The second volume of Animaniacs offers 25 episodes.

 

1)

This one includes fictional testimonials about the Warners from old comedians. It's actually a handful of segments that we'll come back to between the other cartoons.

 

The first short, “Babblin’ Bijou,” fits in with that being a black and white musical toon similar to old Merrie Melodies. There’s no dialogue at all. It’s not my favorite short, but it gives some history to the characters that will carry into future episodes.

 

“Potty Emergency” is one big toilet joke. Wakko REALLY has to potty but can’t seem to find a suitable place.

 

“Sir Yaksalot” takes us back to the old days of Camelot. A dragon is terrorizing the kingdom and Arthur has Merlin conjure up a brave knight to be their champion. They get the Warners instead, what a silly mix up. The ending is one of the best twists of any Animaniacs episode.

 

2)

“You Risk Your Life” is a Groucho Marx parody: a strange game show where saying the secret word gets a surprise.

 

In “I Got Yer Can” Slappy goes head to head with an uppity chipmunk over the use of a garbage can.

 

“Jockey For Position” has Brain entering a horse race to win the money he needs to fund his next scheme. Pinky falls in love which gets in the way.

 

There are a couple of Dot’s Poetry Corner poems, too.

 

3)

In “Moby or Not Moby” the Warners step into the Moby Dick story and challenge Captain Ahab in order to save the whale.

 

“Mesozoic Mindy” is set in the stone age. Buttons is a kind of sabretooth dog or something and chases Mindy around volcanoes, tar pits, and of course, dinosaurs.

 

“The Good the Boo & the Ugly” takes us to the Old West where the man with no personality will rid a town of an outlaw. Some say that high-plains drifter is a chicken.

 

There are several good Good Idea Bad Idea segments, too.

 

4)

“Draculee Draculaa” pits the Warners against Dracula. This is a great one especially if you like monster movies and is one of my favorite comedy bits to watch around Halloween. Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson) guest stars.

 

In “Phranken Runt” a mad scientist with a speech impediment and her unholy but clumsy pet rat need a dog brain to bring their monster dog to life. This is a slightly better than average Rita & Runt episode except for one plot hole: Phrankenstein spends the whole episode trying to get Runt’s brain to bring Scout to life, yet when she fails she gives Scout life to chase her would-be prey. So if she could do that in the first place what was the point of kidnapping Runt?

 

5)

In another Halloween themed episode we begin with an appropriate Good Idea Bad Idea.

 

“Hot Bothered & Bedeviled” is one of my all-time favorites. The Warners face off against Satan in Hell. The songs are hysterical, the jokes are non-stop and some of the best ever, but if that wasn’t good enough Ron Perlman as Satan is the cherry on top.

 

“Moon Over Minerva” is Minerva Mink’s first short. Wilford wants a date with the sultry mink, but she has her eye on the handsome hunk of muscle howling at the moon. If Wilford would just quit running him off.

 

“Skullhead Boneyhands” is another first, Mr. Skullhead (the guy from Good Idea Bad Idea) gets his own short. It’s a parody of “Edward Scissorhands” and quite funny if strange. there were no other Skullhead shorts which is too bad.

 

6)

One of the great things about this episode is that it’s one of the few to have each and every segment get its own chapter on the TVD. If they had done every episode this way I would have really been impressed.

 

Chap. 1 is the opening theme.

 

#2 is a Mime Time short of smelling flowers.

 

#3 is “O Silly Mio.” Similar to “Piano Rag,” but this time the Warners face an opera singer. You’ll laugh ‘til you hurt watching the pain they inflict on this pompous windbag.

 

#4 is the Rita & Runt theme (even it gets its own chapter this time!)

 

#5 is “Puttin’ On the Blitz,” a stab at an emotional story. In WWII Germany Nazi’s are hunting a man trying to flee to America. As he tries to draw the soldiers away from his daughter so she can make it even if he doesn’t Rita thinks he’s actually abandoning her. Rita & Runt get the girl to the train station but find they have to choose between friendship and the life they’ve always dreamed of. It’s not a bad story, but I don’t get into the singing all that much.

 

#6 The Great Wakkorotti returns for a summer concert.

 

#7 Another Mime Time of mountain climbing.

 

#8 is the closing theme.

