ANIMANIACS

'''Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs''', usually referred to as the shorter title '''Animaniacs''', is an American animated television series, distributed by Warner Bros. and produced by Amblin Entertainment. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven Spielberg and Warner Bros. Animation during the animation renaissance of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The studio's first series, ''Tiny Toon Adventures,'' had proved to be a big hit among younger viewing audiences, and it had attracted a sizable number of adult viewers as well. The ''Animaniacs'' writers and animators, led by senior producer Tom Ruegger, used the experience gained from the previous series to create brand new animated characters that were cast in the mold of Chuck Jones and Tex Avery's creations.^[1]
The comedy of ''Animaniacs'' was a broad mix of old-fashioned wit, slapstick, pop culture references, and cartoon violence and wackiness. The show also featured a number of educational segments that covered subjects such as history, math, geography, science, and social studies. ''Animaniacs'' itself was a variety show, with many short skits featuring a large cast of characters. Each episode was traditionally composed of three short mini-episodes, each starring a different set of characters, and bridging segments.
''Animaniacs'' first aired on "FOX Kids" from 1993 until 1995 and later appeared on The WB from 1995 to 1998 as part of its "Kids' WB" afternoon programming block. The series had a total of 99 episodes and one film, titled ''Wakko's Wish''. Like many other animated series, it has continued to appear on television through syndication long after its original airdate. As of 2007-06-19, the first 75 episodes have been released in three DVD boxsets; the remaining 24 may be released by the end of the year.

Background

Premise

''Animaniacs'' segments had varied in both length and setting. Although ''Animaniacs'' had been set in Burbank, California, the series often took place in various places and periods of times. The ''Animaniacs'' characters also interacted with famous persons and creators of the past and present as well as mythological characters and characters from modern television. Although characters from ''Animaniacs'' acted in their own segments, characters often made cameos in each other’s segments. Andrea Romano, the voice director and caster for Animaniacs, had said that the Warners had functioned to "tie the show together," by appearing in other characters' segments. ''Animaniacs'' segments sometimes ranged in time, from bridging segments less than a minute long to episodes spanning the entire show length. Writer Peter Hastings had said that the varying episode lengths gave the show a "sketch comedy atmosphere" Although some episodes went on for longer or shorter periods, each episode usually consisted of two or three cartoon shorts.

Characters

Main articles: List of Animaniacs characters, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, Pinky and the Brain, Slappy Squirrel, Goodfeathers, Rita and Runt, Buttons and Mindy, Chicken Boo, Flavio and Marita, Minerva Mink

''Animaniacs'' had a large cast of characters. The large cast was separated into separate segments, with each pair or set of characters acting in its own plot. The Warners, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, were three cartoon stars from the 1930s that were locked away in the Warner Bros. water tower until the 1990s, when they escaped.^[2] Pinky and the Brain were two genetically altered laboratory mice that continuously plotted and attempted to take over the world.^[3] Slappy Squirrel was an aged cartoon star that would easily outwit antagonists and educate her nephew, Skippy Squirrel, about cartoon techniques.^[4] Additional principal characters included Rita and Runt, Buttons and Mindy, Chicken Boo, Flavio and Marita (The Hip Hippos), Katie Ka-Boom, a trio of pigeons known as The Goodfeathers and Minerva Mink.

