5
7
7
(worth seeing many times)
(potty humor and references to nudity)
(religious figures show up in various parodies)
I was so excited about "Animaniacs" coming to TVD that I started writing this review before it was released.
No, don’t stop reading! Unlike some people I did wait until after I saw it to actually post the review!
This show was a huge hit around my college’s campus (and not just mine if the numbers can be trusted) back in the good ol’ days of the 90’s. I was such a nut that I taped every show that I could and years later transferred my favorite segments that were of tolerable quality to DVD. Of course, having the entire series means I have access to everything "Animaniacs" had to offer, but I’m finding that watching even my least liked segments in DVD quality is much more enjoyable than my hissing , off-color, static-filled VHS copies.
Anyway, on to the show content.
There is some material aimed at younger audiences, but much of it carries more adult humor either in what it implies, double entendre, or jokes that would mean nothing to kids. In the “Video Review” song, for example, most of the movies mentioned were not any that kids at the time could appreciate. When they said they were going to drop a bomb then proceeded to throw copies of "Howard the Duck" and "Ishtar," how many 10 year olds got that? Heck, how many 15 year olds got that? Yet those of us my age laughed hysterically. How many youngsters got the Bob Hope parody?
"Animaniacs" is a smorgasbord of entertainment which has its good and bad points. The good is that there is a wide appeal and variety for anyone that enjoys the multiple styles. The downside is that anyone that is particular about their tastes will have to pick around for their favorite moments. I, for instance, don’t especially like Rita and Runt or many of the musical parodies. I would trade those segments for more of the Warners' Looney Tunes type antics. However, what’s so great is that the good is better than good, it’s great! What I mean is that the most enjoyable moments are so exceptional that they make dealing with the more forgettable stuff worth the effort (especially when given the convenience of DVD capabilities).
I would say the majority of what you’ll see is slapstick not unlike Looney Tunes or Tiny Tunes. There are also numerous plays on words, parodies, satires, toilet jokes, situational comedy, etc. Some moments are not so much (if at all) comical and may be dramatic, artistic, or educational. Most of the best humor comes from the show’s mainstays, the Warner brothers and their sister Dot. They have a distinctive Looney Tunes style but take part in pretty much every type of comedy I just mentioned and perhaps some I haven’t recalled.
Pinky and the Brain are the next most commonly seen. They were so popular they got a spin-off show (also available on TVD). They are lab mice coming up with exceedingly elaborate plans for world domination. Brain is a genius, but Pinky’s insane. It’s easy to see why this pair is loved as much as they are. They work off the classic comic vs. straight man pairing and would make the legendary duos of days gone by proud.
Some other commonly seen characters are Slappy Squirrel, a once popular TV star now a cranky old woman with her young nephew Skippy in tow, who (probably has the most jokes in bad taste; the Hip Hippos who are large and living larger (trendy rich in other words)– I enjoyed them in the past but find myself only moderately amused as an older fan; Mindy, the toddler that calls her mom “lady,” gets out on her own and is chased by her faithful dog Buttons – classic tortured-babysitter toons that I have a new appreciation for after being around a toddler; Goodfeathers (Goodfellows) who are 3 pigeons in the bird Mafia having adventures around the city – occasionally good but mostly only mildly amusing; and Rita and Runt the singing cat and a Rain-Man-type dog – my least favorite of the regular characters -- I don’t like the songs much and find Runt’s Rain Man personality annoying after seeing it used so many times.
There are occasionally some other more minor recurring characters my favorites of which are Mr. Skullhead, a silent and much abused skeleton man, the Mime who pretty much gets the same treatment, and Randy Beamon’s friend Colin who has the strangest tales to tell.
The shorts are not limited to the regular characters. Sometimes a story will center around someone that was created solely for one or two appearances. The Flame and others like him are more artistic or story-oriented than funny. Some of them are pretty good and others are fairly boring. On the whole I have felt like they should have stuck to comedy, but they do have some impressive attempts at other elements.
The show is sometimes educational. One of the most impressive moments of the entire run of the show is the nations of the world being sung, in rhyming fashion, to the Mexican Hat Dance song. It’s out of date these days unfortunately but still terrific. Others include the states and their capitols, planets, and the meaning of life (amusing but also thoughtful). There are numerous song segments and short musical numbers in other otherwise non-musical shorts. My favorite songs are the clever educational ones like the nations and the silly ones like “We should run and we should flee/ Then where would our story be?”
I mentioned that I don’t care for the Rita songs for the most part which has nothing to do with the actress who has a lovely voice, I just don’t like musicals. I also don’t like most of the episodes that parody musicals and operas. There are several of those (most of which are in this season).
Speaking of music, the score is done much like the classic Looney Tunes was. There is a full orchestra accenting the actions although there isn’t the same use of classical pieces thrown in like Carl Stalling would do.
The cast is a veritable who’s who of in-demand voice actors. These are people you’ve heard on Scooby Doo, Transformers, Looney Tunes (post Mel Blanc), Tiny Toons, Simpsons, Futurama, and that’s just off the very top of my head. The actual list is enormous. Several of them also appeared in "Comic Book the Movie" which I recommend if you follow voice actors at all.