 

7)

The intro to this one is funny because Yakko’s voice comes from Dot. Oops. On to the segments.

 

“Chairman of the Bored” introduces Pip, played by Ben Stein, who can and will talk your ear off.

 

Yakko sings the names of the planets.

 

In “Astro Buttons” we go from Flintstones to Jetsons. Buttons chases Mindy around space.

 

8)

This one carries a segue theme of finding cartoons in Wakko’s body with a funny payoff at the very end (pun intended).

 

“Noah’s Lark” is another Biblical parody. This one is of Noah and his charge to build the ark. Their caricature of Noah is kind of annoying, but the cameos are pretty fun such as Pinky disguised as Brain’s wife so they can both get on board, Buster and Babs Bunny, and the Hip Hippos who play a significant part.

 

In “The Big Kiss” a lovely young actress anticipates her upcoming love scene with Hollywood’s top leading man. Confidentially, I’ve heard that some say this guy is really a chicken.

 

“Hiccup” is a Goodfeathers short with Bobby and Pesto trying to cure Squit’s hiccups.

 

9)

“Clown & Out” turns the Mr. Director character into a clown due to be tortured mercilessly by Wakko. This is an exceptionally funny segment.

 

“Bubba Bo Bob Brain” is among the best loved Pinky & the Brain episodes ever. This really established them as the mainstays of the show next to the Warners. Brain wants to use subliminal messages in country music to take over the world. Some great parodies pop up here and there including “Kenny Rogers” singing the Animaniacs version of “The Gambler.” I don't like country music, but I still enjoyed this.

 

10)

In an episode commonly known as “Animaniacs Stew” the characters are mixed up. The great thing is that to go along with the concept the Pinky & the Brain theme was redone for this – twice, actually. The chapters layout is the opposite of the one I numbered earlier. This time each chapter has multiple segments, a shame this one didn't get the more detailed treatment since it’s one of the best episodes ever from start to finish.

 

#1 has the special introduction, the theme song, the first character mix-up song, and the “Mindy & the Brain” intro.

 

#2 has the “Mindy & the Brain” episode called “In the Garden of Mindy,” and the Pinky & Rita segment called “Pinky & the Cat.” Both are so funny it's not even fair.

 

#3 has another great mix-up song, “No Place Like Homeless” which pairs Pesto and Runt in search of a dry home, and the Katie Ka Boom intro. By the way, this is the introduction to Katie. She’ll get a few more shorts in future seasons. She’s a teen girl who goes from sweet to explosively angry at the drop of a hat. Parents can probably appreciate this one in ways kids don’t quite understand.

 

#4 has the Katie Ka Boom episode with a surprise guest.

 

#5 has the last mix-up song, “Dottie The Squirrel,” and “Baghdad Café,” one of my all-time favorites which pits Yakko, Wakko, and a not very happy Slappy (with a Flavio as Skippy cameo) against Sodarn Insane. We saw the guy go to Hell earlier, now we know how he got there. Yakko’s comebacks to Sodarn’s questions are the best he’s ever done. Seeing this real-life villain get tortured by the Warners’ wit is fun in and of itself.

 

#6 has a Wheel of Morality bit and the closing theme.

 

11)

“Critical Condition” is a longer than normal segment pitting Slappy and Skippy against parodies of Siskel and Ebert. It’s a decent episode, but the liposuction joke is quite possibly the grossest of any in the run of the series. This one's full of blowing people up and inflicting harm, but it's done in the Looney Tunes tradition.

 

“The 3 Muska-Warners” puts the Warners in the pants of the Muskateers as they protect the king from the Viper. This one has one of the most off-the-wall twists of any episode.

 

12)

This military-themed episode begins with “Dough Dough Boys.” The Goodfeathers are carrier pigeons sent through an active battlefield to deliver a message. There's some comedy here, but it's predominately a story-driven segment.

 

In “Boot Camping” the Warners think they are going to summer camp but end up at boot camp with a particularly sadistic Sergeant. As he tries to abuse them he learns what it is to face the Warners’ loonacy. Ron Perlman returns for another great guest role.

 

“General Boo Regard” takes us back to the Civil War. The soldiers are hungry and weary, but the great General Boo Regard will lead the South to victory. But I done hear tell he’s a chicken.