Creation and inspiration

The general premise of ''Animaniacs'' and the Warner siblings were created by Tom Ruegger, who also came up with the concept and characters for Pinky and the Brain. Ruegger was also the senior producer and creative leader of the show. Producer and writer Sherri Stoner and staff writers Nicholas Hollander and Deanna Oliver also created characters that made it into the series. Deanna's contributions included ''The Goodfeathers'' scripts as well as ''Chicken Boo''. Sherri contributed heavily to ''Slappy Squirrel'' and other characters. Nicholas Hollander's ''Katie Kaboom'' was based on his teenage daughter. The ''Animaniacs'' cast of characters had a wide variety of inspiration, from celebrities to family members to other writers. Executive Producer Steven Spielberg had said that the Animaniacs cast had also been inspired by the irreverence in Looney Tunes cartoons.
Senior Producer Tom Ruegger had modeled the Warners’ personalities heavily after those of his three sons. Because the Warners were portrayed as cartoon stars from the early 30's, Ruegger and other artists for ''Animaniacs'' made the images of the Warners similar to cartoon characters of the early 1930s. Simple black and white drawings were very common in cartoons of the 1920s and 1930s, including Bosko, Felix the Cat, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Bimbo, and the early version of Mickey Mouse.
Tom Ruegger created Pinky and the Brain after being inspired by the unique personalities of two of his ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' colleagues, Eddie Fitzgerald and Tom Minton, respectively. Ruegger thought of the premise of ''Pinky and the Brain'' when he wondered what would happen if Minton and Fitzgerald tried to take over the world.
Slappy Squirrel had been created by Sherri Stoner, when another writer and friend of Stoner, John McCann, had made fun of Stoner’s career in TV movies playing troubled teens. When McCann had joked that Sherri would be playing troubled teens when she was fifty years old, Sherri had developed the idea of Slappy's characteristics, an older person acting like a teenager. Sherri Stoner had also liked the idea of an aged cartoon character because an aged cartoon star would know the secrets of other cartoons and "have the dirt on [them]".

Production

Producers

Steven Spielberg was the executive producer during the entire run, Tom Ruegger was the senior producer, Jean MacCurdy was the executive in charge of production, and Rich Arons and Sherri Stoner were producers of the show. Later into the series run, Stoner and Aarons had left their roles as producers and were replaced by Peter Hastings, Rusty Mills, and, later on, Liz Holzman. The producers of the show usually had other jobs on the show as well; Tom Ruegger, Rich Arons, and Sherri Stoner had all served as writers on the show, and Spielberg was very involved in the show’s writing, checking every script for the series. Voice director Andrea Romano had said that Spielberg had also come up with story ideas, read storyboards and come to some recording sessions.

Writers

Writers for ''Animaniacs'' included story-editors and head writers Tom Ruegger, Sherri Stoner and Paul Rugg, as well as staff writers Deanna Oliver, John McCann, Nicholas Hollander, Peter Hastings, Charlie Howell, Gordon Bressack, Earl Kress, Tom Minton, and Randy Rogel. In later seasons of the series, story-editors also included Peter Hastings, Tom Minton and Randy Rogel. Many of these writers had been involved in sketch comedy, and many had been involved in ''Tiny Toon Adventures''.

Voicing

Many people of the ''Animaniacs'' voice cast had come from ''Animaniacs'' predecessor, ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', including the voices of Yakko and Dot, Rob Paulsen and Tress MacNeille, respectively. Andrea Romano, the voice director and caster for ''Animaniacs'', had said that the casters had wanted Paulsen to play the role of Yakko: "We had worked with Rob Paulsen before on a couple of other series and we wanted him to play Yakko." Romano had also said that the casters had "no trouble" choosing the role of Dot: "Tress MacNeille was just hilarious (...) And yet [she had] that edge." The voice of Wakko, Jess Harnell, on the other hand, had not been in ''Tiny Toons'', and had said that before Animaniacs, he had had little experience in voice acting other than some roles for Disney which he "fell into." Harnell had said that at the audition for the show, he had done a "John Lennon" impression and the audition "went great." Slappy the Squirrel had been played by producer and writer Sherri Stoner, who said that, when she gave an impression of what the voice would be to Spielberg, Spielberg said she should fill the role. The voice actress who played the voice of Rita, Bernadette Peters, had been a professional singer and was wanted for the role by Romano herself. Other voice actors included Maurice LaMarche, the voice of the Brain and the belching segments "The Great Wakkorotti" (although Jess Harnell is commonly mistaken for the role); Frank Welker, the voice of Runt; and Jeff Bennet. Tom Ruegger's three sons also played roles on the series. Nathan Ruegger voiced the role of Skippy Squirrel, nephew to Slappy, throughout the duration of the series; Luke Ruegger voiced the role of ''The Flame'' in several historical segments on ''Animaniacs''; and Cody Ruegger played the voice of Birdie in ''Wild Blue Yonder'' and other segments.

