tricks in a New World: TV Review | first= Caroline | last = Framke | date = November 19, 2020 |accessdate = November 19, 2020 | work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] }}</ref> ''[[The A.V. Club]]''{{'s}} Danette Chavez stated that the show lacked the balance between satire and silliness of the original series, with many of the parodies that targeted modern issues lacking subtlety.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://tv.avclub.com/the-new-animaniacs-doesn-t-lack-for-targets-but-still-1845680129 | title = The new Animaniacs doesn’t lack for targets, but still lands few blows | first= Danette | last = Chavez | date = November 19, 2020 | accessdate = November 19, 2020 | work = [[The A.V. Club]] }}</ref> Beth Elderkin of ''[[Gizmodo]]'' said that the revival did not have the same "biting" satire as the original, with some jokes having to be explained to some degree to the audience, and that the show felt that it held onto trying to being a product of the 90s, and thus did not have a clear target of what audience it was trying to please.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://io9.gizmodo.com/hulu-s-animaniacs-reboot-is-nostalgic-for-all-the-wrong-1845635489 | title = Hulu’s Animaniacs Reboot Is Nostalgic for All the Wrong Reasons | first= Beth | last =Elderkin | date = November 16, 2020 | accessdate = November 16, 2020 | work = [[Gizmodo]] }}</ref>
Television critics, while generally praising the animation work, voice acting, and musical numbers, found that the revival of the series lacked the same charm that the original show had, which was attributed to the lack of any of the original production staff on the new show, as well as the influence of more recent animated show like ''[[Family Guy]]'' on the show's approach. [[Alan Sepinwall]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' said that while the revival maintains the humor for the Pinky and the Brain shorts, the shorts with the Warners were not as well done as the original series. Sepinwall said "Where their powers of exasperation once made them unstoppable, now they're the ones who seem impotent and irritated by the people and culture around them.", a factor he attributes to the lack of the original producers' involvement with the revival.<ref name="rs review">{{cite web | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-features/animaniacs-hulu-revival-review-creator-interview-1088188/ | title = ‘Animaniacs’ Revival Misses the Zany Magic of the Original | first= Alan | last = Sepinwall | authorlink = Alan Sepinwall |date = November 16, 2020 | accessdate = November 16, 2020 | work = [[Rolling Stone]] }}</ref> ''[[Variety]]''{{'s}} Caroline Framke said that the series focused too much on trying to lampoon current and political events, a measure exasterbated by the fact that the forward-looking writing approach was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of simply parodying the entertainment industry in general, and left the show "more of a sour aftertaste that keeps it from being as effervescent as it once was, and could be."<ref>{{cite web | url = https://variety.com/2020/tv/reviews/animaniacs-reboot-review-hulu-1234834878/ | title = Hulu’s ‘Animaniacs’ Reboot Runs in Circles Trying Old Tricks in a New World: TV Review | first= Caroline | last = Framke | date = November 19, 2020 |accessdate = November 19, 2020 | work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] }}</ref> ''[[The A.V. Club]]''{{'s}} Danette Chavez stated that the show lacked the balance between satire and silliness of the original series, with many of the parodies that targeted modern issues lacking subtlety.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://tv.avclub.com/the-new-animaniacs-doesn-t-lack-for-targets-but-still-1845680129 | title = The new Animaniacs doesn’t lack for targets, but still lands few blows | first= Danette | last = Chavez | date = November 19, 2020 | accessdate = November 19, 2020 | work = [[The A.V. Club]] }}</ref> Beth Elderkin of ''[[Gizmodo]]'' said that the revival did not have the same "biting" satire as the original, with some jokes having to be explained to some degree to the audience, and that the show felt that it held onto trying to being a product of the 90s, and thus did not have a clear target of what audience it was trying to please.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://io9.gizmodo.com/hulu-s-animaniacs-reboot-is-nostalgic-for-all-the-wrong-1845635489 | title = Hulu’s Animaniacs Reboot Is Nostalgic for All the Wrong Reasons | first= Beth | last =Elderkin | date = November 16, 2020 | accessdate = November 16, 2020 | work = [[Gizmodo]] }}</ref>
BUT
https://seat42f.com/tv-review-animaniacs.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/arts/television/animaniacs-hulu.html?smid=tw-nytimesarts&smtyp=cur
https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/animaniacs/animaniacs-reboot-hulu-review/
https://readysteadycut.com/2020/11/19/review-animaniacs-season-1-hulu-series/
https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/animaniacs-review/
https://www.cbr.com/review-animaniacs-reboot/?utm_content=buffer9d903&utm_medium=Social-Distribution&utm_source=CBR-TW&utm_campaign=CBR-TW
https://dailyresearchplot.com/2020/11/19/animaniacs-review-and-facts-click-to-know/
https://www.slashfilm.com/hulu-animaniacs-reboot-review/


