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My favorite animated TV series of all time is back in the
review spotlight, so here comes its second DVD volume:
Animaniacs (Volume 2)
Basic Premise
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| Bottom image drawn by yours truly. |
When an animated series ends up being your favorite, it’s no
surprise that you’ll want more of it. I
honestly have taken my time to return to discussing Animaniacs, my personal favorite. After nearly five months, it feels like I’ve
reviewed enough of other animated shows to return to it. Never have I seen any other animated series
with a bigger respect for the medium than this. It's loaded with ingenious comedy,
dynamic characters with witty dialog, and great integration of music, the one
element that’s the best accompaniment to animation. Being run by a talented man of media, Steven
Spielberg, and featuring many talented writers, animators, and voice actors
is certainly a plus. I honestly have not grown up with the
series and only really latched onto it when I decided to get the DVDs based on
word of mouth. This doesn’t take anything away from my tie with this
series. Whenever I think of what makes
great animated material, this will always be one of the biggest sources of
inspiration, especially for TV shows.
Speaking of the DVDs, because the individual seasons for the show are so
long, they’re the best way for me to arrange reviews of this series. That’s
what I’m turning to with this set of reviews for the series.
With Volume 2, this DVD is going to follow up on the
greatness of Volume 1. Expect many great
works from the cartoon character masterminds the Warner trio Yakko, Wakko, and
Dot. There will also be plenty of fun with retired yet knowledgeable star Slappy Squirrel, the
world-dominating Pinky and the Brain, the melodramatic cat and dog Rita and
Runt, and more. Along with occasional
parody openers and songs, there are also going to be a few things to make this
second volume stand out. Quite a few
episodes are going to have their own mini-story or bumpers depicting a theme going
on between segments. Each part of them
will be reviewed as a miscellaneous segment. Also, adding onto the charm, holiday-themed
episodes start showing up, so reviewing them will be great to observe how well
the show interprets those special times of year. Not to mention, just like last time,
cartoons, songs, and miscellaneous segments will be ranked separately. Bridging segments that show up to pad episodes out will not be included since
each one is fun and entertaining for the exact same reasons, leaving little to
no review potential.
With all this said,
let’s not waste any more time and see how great Animaniacs Volume 2 truly is.
We’ll start by popping in the first disc, sit back and enjoy (here’s the
show’s name-y) Animaniacs! Those are the facts!
Episode 26
Testimonials
(A)
This is the start of a trend in which episodes have their own
exclusive set of bumpers between segments covering a certain topic. We’ll see a lot of these episodes in this particular DVD volume.
These bumpers are particularly interesting,
tying into the old school nature of the Warners. After all, they were
created and discovered during the Golden Age of Hollywood. These cartoon stars are treated with the
dignity and respect normally reserved for live actors of the day. Human
actors appear to talk about their early days in the entertainment
business. The talks about them are given
an all-out documentary treatment with interviews. They take place against a black
background, there's no music at all, and funny still scenes of the Warners connect
to the stories the actors recall.
Speaking of the stories, even though we only hear about what the Warners
got up to and see a few screenshots, they feel perfectly in
character. This one in
particular is a recount of their days in vaudeville with the featured actor and
a few others. When a time the Warners “helped” Milton Berle with his
comedy act through anvils on the head and mocking him comes up,
that’s all you need to see of the kids around Hollywood elite. It’s a creative way to look into the Warners’
past, get something hilarious from them even if it’s not in full animation, and
get to know comedy actors who actually like them. As the bumpers
will point out though, needless to say, Milton Berle isn’t one of them.
This is only the first instance of the
Warners’ creative genius though which will be seen all through the rest of
these Testimonials, as well as the featured cartoons.
Babblin’
Bijou
Since this episode’s highlight is a set of bumpers
celebrating the greatness of the Warners, it’s fitting that each of the
cartoons featured are fully dedicated to them. Each one
gives a certain sibling the most focus.
Dot gets the starring role in the first cartoon which has the
distinction of the first period-piece Warners cartoon.
In the “Newsreel of the Stars” that precedes
the theme song in a number of episodes, the Warners were said to have starred
in cartoons “which made absolutely no sense.” They all ended up locked in the studio
vaults. However, the opening to this
cartoon says it was chosen to be let out of
the vault along with historical context of being made when Hollywood musicals
were all the rage. That helps give some
old timey authenticity to what we see, and for the most part, the actual
cartoon pays great tribute to the old days of cinema.
It’s a black-and-white and dialog-free work
where every movement and expression is in time with the featured music track.