Animation

In order to speed up the production of episodes, many different studios, both American and international, simultaneously animated Animaniacs over the course of the show’s production. The main animation companies included Tokyo Movie Shinsha, StarToons, Wang Film Productions, Freelance Animators New Zealand, and AKOM. While these companies animated and colored Animaniacs, the background layouts were done by a domestic studio. Most Animaniacs episodes usually had different animation from different companies in their different respective segments.
Animaniacs was also made with a higher production value than standard television animation. Rich Aarons, an ''Animaniacs'' director and producer, had said that ''Animaniacs'' had had a higher cel count (drawings per unit of time) than most television animation. Aarons had also said that ''Animaniacs'' was unlike other television animation in that characters moved more fluently, and did not simply pose, stand still, and speak, as in other cartoons.

Music

''Animaniacs'' was a very musical cartoon, with every episode featuring at least one original score. The idea for an original musical score in every episode came from Steven Spielberg. For its music, Animaniacs used a forty-piece orchestra. The use of the large orchestra in modern Warner Bros. animation began with ''Animaniacs'' predecessor, ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', but Spielberg had pushed for its use even more in Animaniacs. Although the outcome was a very expensive show to produce, every episode was given an original score, as "the sound sets us apart from everyone else in animation," said Jean MacCurdy, the executive in charge of production for the series. The music for the show was composed by Richard Stone, and the lyrics for the songs were usually written by either Randy Rogel or Tom Ruegger. Ruegger had also said that writers Nicholas Hollander and Deanna Oliver had also written "a lot of music." Steve and Julie Bernstein, assistant composers for Richard Stone, had said that not only was the ''Animaniacs'' music written in the same style as that of ''Looney Tunes'' composer Carl Stalling, but that the music used the same piano that Carl Stalling used.
''Animaniacs'' had a variety of music types. Many of the ''Animaniacs'' songs were parodies of classical or folk music, often with an educational twist, such as "Wakko's America", which listed all the states in the U.S. and their capitals.^[5] Another song, titled "The Presidents", named and described every president to the tune of the William Tell Overture.^[6] Non-educational songs included songs that were simply parodies of other songs, like the segment "Slippin' on the Ice", a parody of "Singin' in the Rain";^[7] songs mocking things in everyday life, such as the song "Be Careful What You Eat" that made fun of all the ingredients in junk food;^[8] and songs making fun of celebrities and other media, such as the song "Video Revue", which listed movie stars and films.^[9] Most of the show's songs were sung by the Warners. Pinky and the Brain occasionally got songs to sing as well, and the most complicated songs in the series usually went to Rita, voiced by singer Bernadette Peters. Most of the groups of characters even had their own theme songs for their segment on the show.
The song "Yakko's World," with lyrics by Randy Rogel, is perhaps the series' most famous. Other well-known songs include "Yakko's Universe", "U.N. Me", and "Schnitzelbank". The ''Animaniacs'' series theme song, which was sung by the Warners, was a very important part of the show. The theme song had a variety of alternate endings and in the series' first season won an Emmy Award for best song.^[10] The music for the title sequence was composed by Richard Stone, and the lyrics were written by Tom Ruegger.
Several albums of music from the series were released, including ''Animaniacs'', ''Yakko’s World'', and ''Variety Pack''. Sing-along VHS tapes, such as "Animaniacs Sing-Along: Yakko's World," were also released.

Hallmarks and humor

The humor of ''Animaniacs'' varied in type, ranging from parody to cartoon violence. ''Animaniacs'' often made parodies of television shows and films, one of which being a parody of a large ''Animaniacs'' competitor, Power Rangers.^[11] In an interview, Spielberg had also defended the "irreverence" of ''Animaniacs'' saying that the ''Animaniacs'' crew has "a point of view" and does not "sit back passively and play both sides equally." Spielberg had also said that ''Animaniacs' humor of social commentary and irreverence had been inspired by the Marx Brothers and Looney Tunes cartoons. ''Animaniacs'', among other Spielberg-produced shows, had had a large amount of cartoon violence as well. Spielberg had defended the violence in ''Animaniacs'' by saying that the series had a balance of both violent humor and educational segments, so the series would never became either too violent or "benign". ''Animaniacs'' had also had also made use of catphrases, recurring jokes and segments, and "adult" humor.