==Notes==
==Notes==

Revision as of 00:14, 20 November 2020

Animaniacs
File:Animaniacs 2020 tv series cover.jpg
Genre
Based onAnimaniacs
by Tom Ruegger
Developed byWellesley Wild
Steven Spielberg[1]
Voices of
Composers
  • Julie Bernstein
  • Steven Bernstein
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producers
  • Steven Spielberg
  • Sam Register
  • Justin Falvey
  • Darryl Frank
  • Gabe Swarr
Running time24–27 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkHulu
ReleaseNovember 20, 2020 (2020-11-20) –
present
Related

Animaniacs is an American animated television series developed by Steven Spielberg for streaming service Hulu. It is a revival of the original 1993 television series of the same name. The new series sees the return of the Warner Brothers, Yakko and Wakko and their sister Dot (voiced respectively by their original actors, Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille), and of Pinky and the Brain (voiced by Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche). Two seasons were ordered to be produced by Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation; the first season is set to premiere on Hulu on November 20, 2020, and the second season has a date set for 2021.

Premise

See also: Animaniacs § Background

The Warner brothers, Yakko and Wakko, and the Warner sister, Dot — three inseparable, irascible siblings — have a great time wreaking havoc and mayhem in the lives of everyone they meet. They have been locked away in the Warner Bros. water tower for a very long time, but they have found a way to escape. And escape they do — every day! Causing chaos and comic confusion, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot run loose in the city, turning the world into their personal playground. And fan-favorite characters Pinky and the Brain will also return to make appearances in each episode.

— Hulu[2]

Voice cast

See also: List of Animaniacs characters

Development

Conception

In May 2017, Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation were in the early stages of developing a revival of Animaniacs. The interest in the revival was driven by a surge of popularity for the show when it was made available on Netflix in 2016, plus numerous successful projects that have revived interest in older shows, such as Fuller House.[3]

The revival was officially announced by the streaming service Hulu in January 2018 in partnership with Spielberg and Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. The deal includes rights for Hulu to stream all episodes of Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, and Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain.[4] Spielberg returned to serve as executive producer, alongside Sam Register, president of Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Digital Series, and Amblin Television co-presidents Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank. The show is being produced by Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation.[5] Hulu considers the show its first original series targeted for families.[6] Wellesley Wild was named the showrunner, and the show is being co-executive produced by Gabe Swarr and Tom Minton.[7] In addition to Wild and Swarr, Carl Faruolo will serve as supervising director.[8][9] According to Wild, Spielberg was at every pitch meeting and insisted on maintaining most of the elements of the original show, including the original voice cast and orchestrated music, as well as producing the show as typical of most adult animated shows with a full writers' room in contrast to typical children's animated shows. Spielberg was also heavily involved throughout the storyboarding process to make sure that the show was heading in the right direction, according to Wild.[7][10]

The revival primarily features the return of the Warner siblings and Pinky and the Brain, with many of the other supporting characters from the original show not included. In the case of Hello Nurse, this has been one of the first characters that the staff knew they could not bring back due to changing sensibilities between the 1990s and 2020, according to Wild.[11]