 

13)

“Spellbound” is one of the few episode-length stories. We’re back in Camelot. Brain wants to use Merlin’s magic to take over the world while Minstrel Pinky wants to chronicle his deeds in song. The problem is that they need a red dragon’s toenail clipping to complete the spell, and they’re fresh out. They must journey across the land to get what they need facing witches, trolls, and dragons (duh) along the way. Several fairy tales get parodies along with cameos by several of the Animaniacs characters. This is a great episode in every way possible and my favorite Pinky & the Brain story ever.

 

14)

“Smitten With Kittens” is another Rita and Runt segment that goes for emotion rather than comedy. They come across a litter of “puppies.” Rita fights her maternal instinct but finally sets out in search of food for the youngsters. An old lady is ready to take care of her and Runt. Can they give that up for the benefit of these little younglings? It’s not a bad segment, but the old lady’s voice gets on my nerves.

 

A parody of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is the best thing about this whole episode. I love these bits. This one’s even better than the “MacBeth” one on the last set.

 

“White Gloves” is a segment with a more artistic bend, similar to the bug episode on the last set. There’s almost no dialogue as we mostly follow Wakko’s mute gloves who run off to have an adventure in the city.

 

-In another gripe about chapter placements a Good Idea Bad Idea segment and a Wheel of Morality (one of my favorites – “Early to rise and early to bed makes a man healthy but socially dead”) follow “White Gloves” on chapter 4 when the closing theme is the only thing on chapter 5. What makes this even worse is that “White Gloves” is one I don’t like all that much and rarely watch. So I have to scan past it if I want to see the other bits rather than being able to use a chapter jump.

 

15)

This episode starts with a Casablanca parody.

 

The hilarious “Fair Game” puts the Warners as contestants on a game show. The host, played by Harry Shearer, has a hard time dealing with this level of wackiness. Just remember, 'It's not whether you win or lose, it's who you're with at the end of the show."

 

“The Slapper” is the first of some tremendously funny Slappy commercial parodies. “Slap on, slap off, the Slapper!”

 

In “Puppet Rulers” Brain gets himself and Pinky on a kids’ TV show. At the height of their popularity Brain freezes them in a cryogenic container to awaken in the future where their now adult fan base will shower them with affection. Yeah, right, you know these things never quite work out.

 

16)

We start this one with another great Slappy commercial parody. This one is about buttermilk.

 

“Broadcast Nuisance” pits the Warners against a pompous news anchor. Phil Hartman guest stars. The "Sam N' Ella's" song is pure genius.

 

“Raging Bird” is somewhat of a Rocky parody. Bobby trains to fight Pretty Boy Robin.

 

17)

This episode has a series of Animator’s Alley segue clips with the Warners interviewing one of the original Warner Bros. animators. The guy is about 200 years old and boring as all get out. Not that the segments are boring, they’re quite entertaining, actually thanks to the Warners.

 

In “Can’t Buy a Thrill” Flavio and Marita are bored with life and go looking for adventure. The dangerous things they’ve heard about just aren’t that thrilling to them. The ending is a pretty good message of being happy with who you are.

 

“Hollywoodchuck” introduces Charlton, a country woodchuck. He’s wanting to make it as an actor in Hollywood, but he quickly finds it isn’t a friendly place. I don't recall Charlton having any other shorts, but I'm pretty sure he has some other cameos.

 

The closing bit of this episode is quite possibly my favorite. As a child of the 80’s I grew up with “Sit, Ubu, sit,” and often chanted that myself. The Animaniacs version is way better than mine, though.

 

18)

In “Of Nice & Men” Rita and Runt accidentally end up on a bunny farm. They are content until they realize what the fate of the bunnies will ultimately be.

 

“What a Dump” is a Buttons & Mindy segment with them running through a landfill.

 

In “Survey Ladies” the Warners are at the mall to buy Dr. Scratchensniff a birthday present. Their task is hindered by a pair of annoyingly persistent survey ladies with an obsession with George Wendt. It would have been really funny if they could have had George make a cameo. Some Tiny Tunes characters do pop up.

 

19)

This episode uses a series of Useless Facts segments as segues. Too bad they didn’t do more of these. This one includes “The Senses Song,” and a “Humpty Dumpty” poem as well.