Yakko, Wakko and Dot shake hands with their ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' predecessors: Buster and Babs Bunny and Plucky Duck, who make a cameo appearance in an episode of ''Animaniacs''

Recurring jokes and catchphrases

There are many catchphrases on ''Animaniacs'', some characters having more than one. Notable catchphrases include Yakko’s "Goodnight, everybody!," Wakko's "Faboo!" and Dot’s "I’m cute!". The most prominent catchphrase that was said by all of the Warners at one time or another was "Hello-o-o-o, nurse!" Other ''Animaniacs'' characters also had their own catchphrases. Characters Pinky and the Brain had a catchphrase where, during an episode, Brain would ask Pinky, "Are you pondering what I’m pondering?" to which Pinky would respond with a non-sequitur ('I think so, Brain, but...where are we going to find a giant rubber pencil and forty gallons of superglue?') Furthermore, at the start of all Pinky and the Brain episodes Pinky asks "Gee Brain, what do you want to do tonight?", to which Brain answers "The same thing we do every night, Pinky... try to take over the world!" This usually preceded the theme song. Brain would also occasionally shout "Yes!" in response to an idea that he liked. Also, Skippy Squirrel had the catchphrase, "Spew!" which was used whenever something disgusting was brought up. Slappy had the catchphrase, "Now that's comedy!" which would be said at the end of every Slappy Squirrel cartoon. Catchphrases were also found in the segments ''Goodfeathers'' and ''Buttons and Mindy''.
Running gags were also very common in the show. One example is the close-up of the water tower after the closing credits; right before the end of the episode, the water tower door would open, one or more of the characters would come out, say something to the audience (usually a catchphrase or a reference to one of the episodes), and the water tower door would close.^[12] Director Rusty Mills and senior producer Tom Ruegger had said that segments like the water tower gag, such as the segment ''The Wheel of Morality'' were sometimes used to take up time in an episode that was running short.
Another major running gag was that characters would often appear in one another’s segments. While one set of characters would be moving along in their episode’s plot, another set of characters would make a brief appearance, and sometimes point out that they are not in the correct episode. ''Animaniacs'' even devoted an entire episode to characters and segments being switched around.^[13] ''Animaniacs'' took this recurring joke even further, and ''Animaniacs'' characters appeared in other Spielberg shows, such as ''Pinky and the Brain'', ''Freakazoid'', and ''Histeria''. Characters from some of these shows also made appearances in ''Animaniacs''.
Because of Steven Spielberg's involvement in the series, several of his films were mentioned and a caricature of Spielberg appeared numerous times; in the episode "Hooked on a Ceiling", Spielberg was even made the "eminence" of the Sistine Chapel, and the Warners also painted an ''E.T.'' picture on its ceiling.^[14]

"Adult" humor and content

A great deal of Animaniacs's subversive humor and content was aimed at an adult audience. A number of ''Animaniacs'' spoofs were rather "high class", or at least above the heads of most children. The comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, most notably ''Pirates of Penzance'' and ''H.M.S. Pinafore'' were parodied in episode 3, "HMS Yakko". Furthermore, many jokes, as well as statements that could be considered double entendres (such as Yakko’s song of eight of the nine planets in the Solar System, after which Wakko reminds Yakko that he forgot Uranus), were used throughout the duration of the show. These jokes are signified by Yakko blowing a kiss and shouting, "Good night, everybody!", thereby ending the sketch.
Some aspects of ''Animaniacs'' were not only aimed at an adult audience but were also of a suggestive nature. For example, one character, Minerva Mink had episodes that were considered too sexually suggestive for the show's intended audience, for which she was soon de-emphasized as a featured character.
Also, the ''Animaniacs'' characters had personalities and character traits similar to those of film stars in movies marketed to adults. The Warners personalities were made similar to those of the Marx Brothers and Jerry Lewis, in that they, according to writer Peter Hastings, "wreak havoc," in "serious situations." In addition, the show's recurring Goodfeathers segment was populated with characters based on characters from the 1990 film ''Goodfellas'', an R-rated crime drama neither marketed nor intended for children. This segment also featured frequent allusions to ''The Godfather'' and ''Taxi Driver'', other movies with an adult target audience.