Casting and music

The revival features Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, as well as Pinky and the Brain; Paulsen (as Yakko, Pinky and Dr. Scratchansniff), Harnell (as Wakko), MacNeille (as Dot), and LaMarche (as the Brain) were confirmed to be reprising their voice roles in October 2019.[12] Abby Trott will be a new voice artist on the team.[13] Julie and Steven Bernstein, who both composed additional music during the show's original run, will score the revival with a 30-piece orchestra.[14][15] Additional music will be composed by those that were trained by the original show's composers Richard Stone and Randy Rogel.[7] However, other key production personnel from the original series, like Tom Ruegger, were not asked upfront to help craft the series. Ruegger said he was later offered the opportunity to submit a script but declined, as it "basically it would be like an audition and I just didn’t feel comfortable auditioning for a show that I created".[16]

Production

Initial storyboarding work started around July 2018.[17] Paulsen confirmed that voice recording had begun around May 2020.[18] The music was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Bernsteins coordinating with each musician individually from separate locations to assemble the final pieces.[19]

The original designs (left), and new look of the Warners in the revival (right).

Wild said of the look for the series, they initially explored various different styles drawn by a variety of artists, but recognized that the original series had its own series of differences in how the Warners were drawn due to the different animation studios. In reviewing those, they found that the episodes produced by TMS Entertainment were generally considered the best and Wild described their work as "The construction is so good; they have so much control."[20] After doing a deep dive to identify the factors that made the TMS portrayals of the Warners work, the team behind the revival were introduced to Genevieve Tsai, an artist working on Warner Bros. and Netflix's Green Eggs and Ham series, who also had been a fan of the original show. Tsai helped to take the details from the TMS deep dive as well as other research into past works that had inspired the original show such as older Looney Tunes shorts, and developed the new look for the Warners, generally more angular and following the same approach TMS had used.[20] They crafted a set of rules alongside the models for the revised characters that they then used when they sent the show off to be animated by seven different studios: Yowza! Animation in Toronto; Tonic DNA in Montreal; Titmouse, Inc. in Vancouver; Snipple Animation Studios in Manila, Philippines; and three studios in Seoul, South Korea: Digital eMation, Tiger Animation, and Saerom Animation. WB Animation in Burbank otherwise handled the pre- and post-production of all episodes.[10] In additional to the character model updates, they wanted the background art to feel like paintings but avoiding some of the stylings of the 90s, like exaggerated curved features.[20]

Paulsen said in an interview that within the revival, the Warners are self aware that they have been off the air for 20 years.[21] The episodes were prepared in 2019 and the writers had anticipated for events in 2020, but some ended up being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic such as the planned 2020 Summer Olympics.[22]

Broadcast

The first 13 episodes of the revival are set to premiere on November 20, 2020. The second season of 13 episodes will premiere in 2021.[23] On October 11, a first look clip was released during the Animaniacs panel at the 2020 New York Comic Con, parodying Spielberg's own Jurassic Park with a caricature of Spielberg in the role of John Hammond having "reanimated" the Warners. The clip was introduced as the cold open from the first episode of the revived show.[7][24] On October 12th, the names for the first episode segments were leaked.[25] The trailer was released on October 21, 2020.[26]

The show will also be airing in Canada on Teletoon. It will begin with a four-episode marathon on November 20, 2020 at 7:00 PM before easing into a permanent time slot of Saturdays at 9 am the following day. [27]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"Jurassic Lark"
"Suspended Animation Pt. 1"
"Of Mice and Memes"
"Suspended Animation Pt. 2"[28]		Brett Varon, Katie Rose and Byron Vaughns[citation needed]Randy Rogel and Matthew Yang[citation needed]November 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
2"Warners Unbound"
"How to Brain Your Dragon"
"Suffragette City"[29]		TBATBANovember 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
3"Gold Meddlers"
"Pinko and the Brain"
"Math-terpiece Theater: Apples"[29]		TBATBANovember 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
4"Bun Control"
"Ex-Mousina"
"Bloopf"[30]		TBATBANovember 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
5"Good Warner Hunting"
"No Brainer"
"Ralph Cam"[29]		TBATBANovember 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
6"The Cutening"
"Close Encounters of the Worst Kind"
"Equal Time"[30]		TBATBANovember 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
7"TBA"TBATBANovember 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
8"WhoDonut"
"Mousechurian Candidate"
"Starbox and Cindy"[30]		TBATBANovember 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
9"TBA"TBATBANovember 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
10"Anima-Nyet"
"Babysitter's Flub"
"The Warners' Press Conference"[30]		TBATBANovember 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
11"TBA"TBATBANovember 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
12"TBA"TBATBANovember 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)
13"TBA"TBATBANovember 20, 2020 (2020-11-20)

