Wednesday, October 17, 2018

'Toon Reviews 22: Animaniacs Vol 2 Part 10: Animaniacs Stew: In the Garden of Mindy/No Place Like Homeless/Katie-Ka Boo/Baghdad Cafe


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Episode 35
This show knows how to play with the animation medium to bring many creative instances to life.  This entire episode stretches the medium to bring about one of the most creative instances imaginable.  For that, this episode is worth calling an Animaniacs Special Presentation!
Animaniacs Stew (A)

We know that this show has a huge cast of characters, each with their own specific formula.  For this show, what’s normally done with the characters is shaken up majorly.  The cartoons are all about certain characters from different segments starring alongside other characters that don’t fit their usual norms.  The result is a very clever play on expectations and one of the ultimate ways of truly having fun with the characters worked with. 
If that’s not enough, there are also short bumpers depicting how the unusual team-ups come to be.  This one features the Warners throwing a large number of supporting characters into a stew, and looking to see what cartoons they come up with.  It’s a funny visual metaphor of what it feels like to mix up established teams and they don’t stop there. 
For now, here’s the first cartoon resulting from this stew:

In the Garden of Mindy

A big reason these cartoons of mixed up characters works so well is that not only are the pairings unique to whoever’s involved, but they all approach the setup differently.  We begin with one pairing a character from a great segment, The Brain, with a character from more divisive segments, Mindy. 
Although this is a completely different change of pace for both characters, they easily go with the flow of the cartoon.  They act as if the setups to their usual cartoons are as they should be and never question where their co-stars are.  This means that everything about the cartoon works in successful humor with only the audience seeing what’s wrong while the characters are unmoved. 
Being paired with Brain also brings in a very welcome change of events for Mindy.  This is the only time she stays in her harness and her only starring role that takes place solely in her backyard.  Even with the single setting, Brain’s usual egomaniacal ways succeed in entertainment.  For him, it’s another attempt at world domination involving constructing a stink bomb from a lawn mower engine and his own pungent concoction. 
Clashing with Mindy brings an interesting shift from his norm .  It starts of minor with the addition of impatiently waiting for Mindy’s mom to leave before he starts his plan.  It really shows when he tries to explain his plan to Mindy.  Acting intellectual around Mindy leads to slightly different outcomes.  Pinky is unintelligent, but specializes in responding to Brain with completely random statements, or surprisingly seeing a simple little flaw Brain overlooks.  While he usually attempts to get Brain, Mindy doesn’t even do that.  She just acts like a toddler who only wants to play be cute with Brain.  This expected toddler behavior blends well with Brain’s fleshed out self-appointed genius persona.  It’s a dynamic that works just as well as Brain’s usual one. 
It’s put to good use at the cartoon’s climax when Mindy tries to follow Brain’s orders of starting the lawn mower engine.  Mindy surprisingly seems reliable as she does that while still stuck in her harness.  It also brings to mind Brain’s bloated ego being his undoing.  He told Mindy to start the mower, but not what to do afterwards.  It results in humorous backfires, including Brain getting sliced by the lawn mower into funny shapes with no marks of blood.  It’s the kind of comedic pain gags we can only dream that Buttons got regularly if he absolutely had to keep getting hurt.  Another alteration from Buttons is that when Brain gets scolded by Mindy’s mom in the end, it makes a lot more sense for Brain to get it for his actions.  He never did anything heroic that’s undervalued. 
With this cartoon we’re off to a great start with characters from completely different skits coming together absolutely seamlessly.  The clashes of the formula are so successful, you may want Mindy and Brain to get together more often.

By the way, the cartoon is also nice enough to showwhere Pinky was all this time.  He was in his usual setting with Rita in the place of Brain.  This little scene is basically a playing of the “Pinky and the Brain” theme song altered to accommodate Rita. 
Like Mindy and Brain, they also go along with the shift in setup well.  However, they do so a little too well since Rita, who’s always wanted a home, treats the lab cage like her home, right down to eating Pinky like what cats would normally do to mice.  Funnily enough, in addition to Rita being fully content unlike all her other cartoons, Pinky is also completely fine with this setup.  Rita does have “roomy accommodations” after all. 
It’s a short fun scene to end the cartoon on as we head over to the next one.
A+
Animaniacs Stew (B: Mixing Up the Scripts)
This episode’s bumpers don’t just compare to mixing up characters to putting them in a stew.  They work in a lot of creative ways of crafting different pairs. 
This time, the Warners are in a factory where they cut up different characters’ scripts and staple them together into a collage.  One collage transitions into the cartoons that make up the second act:
 