Parodies

Main articles: Parodies in Animaniacs

''Animaniacs'' often parodied popular TV shows and movies, as the ''Animaniacs'' animators made fun at everything and everyone. One episode, "The Please Please Please Get a Life Foundation", even made fun of ''Animaniacs'' own Internet fans.^[15] Many spoofs were multi-layered, with the episode parodying one specific subject and referencing several other subjects along the way. For instance, the episode "Hooked on a Ceiling" did not only parody ''The Agony and the Ecstasy'', but it also featured Quasimodo shouting "Sanctuary! Sanctuary!", a direct reference to ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame''. ''Animaniacs'' also made fun of celebrities, major motion pictures, television shows for adults, television shows for children, and trends in the US. ''Animaniacs'' also made many potshots of Disney films, creating parodies of such films as ''The Lion King'', ''Beauty and the Beast'', ''Pocahontas'', ''Bambi'', and many others. ''Animaniacs'' Director Russell Calaberese said that not only did it become a compliment to be parodied on ''Animaniacs'' but that being parodied on the series would be taken as a "medal of honor."

Response

''Animaniacs'' had become a very successful show, gathering fans in both demographics of children and adults. The series received ratings higher than many of its competitors and won several awards, including eight Daytime Emmy Awards and one Peabody Award.

Ratings and popularity

During its run, ''Animaniacs'' had become the second-most popular children’s show in both demographics of children ages 2-11 and children ages 6-11. ''Animaniacs'', along with other animated series, helped to bring "FOX Kids" ratings much larger than those of the channel’s competitors. For instance, in November of 1993, ''Animaniacs'' and ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' almost doubled the ratings of their rival shows, Darkwing Duck and Goof Troop, in both the 2-11 and 6-11 demographics that are very important to childrens’ networks. On "Kids' WB", ''Animaniacs'' gathered about one-million children viewers every week.
Although ''Animaniacs'' was popular among younger viewers (the target demographic for Warner Bros.' TV cartoons), many adults also responded positively to the show, with more than 21 percent of the weekday audience (4 p.m., Monday through Friday) and more than 23 percent of the Saturday morning (8 a.m.) viewers being 25 years or older. The large adult fanbase had even led to one of the first Internet-based fandom cultures.Sandler, p. 200 During the show's prime, the Internet newsgroup alt.tv.animaniacs was an active gathering place for fans of the show (most of whom were adults) to post reference guides, fan fiction, and fan-made artwork about ''Animaniacs''.Sandler, p. 194 The online popularity of the show did not go unnoticed by the show's producers, and several of the most active participants on the newsgroup were invited to the Warner Bros. Animation studios for a gathering in August 1995 Warner Bros. Press release dubbed by those fans Animania IV. These people also received a sneak preview of a sketch that parodied the fans themselves, "Please, Please, Please Get a Life Foundation".^[16]
Furthermore, the series had even gained high ratings under disadvantageous circumstances. During November 1993, the Fox-affiliate channel 33 had a three-day transmitter failure; in this time period, 11,000 homes tuned in to the blank screen during the ''Animaniacs'' timeslot, which was almost double the rating of the rival KXTX-TV childrens show.^[17]

Nominations and awards

''Animaniacs' first major award came in 1993, when the series won one Peabody Award in its debuting season. The Peabody Awards: ''Animaniacs'' (1993) (Search for the title "Animaniacs" to view award.) In 1994, ''Animaniacs'' was nominated for two Annie Awards, one for "Best Animated Television Program", and the other for "Best Achievement for Voice Acting" (Frank Welker). 22nd Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners ''Animaniacs'' had also won two Daytime Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition" and "Outstanding Original Song" (''Animaniacs'' Main Title Theme). In 1995, ''Animaniacs'' was nominated four times for the Annie Awards, once for "Best Animated Television Program", twice for "Voice Acting in the Field of Animation" (Tress MacNeille and Rob Paulsen), and once for "Best Individual Achievement for Music in the Field of Animation" (Richard Stone). 23rd Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners In 1996, ''Animaniacs'' won two Daytime Emmy Awards, one for "Outstanding Animated Children's Program" and the other for "Outstanding Achievement in Animation".^[18] In 1997, ''Animaniacs'' was nominated for an Annie Award for "Best Individual Achievement: Directing in a TV Production" (Charles Visser for the episode "Noel"). 25th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners ''Animaniacs'' had also won two more Daytime Emmy Awards, one for "Outstanding Animated Children's Program" and the other for "Outstanding Music Direction and Composition".^[19] In 1998, the last year in which new episodes of ''Animaniacs'' were produced, ''Animaniacs'' was nominated for an Annie Award in "Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Daytime Television Program". 26th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners ''Animaniacs'' also won a Daytime Emmy Award in "Outstanding Music Direction and Composition" (For the episode "The Brain’s Apprentice").^[20] In 1999, ''Animaniacs'' won it’s last Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition".^[21] When ''Animaniacs'' won this award, it set a record for most Daytime Emmy Awards in the field of "Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition" for any individual animation studio.^[22]