Reception

Television critics, while generally praising the animation work, voice acting, and musical numbers, found that the revival of the series lacked the same charm that the original show had, which was attributed to the lack of any of the original production staff on the new show, as well as the influence of more recent animated show like Family Guy on the show's approach. Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone said that while the revival maintains the humor for the Pinky and the Brain shorts, the shorts with the Warners were not as well done as the original series. Sepinwall said "Where their powers of exasperation once made them unstoppable, now they're the ones who seem impotent and irritated by the people and culture around them.", a factor he attributes to the lack of the original producers' involvement with the revival.[31] Variety's Caroline Framke said that the series focused too much on trying to lampoon current and political events, a measure exasterbated by the fact that the forward-looking writing approach was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of simply parodying the entertainment industry in general, and left the show "more of a sour aftertaste that keeps it from being as effervescent as it once was, and could be."[32] The A.V. Club's Danette Chavez stated that the show lacked the balance between satire and silliness of the original series, with many of the parodies that targeted modern issues lacking subtlety.[33] Beth Elderkin of Gizmodo said that the revival did not have the same "biting" satire as the original, with some jokes having to be explained to some degree to the audience, and that the show felt that it held onto trying to being a product of the 90s, and thus did not have a clear target of what audience it was trying to please.[34] BUT https://seat42f.com/tv-review-animaniacs.html https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/arts/television/animaniacs-hulu.html?smid=tw-nytimesarts&smtyp=cur https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/animaniacs/animaniacs-reboot-hulu-review/ https://readysteadycut.com/2020/11/19/review-animaniacs-season-1-hulu-series/ https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/animaniacs-review/ https://www.cbr.com/review-animaniacs-reboot/?utm_content=buffer9d903&utm_medium=Social-Distribution&utm_source=CBR-TW&utm_campaign=CBR-TW https://dailyresearchplot.com/2020/11/19/animaniacs-review-and-facts-click-to-know/ https://www.slashfilm.com/hulu-animaniacs-reboot-review/

Notes

  1. ^ Animation for the series is outsourced to Yowza! Animation, Tonic DNA, Titmouse, Inc., Snipple Animation Studios, Digital eMation, Tiger Animation and Saerom Animation.