 

In “The World Can Wait” Brain is not interesting in taking over the world, he’d rather win the heart of the lovely mouse girl in the next cage. Problem is she’s more on Pinky’s level making it hard for Brain to woo her. That doesn't stop him from trying.

 

“Kiki’s Kitten” is probably my favorite Rita & Runt segment. Rita is thrown to a huge, angry gorilla. She becomes the object of Kiki’s affections, but Kiki wants Rita to act like a monkey not a cat which poses problems.

 

20)

This one opens with a parody of the theme from the “Mary Tyler Moore Show”.

 

In “Windsor Hassle” the queen of England is trying to get the royal banquet hall ready for an event after a fire has ravaged the castle. The problem is that they’re out of money, but the Warners claim to work cheap. This one takes several stabs at the royal family.

 

“And Justice for Slappy” puts Slappy on trial for bashing Walter Wolf. It’s a pretty good parody of courtroom dramas.

 

21)

“Turkey Jerkey” is a Thanksgiving episode pitting the pilgrim hunter Miles Standish against the native Warners. Poor Miles. If only he weren’t such a jerk. Get it? “Jerkey” / ”Jerk?” Ah, waddaya want from me?

 

“Wild Blue Yonder” is a more cutesy/funny segment about a baby bird that thinks an airplane is his mother.

 

22)

“Video Revue” is a fun bit that works in more movie jokes than anything I’ve ever seen. “The hand that rocks the cradle once belonged to Hook, you see, but it got bored and so it joined the Addams Family.” Everything from Star Wars to The Fisher King makes it in.

 

“When Mice Ruled the Earth” puts Pinky & the Brain as pets of H.G. Wells. They use his time machine to change history to a mouse-ruled planet.

 

We get a special goodbye song this episode.

 

23)

“Mobster Mash” pits a Mafia godfather against the Warners. Poor mean guys who asked for it. I love the shoe joke.

 

“Icebreakers” is another exceptionally good Rita & Runt episode (relative to other Rita & Runts, it still can’t touch the average Warners’ bits). It doesn’t have so much singing which helps. Runt becomes Ross Perot’s sled dog. Ross doesn’t want Rita along, but when Runt insists, Ross responds by abusing the cat at every opportunity.

 

This episode brings back Colin who tells the craziest stories about Randy Beamon. This is the one about the Piranhacat. Also, there is a song about Lake Titicaca, a “Dot’s Poetry Corner” poem, Mime Time, and Good Idea Bad Idea. The closing features a special guest.

 

24) This, the first of a couple of Christmas episodes, begins with a special “Newsreel of the Stars,” and a remixed theme song with altered graphics.

 

“A Christmas Plotz” is a takeoff on the classic Dickens Christmas tale. The CEO of Warner Bros. is visited by 3 ghosts (the Warners) who try to get him to change his crotchety ways. It has a lot of singing, but it’s still a good episode.

 

“Little Drummer Warners” is nothing but singing; it’s comprised of Christmas carols (and some carol parodies) that tell the nativity story. The Warners go to visit baby Jesus in the manger, but when the wise men present gifts the kids realize they are lacking. Wakko offers to play the drums. It’s quite heartwarming especially for those of us who celebrate Christmas in the name of Jesus. Others might not appreciate it as much but will hopefully like it anyway.

 

25) This Christmas episode begins with a song about “Slipping on the Ice” followed by the seasonal opening theme.

 

Next is “’Twas The Day Before Christmas,” a parody of the classic poem with cameos by nearly every major Animaniacs character.

 

“Jingle Boo” puts Chicken Boo in a Santa suit. You know what happens.

 

The Great Wakkorotti treats us to a seasonal song.

 

“Toy Shop Terror” puts the Warners in a toy shop with a mechanical guard. It’s kind of a strange segment in the vein of old “Merrie Meoldies” but melded with more modern styles. There’s little if any dialogue and a focus on the orchestral music. I figured I would like it for the music, but I just can’t get into this one.

 

There are a couple of seasonal Good Idea Bad Idea segments.

 

Closing out is a song called “Yakko’s Universe.” It’s more thought provoking than humorous as it looks at the immense size of the universe. “The universe extends to a place that never ends which is maybe just inside a little jar.” It was in a volume 1 episode already but fits well here. And with that volume 2 of Animaniacs is done.