History

"Fox Kids" Era: Episodes 1-69

''Animaniacs'' premiered on September 13, 1993 on "FOX Kids"; new episodes aired from the 1993 through 1995 seasons. While on "FOX Kids", Animaniacs gained fame for its name and became the second-most popular show among children ages 2-11 and children ages 6-11, second to ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers''. When did the Warner siblings jump the shark? A look at the life of Animaniacs In 1994, Yakko, Wakko and Dot had also starred in the theatrical short "I'm Mad". New episodes were aired on "Fox Kids" until the 65th episode aired; FOX had then ordered no more new episodes, with the exception of four episodes that had been hastily put together from unused scripts during the ''Animaniacs'' syndication period on "FOX Kids". After "FOX Kids" had put ''Animaniacs'' into syndication for a year, ''Animaniacs'' switched to the new Warner Bros. channel, "Kids' WB".

"Kids WB" Era: Episodes 70-99

The series was popular enough for Warner Bros. Animation to invest in additional episodes of ''Animaniacs'' past the traditional 65-episode marker for syndication. ''Animaniacs'' premiered on the new "Kids' WB" line-up on September 9, 1995, and new episodes were aired until 1998. During this time, the show's popular cartoon characters ''Pinky and the Brain'', were subsequently spun-off from ''Animaniacs'' into their own TV series in 1995. While on "Kids' WB", ''Animaniacs'' gathered over one-million children viewers every week. First-ever "STEVEN SPIELBERG PRESENTS ANIMANIACS" feature-length spectacular unveiled Unknown author However, ''Animaniacs'' was only successful in an unintended way, bringing in many adult viewers and viewers outside the "Kids WB" target demographic of very small children. This unintended result of many adult viewers and not enough very young viewers put pressure on the WB Network from advertisers and caused dissatisfaction from the WB network towards ''Animaniacs''. Slowly, orders from the WB for more ''Animaniacs'' episodes dwindled and ''Animaniacs'' made it through a couple more short seasons, relying on leftover scripts and storyboards.¹⁷ Finally, in 1998, ''Animaniacs'' was canceled by the WB, led by executive Jamie Kellner, who has also been held responsible for the cancellations of ''Freakazoid!'' and ''Pinky and the Brain''.^[23] ''Animaniacs'' was ended one episode short of its 100th episode, having which is a milestone in television. Afterwards, ''Animaniacs'' segments were being shown along with segments from other cartoons as part of ''The Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie Show''. Kids WB! announces fall lineup Unnamed author On December 21, 1999 a direct-to-video movie starring the Warners, titled ''Wakko's Wish'', was released.

Aftermath and syndication

After ''Animaniacs'', Spielberg collaborated with Warner Bros. Animation for a third time to produce the short-lived series ''Freakazoid'', along with the ''Animaniacs'' spin-off series ''Pinky and the Brain''. Warner Bros. also produced two additional "zany" series in the later half of the decade entitled ''Histeria!'' (much like ''Animaniacs'', but focusing on American and World history, and designed to satisfy US government requirements for educational programming) and ''Detention'' (an animated sitcom of several quirky junior high kids trying to get out of after-school detention), but neither of these series found a sizable audience, and they were both eventually canceled. Warner Bros. cut back the size of its animation studio because the show ''Histeria!'' had gone over its budget, and most production on further Warner Bros. animated comedy series ceased.
''Animaniacs'', along with ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', continued to rerun in syndication through the 1990s into the early-2000s after production of new episodes ceased. The series has run in syndication on both Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, but ''Animaniacs'' is not currently broadcast on US television, with the exception of the movie ''Wakko's Wish''. Although the series was scheduled to re-run on Warner Bros and AOL's new broadband internet channel Toontopia TV,^[24] ''Animaniacs'' is no longer a featured show on the site, possibly for the reason of stimulating DVD sales.