References

  1. ^ Michael Schneider (May 30, 2017). "'Animaniacs' Reboot Being Developed By Steven Spielberg, Amblin TV and Warner Bros. — Exclusive". IndieWire. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020.
  2. ^ "It's Time (Again)! For An-I-Man-I-Acs". Hulu (Press release). January 4, 2018. Archived from the original on March 1, 2018.
  3. ^ Schneider, Michael (May 30, 2017). "'Animaniacs' Reboot Being Developed By Steven Spielberg, Amblin TV and Warner Bros. — Exclusive". IndieWire. Archived from the original on May 30, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
  4. ^ Alexander, Julia (January 4, 2018). "Hulu is rebooting Animaniacs, will premiere in 2020". Polygon. Archived from the original on January 5, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  5. ^ Otterson, Joe (January 4, 2018). "'Animaniacs' Reboot Lands Two-Season Straight-to-Series Order at Hulu". Variety. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  6. ^ Goldberg, Leslie (January 4, 2018). "'Animaniacs' Revived at Hulu With 2-Season Order". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 5, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d Meyer, John (October 11, 2020). "The Animaniacs return in their first new parody in years". Polygon. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 22, 2018). "'Animaniacs': Wellesley Wild Set As Showrunner Of Series Reboot At Hulu". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 23, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  9. ^ Ko, Ricker (April 24, 2018). "Nick Made A Funny Mini-Series. Then They Sat On It For Years: Whatever Happened To 'Bug Salad'?". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on May 25, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  10. ^ a b Zahid, Ramin (October 27, 2020). "Rebooting 'Zany to the Max'! Wellesley Wild & Gabe Swarr Give Us the Scoop on 'Animaniacs'". Animation Magazine. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  11. ^ Eakin, Marah (November 19, 2020). "You won't find Hello Nurse in Hulu's new Animaniacs reboot". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  12. ^ Pastrick, Chris (October 9, 2019). "Original voices set to return for 'Animaniacs' reboot on Hulu". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  13. ^ Bjornson, Greta (October 12, 2020). "'Animaniacs' Reboot on Hulu: Release Date and First Look". Decider. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  14. ^ "Steven & Julie Bernstein Scoring Hulu's 'Animaniacs' Reboot". Film Music Reporter. May 8, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  15. ^ Zahed, Ramid (July 10, 2020). "Rob Paulsen Gives Us the Scoop on Upcoming 'Animaniacs' Reboot". Animation Magazine. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  16. ^ Itzkoff, David (November 17, 2020). "'Animaniacs' Is Back, Still Zany and Totally Insane-y". The New York Times. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  17. ^ Bishop, Rollin (July 12, 2018). "'Animaniacs' Reboot Storyboard Artist Shares Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Sketch". Comicbook.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  18. ^ David, Trumbore (May 23, 2020). "Rob Paulsen on the 'Animaniacs' Reboot and Finding New Purpose After Surviving Cancer". Collider. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  19. ^ Burlingame, Jon (October 29, 2020). "Hulu's New 'Animaniacs' Features Orchestral Score by Returning Emmy-Winning Composers". Variety. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  20. ^ a b c Amidi, Amid (October 5, 2020). "How The Creators Of Hulu's 'Animaniacs' Reboot Subtly Updated The Look Of The Series". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  21. ^ Zahed, Ramid (July 10, 2020). "Rob Paulsen Gives Us the Scoop on Upcoming 'Animaniacs' Reboot". Animation Magazine. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  22. ^ Kim, Matt T.M. (October 12, 2020). "The Animaniacs Writers Couldn't Predict the 2020 Pandemic". IGN. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  23. ^ Thorne, Will (August 7, 2020). "'Animaniacs' Reboot Sets Hulu Premiere Date". Variety. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  24. ^ Amidi, Amid (October 11, 2020). "WATCH: First Extended Footage From 'Animaniacs'". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved October 12, 2020.
  25. ^ https://twitter.com/daveleedwnundr/status/1315473239712296960
  26. ^ https://decider.com/2020/10/21/animaniacs-trailer-premiere-november-20-on-hulu/
  27. ^ https://www.tvpassport.com/tv-listings/stations/teletoon-east-hd/10331/2020-11-20
  28. ^ https://twitter.com/daveleedownunder/status/1315473239712296960
  29. ^ a b c https://www.teletoon.com/schedule/
  30. ^ a b c d Uhlich, Keith. "October 2020: Viewing-Reading-Listening". Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  31. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (November 16, 2020). "'Animaniacs' Revival Misses the Zany Magic of the Original". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
  32. ^ Framke, Caroline (November 19, 2020). "Hulu's 'Animaniacs' Reboot Runs in Circles Trying Old Tricks in a New World: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  33. ^ Chavez, Danette (November 19, 2020). "The new Animaniacs doesn't lack for targets, but still lands few blows". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
  34. ^ Elderkin, Beth (November 16, 2020). "Hulu's Animaniacs Reboot Is Nostalgic for All the Wrong Reasons". Gizmodo. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
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