So really the bottom line is that this is a thoroughly enjoyable show filled with gut-busting laughs that also takes stabs at being sweet, contemplative, and educational. Any fan of Warner Brothers cartoons like Bugs Bunny should enjoy "Animaniacs." In fact, several of those beloved characters make cameos since the setting is so right for them.
Morality
Much of this is completely appropriate for young’uns, but it can be surprisingly adult at times. For example, Beethoven claims to be a pianist, but Yakko thinks he said something else. The other word is never mentioned, of course, but there’s no mistaking the mistake. There’s some heavily veiled sexuality (and some less veiled like Yakko talking about painting naked people on the Sistine Chapel ceiling), plenty of cartoon violence, and numerous gross jokes. I don’t think this is as specifically adult as "The Simpsons" can be, but it’s certainly not Barney. If you’re particularly sensitive you may want to check it out before your kids.
Spirituality
Volume 2 of the DVD series is where you will find most of the notable spiritual content. There is some content in this first volume that speaks of roots in a predominantly Christian western culture, but it's cursory and silly.
I mentioned the Sistine Chapel earlier; that episode is mostly concerned with the painting of the ceiling, but there is some mention of it as a place of worship with people kneeling in prayer before God.
We get a parody of the Dali Lama who has great wisdom and funky meditation “powers,” but there's no direct mention of any real Buddhism. Likewise we occasionally get jokes about reincarnation and new age beliefs, but it never comes off as pushing religion any more than the biblical parodies do.
As far as biblical influence goes we get a Slappy Squirrel story set in the Garden of Eden. This is certainly not the kind of scriptural teaching you might find in "VeggieTales" but is more like the Dali Lama parody or the one involving Beethoven. You can appreciate that we get some biblical influence or you can be offended that such a story is used for a parody. There is a more reverent nod to Christ in the next volume.
Final Thoughts
"Animaniacs" is a terrific show, easily one of the best of its kind. That’s just all there is to it. I don't necessarily watch every single story over and over, but some of these are among the best cartoon moments I've ever seen on TV. It's great to revisit as an adult, and it's fun to show to younger viewers who have never seen it before.
Buying Guide
"Animanics" volume 1 is going to be an easy guide to write because there is 1 and only 1 buying option. There is no series box set or HD or anything like that.
Final Recommendation:
While the "Animaniacs Live" feature (see the details on it below) is really a terrific bonus feature, the extras here are sadly few. This is my primary disappointment with the set. I know there is some great Animaniacs promotional material out there. Cartoon Network in particular did a few that were very creative and amusing. I would love to have those in a DVD collection. I was hoping that Animaniacs would get a treatment more akin to some of the great Looney Tunes releases. You're not missing much by streaming the episodes instead of buying the set although I personally find it worth the purchase price just to have all the episodes within arms' reach at all times.
Animaniacs Volume 1 is a 5 disc DVD set.
Video
1.33:
This is the standard TV ratio. Perhaps it stands out to me more since I’ve been watching my terrible VHS copies for so long, but I’m loving the quality of this presentation.
Audio
5.1 Dolby:
You read that right, Animaniacs is offered in 5.1 surround sound! The orchestration sounds fantastic!
Packaging
Unfortunately, the case design uses the worst tray layout ever. Honestly, I don’t know why some designers keep using this. The discs are stacked on top of each other. That means to get disc 2 you have to first take out disc 1, likewise for putting it back. There are numerous designs out there that are so much better than this one.
The artwork on the folder and box is original and fun. A list of the major skits in each episode lines the flaps, though no other information is provided (meaning no air dates, guest stars, or other such things).
The interface is simple but colorful with a few cute graphics. The chapter selection menu gives you the titles of the main skits in each episode which is helpful if you’re looking for a particular one. Not all chapters are included on the list so it’s more of a general guide than an exact list. Precise detail would have been nicer.
Extras
-Animaniacs Live (29:23) This is an interview video hosted by Maurice LaMarche (Brain). He talks to the 3 Warners, Slappy, and the 2 composers. It's great fun to watch. I’ve seen some of these actors on discussion panels before and they are ALWAYS good for laughs. While extras are few this one is fantastic.
-Trailer (1:51) The trailer is nothing impressive though it does show several of the show's best moments.
-Previews: Several preview trailers listed in a menu.
Episodes
You'll get 25 episodes clocking in at about 22 minutes each. There is a play all option for them.
Surely you know already the format of Animaniacs. It's comprised of skits, songs, and short jokes raging from under a minute long to the entire 22 minute run of the episode. Quick, easy access to all of this is one of the promises of DVD. The set does an almost, though not quite, perfect job of this. Unfortunately, sometimes the shorter segments are tacked on to the end of chapters. Skipping the theme song (unless you WANT to see it 25 times in a row) is usually as easy as jumping to chapter 2, but you'll sometimes end up jumping past some of those short preludes not one of which deserves to be skipped, EVER. The last few episodes in general seem to have fewer chapter stops than the others, almost like the designers got rushed and quit paying as much attention meaning that skipping chapters may cause you to miss things you didn't intend to pass over. More consistency and precise chapters would have really impressed me.