No Place Like Homeless
While Rita was paired with Pinky, Runt is paired with Pesto from the Goodfeathers.  This pairing may not be one of the strongest in this character mix-up, but there’s still plenty of merit to it. 
For one thing, there are different perspectives of starring with a different character than usual.  Pesto is apathetic to the whole thing, acting like he’s always starred alongside Runt from the beginning.  Runt goes along with starring in the cartoon with a pigeon, but has some awareness that this isn’t how his routine always goes.  It’s mostly through him frequently asking Pesto to sing like Rita would. 
Plus, there’s some charm and humor from a big dumb dog and a temperamental pigeon as a comedic duo trying to find a home.  Runt and Pesto stay true to themselves making for a nice blend of big dumb innocence and explosive tempers.  There’s even a nice twist to Pesto’s rants when he takes offence to Runt calling him a dog.  Unlike Squit, Runt means what he says even if Pesto really isn’t a dog and isn’t fearful when Pesto starts threatening him.  His innocence also has him inadvertently run over Pesto before the bird can end his rant by beating him up. 
As to why Runt runs over Pesto, the reason comes from being called over by one of the more memorable parts of the cartoon, an old woman wanting to take Runt in.  She’s quick to welcome the dog in a kind gentle manner before suddenly shifting to a woman mad with force as she beats up any pigeon she sees.  She’s also self-aware of how simple her standards are after letting her pet parrot Crackers know she’s the dearest thing in the world to her. 
It’s here where Pesto shows that he’s not completely savvy to the formula after all.  He doesn’t get that he and Runt are supposed to be looking for a home and intends to get him and Runt out of the old woman’s house.  This isn’t before he takes offense of Crackers saying the name “crackers” over and over, thinking the parrot, who’s just doing what parrots do, is calling him crackers.  This incites another hilarious rant ending with Pesto beating all the feathers off of Crackers.  Finally, Runt saving Pesto from landing in the fire is enough for the old woman to throw both strays out.  To give the cartoon a good finish, there’s some heart to this pairing as Pesto finally sings for Runt and takes pleasure in Runt saying it was good. 
As you can tell, the plot is a thin in which something happens and just ends after a few minutes.  Even so, it’s made nice and entertaining by the random pairing of characters we follow with prominent traits working off each other.  I mean, it’s not often you see a dog and a pigeon starring together.
A-
Katie Ka-Boo
While this episode is known for many cartoons mixing up characters to great effect, it’s also noteworthy as the debut appearance of Katie Kaboom.  Unfortunately, this isn’t exactly a good thing. 
First of all, her appearance in the series frankly comes out of nowhere since she was never seen or heard in the themes song.  This means anyone watching the show for the first time with no knowledge of it would be caught totally off guard by her.  It wouldn’t be an issue if she was just a one-off, but she appears a few more times in the first production season, and near the end of it at that.  This is a good indication that maybe this is a character who truly didn’t work out very well. 
You see, the thing with Katie Kaboom is that she’s an average teenage girl who enters as a sweet daughter until one little thing ticks her off.  This is depicted as her turning into a monster who terrorizes her family and destroys the house.  That’s basically all there is to her cartoons with little to no variation in setup which isn’t really a pleasant one.  I can give credit in some areas.  The idea of a teenage girl’s rage portrayed as random monsters is very creative, and a strong variety of monster designs which the plots lack.  There’s also some heart to these cartoons’ background.  This DVD volume’s sole bonus feature reveals that writer, Nicholas Hollander, was inspired by his stepdaughter going through the phase of acting monstrous over something minor.  It’s a fine real-life example of the creative process and explains why a couple of Katie Kaboom cartoons were made. 
The problem is that in addition to being beyond formulaic, they’re some of the show’s most mean-spirited moments.  Even if Katie’s behavior is relatable and becoming a monster because of it is creative, it shouldn’t be allowed to escalate.  It’s disturbing that she becomes this monstrous and her family is too helpless to stop her.  That’s not even mentioning that they barely do anything to discipline her when she’s so out of control like good family members would do. 
Honestly, the one thing that makes the Katie Kaboom formula in this cartoon work is the inclusion of Chicken Boo, keeping with the episode’s theme of mixing up characters.  This time he’s disguised as a boyfriend for Katie, and unlike with Katie, his setup has some welcome variations.  Unlike just one person seeing through Chicken Boo’s disguise, all of Katie’s family does so.  It’s also a rare instance where the suggestion that he’s a chicken sticks instead of being held off until the disguise comes off.  This direction means that it’s what gets Katie to go into monster mode as her family runs for cover like they’re in a war zone.  I’d admire the creative approach if the family’s fear wasn’t so real.  At least Chicken Boo standing around all chicken-like while Katie acts up is funny enough.  When his disguise comes off, Katie’s enraged reaction to find out she’s dating a chicken adds to the rage already present.  Oddly enough, Chicken Boo’s been through worse rejections than this considering how bad Katie gets.  In fact, she’s more saddened by this “break-up” in the end. 
While this cartoon works fine for Chicken Boo, it makes itself clear of what we’re in for with Katie Kaboom, which is not a very pleasing experience.  The fact that this is one of her better starring roles is a good sign that it’s downhill from here with her.
B
 