This is appropriate since most cartoons from the period, the
1930s, tended to have a huge emphasis on music, more so than cartoons
today. As for the plot, it’s a basic one
of Dot going crazy over an actor she sees in a movie, annoying the
patrons. For how authentic to the period
this cartoon is, it’s surprising that it doesn’t really go all out in terms of
zaniness considering who’s starring in it.
What we see is very easy to follow with very little gags being
off-the-wall, and that’s especially apparent with everyone annoyed by
Dot’s flirting, even Yakko and Wakko. As
a result, when the usher kicks her and her brothers out, it feels all too
appropriate. On the other hand, since
getting kicked out is a bit too extreme for simply being annoying, it’s
entertaining enough to watch the Warners scheme their way back into the theater.
This is where things start getting a bit more zany.
It kind of begs the question why Yakko and Wakko even admonished Dot’s
zaniness in the first place if they were just going to go along with it
anyway. The visual gags feel much more
up to the standard of the characters as they all show what animation can do in
some way. They
crank Wakko’s neck to act as a ladder to a fire escape. They suddenly appear
sailing in a popcorn machine like they’re on a river. To finish things off,
they get themselves in the actual movie where they openly flirt with the crushes
they’ve been watching. That said, the
audience still being annoyed by their antics and taking it out on the usher
continues to take away from the zaniness for being too much of a realistic
response. Maybe if they actually enjoyed
what the kids were doing in the movie, it would be a better fit.
There are more period-piece cartoons of the
Warners to come though, some of which offering an even stronger old-school
feel. As for this one, while the
authenticity isn’t in full force, it’s present enough to make for an interesting
viewing experience and solid tribute to classic animation.
A-
Testimonials
(B)
This bumper continues what the first set of testimonials
started through explaining more of the Warners’ early days of stardom with the exact same documentary setup.
The featured actress’ recounts bring up even more hilarious tidbits of
the Warners' antics back in the day. These involve frequently mingling
with members of the Ziegfeld Follies including literally
painting the town red. The stories are
humorous enough, but the comedy is added upon by the senility of actress
mentioning Milton Berle not liking the Warners from earlier. It makes what we see stand out from the
typical documentary by bringing in a comedic edge from both what’s being
discussed and the actors telling them.
There’s one more Testimonial to discuss, but for now, let’s look into
another cartoon:
Potty
Emergency
When it comes to cartoons, they can bring out comedy in things
most wouldn’t normally feel comfortable talking about. One of these things is needing to go to the
bathroom which from my experience, isn’t always pulled off well. There’s more
emphasis on saying a featured character needs to go as if just the urge to go
is the joke. I feel this leaves less laughs and more awkwardness and disgust. This show is no stranger to bathroom humor,
usually working it in subtly. In this
case, the bathroom stuff is much less subtle, yet still works on a comedic
level.
Wakko is the star here and
desperately needing to use the bathroom is fitting for his character since he’s
always indulging himself. His conflict
starts when he drinks a lot while watching a movie and needs to potty.
Through it all, his cartoon aesthetic
absolutely shines as his urge to potty is exaggerated. These exaggerations can only exist in a
cartoon and feel like an accurate representation for when the urge to go is
strong. They mostly consist of one
hilarious facial expression after another selling the power of Wakko’s
predicament more than words.
Even the
dialog that says how Wakko feels we do get is funny, matching every extreme
strained look on the face and body language.
It especially works well since the lines don’t go into detail.
Because of this, whenever he runs into
relatable challenges to his relief like the men’s room out of order, not having
enough money to buy something from a store to use its bathroom, and seeing
things that remind him of needing to potty, there’s something to laugh at all
throughout. My personal favorite bit is
when Wakko finds a gas station restroom to use which hasn’t been cleaned in a
year. When he turns on the light, it cuts to an exterior shot while he
screams off-screen. You think it’s
because he saw something horrifying, but then he runs out and bluntly states
that it was because the bathroom’s disgusting.
It works successfully as an over-the-top reaction that’s also
surprisingly relatable when it comes to public restrooms.
Also, when Wakko turns out to have his own
potty in his gag bag, there’s more relatable humor. Something always pops
up in front of him when he’s about to use it, even when running all the way to
the Himalayas. They’re funny ways of
showing how discomforting to go when people are watching.
That said, the comedy falls flat at times.
An example is Wakko going to different places asking if he can use their restrooms
and everyone emphatically refusing as if they think it’s ok to not help
him. Plus, a few times Wakko is reminded
of needing to potty can get disturbing particularly as he closely watches a kid
pour lemonade.