Film

"I'm Mad"

Yakko, Wakko, and Dot’s first theatrical appearance was in the animated short, "I'm Mad", which opened nationwide alongside the full-length animated feature, ''Thumbelina'', on March 30, 1994. The short was a musical about Yakko, Wakko, and Dot bickering during a car trip.^[25] "I’m Mad" was to be the first of a series of shorts, wanted by producers Steven Spielberg, Tom Ruegger, and Jean MacCurdy, to bring Animaniacs to a wider audience.Lenburg, p. 51. Accessed on 2007-04-29 However, "I'm Mad" was ''Animaniacs' only theatrical appearance. The short was later incorporated into ''Animaniacs'' episode 69.

"Wakko's Wish"

Main articles: Wakko's Wish

The Warners, along with the entire ''Animaniacs'' cast of characters, also appeared in the feature-length, direct-to-video movie ''Wakko's Wish''. The movie takes place in a fairy-tale-like setting in the fictional country of Warnerstock, in which the Warners and the rest of the cast are under the rule of a greedy dictator. When the Warners find out about a star that will grant a wish to the first person that touches it, the Warners, the villagers (the rest of the cast), and the dictator race to get to it first. Although ''Wakko’s Wish'' had been rated highly among children and adults in test-screenings, Toon Zone News Archives: February 1999 Unknown author Warner Bros. had decided to release it direct-to-video, rather than spend money on advertising. Toon Zone News Archives: February 1999 Unknown author The movie was released on VHS on December 21, 1999; there has not yet been a DVD release.

Merchandise

VHS

Main articles: Animaniacs in Home Video

Several VHS videos were released in the United States and in the United Kingdom. All of these videos are out of production, but are still available at some online sellers. The episodes featured are jumbled at random and are in no particular order with the series. Each video featured four to five episodes each and accompanied by a handful of shorter skits, with a running time of about 45 minutes.

DVD

Main articles: Animaniacs in Home Video

Volume one of ''Animniacs'' had sold very well; over half of the product being sold in the first week made it one of the fastest selling animation DVD sets that Warner Home Video ever put out.^[26] So far, these DVD box sets are available only in United States and Canada. Sales overseas have yet to be confirmed.

DVD name	Ep #	Release date	Additional information
Volume 1	25	July 25 2006^[27]	This five disc box set contains the first 25 episodes from season 1. Includes the featurette "Animaniacs Live!", where Maurice LaMarche hosts an in studio via satellite big screen TV with Animaniacs friends (voice actors, composers, etc.) as they comment on the show. The video is presented in its original television aspect ratio, with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio in English, with French, Portuguese, and Spanish subtitles.
Volume 2	25	December 5 2006^[28]	This five disc box set contains the second 25 episodes (26-50) from season 1. Includes the featurette "The Writer's Flipped, They Have No Script", where Maurice LaMarche leads a gathering of writers on what their favorite Animaniacs episodes are that they wrote.
Volume 3	25	June 19 2007^[29]	This five disc box set includes the last 15 episodes (51-65) of season 1, all 4 episodes of season 2, and the first 6 episodes of season 3. Includes two featurettes: "They Can't Help it if They're Cute, They're Just Drawn That Way": Meet the Character Designers, Storyboard Artists and Art Directors who give life and lunacy to Wakko, Yakko, and Dot; and "They're Totaly Insane-y: In Cadence With Richard Stone": The music of Animaniacs, highlighted by a tribute to the late Composer.
Volume 4	24	TBA 2007

Print

An ''Animaniacs'' comic book, published by DC Comics, ran from 1995 to 2000 (59 regular monthly issues, plus two specials). Initially, these featured all the characters except for Pinky and the Brain, who were published in their own comic series, though cameos were possible. Eventually, the Pinky and the Brain comic was discontinued, and was merged back into the ''Animaniacs'' series, which was then titled as ''Animaniacs! featuring Pinky and the Brain''. The ''Animaniacs'' comic series, like the show, had parodied many TV and comics standards, such as ''Pulp Fiction'' and ''The X-Files'', among others.