Animaniacs Stew (C: Old Computer)
The creative ways of showing how the characters get mixed up continues in a short scene of how the Warners found an old computer, fixed it, and used it for this last cartoon.  Plus, it’s an interesting look at past technology with a look at how big and complex computers used to be.
Before the cartoon really starts though, we get a short scene of Dot in the place of Slappy Squirrel.  It’s just a short playing of Slappy’s theme tune, but Dot still gets into character, acting appropriately grumpy, and throwing a bomb at the chorus for calling her Dottie.  The following cartoon reveals where Dot’s brothers the real Slappy are.
Baghdad Café
It’s fitting that the last cartoon of the episode brings together characters from what are, in my opinion, the two strongest segments of the series, the Warners and Slappy Squirrel. 
It unfolds in a setting that’s very risqué for family shows and features a caricature of one of the darkest dictators in history, Saddam Hussein.  Just as he’s about to lead the Iraqi armies in an invasion, the plans are pre-empted by the arrival of Yakko, Wakko, and their sister… Slappy. 
It’s this cartoon where the various perspectives on starring with characters who don’t belong with them comes to the most hilarious effect.  Yakko and Wakko are eager as ever to go along with the cartoon as normal as if Slappy was always their sister despite being "older than sand.”  Out of all the characters seen in this episode, Slappy is the least willing to go along with the format.  In fact, she’s totally out of it and confused as to why she’s even in this cartoon right down to questioning the actual script.  When trying to leave with Skippy, she only gets aggravated more when Flavio the hippo suddenly breaks through the door claiming to be her nephew. 
All three principal characters bring top-notch comedy while in Saddam Hussein’s fortress.  Yakko keeps insisting that the fortress is an actual Baghdad Café to go to for brunch. Wakko eats Saddam Hussein’s stuff. Slappy shows even more entertaining agitation with the whole cartoon.  All of these hilarious actions bring many annoyed reactions from Saddam Hussein.  They’re made all the more entertaining when all you need to know about Saddam Hussein was that he was a really bad guy.  To end everything, Slappy does the best thing she can by simply putting dynamite down Saddam Hussein’s pants, causing a big explosion. 
This does mean the cartoon ends quickly, but what we get is still really winning comedy.  Yakko and Wakko are great as ever, and Slappy using a quick tactic to end the cartoon is perfect for her character.  Not to mention, her general annoyance shows just how ridiculous mixing up characters really is.  Good thing all the featured cartoons execute the concept well.
A+
This is easily one of the most ingenious episodes this show has ever crafted.  Putting various characters together makes for many unique alterations to everything known about them.  It also helps that while some go along with the changes, others are either confused or frustrated of not following what their used to.  This makes everyone feel well-rounded and thoroughly entertaining. 
Above all, it’s a testament to the versatile spirit of the show where the stories and the characters can cover any ground, no matter how unusual.  If you want to see just how well this show plays to animation, then look no further than this amazing highlight.
 A+
Cartoon Ranking
  1. Chairman of the Bored
  2. Hot Bothered and Bedeviled
  3. Bubba Bo Bob Brain
  4. Baghdad Café
  5. In the Garden of Mindy
  6. O Silly Mio
  7. Phranken-Runt
  8. Clown and Out
  9. Jockey For Position
  10. Sir Yaksalot
  11. Potty Emergency
  12. Puttin’ on the Blitz
  13. The Big Kiss
  14. Draculee Draculaa
  15. Babblin’ Bijou
  16. No Place Like Homeless
  17. I Got Yer Can
  18. Astro-Buttons
  19. Moby or Not Moby
  20. Noah’s Lark
  21. Skullhead Boneyhands
  22. The Good, the Boo, and the Ugly
  23. Hiccup
  24. Moon Over Minerva
  25. Katie Ka-Boo
  26. Mesozoic Mindy
 
Miscellaneous Ranking
  1. Animaniacs Stew
  2. Testimonials
  3. Cartoons in Wakko’s Body
  4. You Risk Your Life
  5. The Great Wakkorotti: The Summer Concert
Song Ranking
  1. The Planets
The next Animaniacs review shows how Slappy Squirrel handles criticism and the Warners act as the three muskateers.
Next time on MC Toon Reviews is "Let's Take a Moment" from OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes.
If you would like to check out other Animaniacs reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

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