Thankfully, Wakko’s
comedy brings a satisfying conclusion. He nonchalantly enters the movie he
was watching in the beginning, and potties there regardless of how he’s
interfering with the villain’s scheme to eat the leading female’s brain. It’s even capped off by a surprisingly
restrained reaction of disgust from such a dastardly alien character.
Thanks to the use of such a hilarious
character like Wakko, this bathroom-themed cartoon is a perfect example of how
to get great entertainment out of the less pleasing parts of life.
A
Testimonials
(C)
The last of these testimonials brings all the comedic stories
from the previous two bumpers full circle.
The featured actor discusses how the
Warners finally got discovered and started making their own cartoons. There’s also interesting tidbits to their
established background. They're mostly about how they ended up in the water tower after
causing havoc with the studio not knowing what to do with them. The actor
even acknowledges that they’re now out.
Along with the usual appeal of the documentary setup and more solid
comedy from the stories. To finish it off the actor once again brings up how Milton Berle
didn’t like the Warners.
These bumpers have a special edge to interviews whose setup
looks common, but they have much more to them entertainment-wise. Even when the Warners are discussed doing
things instead of actually seen doing them in full motion, they’re antics are still hilarious.
Even the interviewees have a lot to enjoy from the convincing
aged performances in their voices, and frequently saying the same
random tidbit while talking about the kids. It’s a creative way to bring the characters’
backstories, and is a great companion to their full-on backstory we’ll get when
this show reaches the syndication limit. We have to wait until I discuss the Volume 3
DVD though.
A+
Sir
Yaksalot
If there’s one thing that’s always sure to make for a winning
cartoon staring the Warners, it’s when it has a comedic take on the usual
adventure plot.
This time, the cartoon
takes place in Camelot during medieval times and within the first minute or so,
the comedic approach to the setup is clear.
There's villagers singing merrily. King Arthur’s Round Table is an
actual round table. King Arthur has a hilarious running trope of talking
normally before breaking to shout something for no reason at all. All these elements
endlessly strong comedy from all fronts.
It’s a refreshing break from the usual mystical and restrained tone
usually associated with the setting.
This is even more apparent when the kingdom is put into a crisis by a
dragon attack. It’s true that dragons
are common for these types of settings, but what makes it stand on its own is
the approach. If something like
this were to happen in real life, most people would respond with seriousness, using strategy to stop it.
Approaching the situation like that in a work of fiction would be fine,
but wouldn’t necessarily make it interesting or different from the norm. Enter this cartoon where seriousness is very
low and every fearful reaction to the dragon is exaggerated for laughs. It's helped
by strong vocal performances and comedic animation of everyone running around
like lunatics.
As for the Warners, their
presence adds to the comedic approach when they’re summoned as brave and noble
knights to stop it. Their style of
comedy is on full display where they continue their trend of acting like
they’re not the right people for the job and even outright saying it at one
point. Nevertheless, they prove to be resourceful through being wacky and ridiculous. Their introduction to King Arthur brings
uncertainty to their reliability as they frequently mess with him and joke
around as if the dragon isn’t a big deal.
Yakko especially steals the show bringing on all the strongest comedic moments from
stalling facing the dragon. He shows an elaborate war room straight out
of a badly-dubbed Japanese monster movie, engages King Arthur in an impromptu
square dance, and has an unseen animator draw an anvil that falls on
anyone who keeps yelling “dragon.”
Admittedly, these introductory gags go on a bit too long and can make
you wish the Warners would just get to the point. While the issue is in place, the scenes are so funny it’s not a big issue.
The Warners’ actual confrontation with the
dragon is also a huge point of interest. It's done not through a physical battle, but
through them doing what they do best; being funny. As Yakko easily wins the
dragon over with bad puns, the dragon lets out constant puffs of fire that
light a stick of dynamite. This blows him up just as the Warners exit resulting
in an ingenious cameo from the characters behind the dragon, Pinky and the
Brain.
After the cartoon wraps up with
callbacks to its frequently used jokes, you feel greatly
entertained by what just occurred.
Everything from the strong character moments and genius
jokes makes for a great example of how comedy can make for a strong mark of
distinction in storytelling.
A
Cartoon Ranking
- Sir Yaksalot
- Potty Emergency
- Babblin’ Bijou
Miscellaneous Ranking
- Testimonials
The next Animaniacs review features Yakko hosing a parody of a game show hosted by his inspiration, Groucho Marx, Slappy tormenting an annoying neighbor with a can based on a personal experience from her voice actor, and Pinky and the Brain attending a horse race where Pinky falls in love with one of the horses.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes and Captain Planet crossover, "The Power is Yours."
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