Video games

Animaniacs was soon brought into the video game industry to produce games based on the series. Some of the early notable games include Play Zone!'s PC game ''Animaniacs Game Pack!'' (1997) and Konami's ''Animaniacs'' for Super Nintendo (1993). More modern games include '' and ''. Other Games include ''Animaniacs'' for Sega Genesis and Game Boy; ''Animaniacs: A Gigantic Adventure'' for PC; ''Animaniacs: Splat Ball!'' for PC; ''Pinky and the Brain: World Conquest'' for PC; and ''Pinky and the Brain: The Master Plan'' for Game Boy Advance (Europe only).

Musical Collections

Because ''Animaniacs'' had many songs, with many episodes having their own original score, several albums featuring songs from the show were produced. These albums include ''Animaniacs'' (1993), ''Yakko's World'' (1994), ''A Christmas Plotz'' (1995), ''The Animaniacs Faboo! Collection'' (1995), ''Animaniacs Variety Pack'' (1995), ''A Hip-Hopera Christmas'' (1997), ''The Animaniacs Go Hollywood'' (2003), and ''The Animaniacs Wacky Universe'' (2003).

Media information

Broadcast history

''Animaniacs'' first aired on Fox Kids from September 13, 1993 to September 8, 1995.Lenburg, p. 520. Accessed on 2007-04-29 ''Animaniacs'' had then switched networks to the new Kids’ WB! on September 9, 1995, and the last new episode was aired on November 14, 1998. Toon Zone News Archives: 1998: August - December Unknown author ''Animaniacs'' also aired in syndication on the WB’s sister network, Cartoon Network, from January 24, 1997 until Nickelodeon had bought the rights to air the series for spring 2001. Toon web sans synergy: WB sells to Nick: Cartoon Network turns down Spielberg-produced skeins John Dempsey Nickelodeon Acquires Exclusive Television Rights to Warner Bros. Animation's STEVEN SPIELBERG PRESENTS PINKY & THE BRAIN Unknown ''Animaniacs'' does not currently air on either Nickelodeon or it's sister network, Nicktoons Network.

Season lengths

The ''Animaniacs'' seasons had widely varied in length. The first season had been 65 episodes long because these episodes were ordered by FOX all at once. The second season was much shorter and consisted of only 4 episodes that were made separately from the first 65. The third season had had 13 episodes which began the new Kids' WB lineup. The fourth season had had 8 episodes, which was reduced from 18 because of the WB's dissatisfaction with ''Animaniacs''. The last season had had 9 episodes, bringing the total number of ''Animaniacs'' episodes to 99.

References

1. Interviews: Steven Spielberg
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Warner Bros. Animation Chronology: 1994
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16. The Animania IV Report
17. Animaniacs Lupercal
18. Warner Bros. Animation Chronology: 1996
19. Warner Bros. Animation Chronology: 1997
20. Warner Bros. Animation Chronology: 1998
21. Warner Bros. Animation Chronology: 1999
22. Warner Bros. Television Animation Wins More Emmy Awards Than Any Other Animation Studio; Three Additional Emmys Won Saturday May 15th, Twenty-Five in Total Unknown author
23. Cartoon Network says Toonami Network Rumors are Unfounded Unnamed author
24. AOL In2TV Unnamed author
25.
26. "Animaniacs" Vol. 2 on DVD: Wakkorotti and WHV Belch Out Another Great Set
27. How Long Before Animaniacs Escape the Water Tower? Lambert, David
28. Time to go Wakko (again)-Volume 2 News! Lacey, Gord
29. Slappy the Squirrel joins the Warners on Volume 3 Lacey, Gord

External links

★

★ The official DVD website

★ Keeper's Modern Warner Bros. Cartoon Files: Animaniacs fansite

This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.

psst.. try this: add to faves

	Golf Holidays International
	ITC Tours
	CHT Christian Holy Land Tours
	Vellinga's Travel Service

	Animaniacs - Presidents
	Animaniacs Intro
	Animaniacs - Nations Of The World
	Animaniacs - Ballad of Magellan
	Animaniacs - Wheel of Morality Compilation

	JRD Travel Company
	Golf Holidays International
	MarysTravelSpot
	Grenada Board of Tourism
	Hotel Villa St Pierre
	Travelonly - Dave Corless
	Heavenly Paradise Getaways
	Dancing Moon Travel
	Aquaworld Cancun
	Delight Tours & Travel