A Hard Day's Warners / Gimme a Break / Please Please Please Get a Life Foundation (Animaniacs Vol 3 Part 23) - 'Toon Reviews 32

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Episode 73

A Hard Day’s Warners

It’s a typical running gag for popular stars to get mobbed by fans.  If said characters are cartoons, they have the potential to really stand out through creative staging and extreme gags from the chase.  With this chase, the Warners easily bring out a lot of creative potential and self-awareness. 

The entire chase is also a major parody of the Beatles film A Hard Day’s Night also known for featuring the band constantly on the run from fans.  I’ve never seen that film, but I’ve seen enough clips from it to see that this cartoon parodies it down to the basic idea.  With staging, the cartoon starts out in black and white as a way of giving a clear idea of what’s being parodied.  Backing it up is the Warners singing their own version of the Beatles’ song “A Hard Day’s Night” which describes the actual occurrence of them running from their fans.  In the process, there’s expert timing on the different ways the Warners rush to hide or get away. They ride on an invisible bike and cover themselves with magazines with fitting head profiles revealing different heads to be on different bodies.  That’s the kind of creativity you can only find in a cartoon, and it becomes funnier when these gags are incorporated into their song. 

It’s also funny when the cartoon goes to color when the Warners reach a cartoon convention. They’re more relieved to get away from the black and white than the fans.  There’s more fun as the Warners have a humorous back and forward conversation with a fan they try to convince they’re not who she thinks they are.  There are also a few fun expressions as they hide from the mob and parody The Mask at the same time. 

A following press conference is also a highlight.  The rapid succession of questions and the Warners’ wisecracking responses pays even more of a tribute to A Hard Day’s Night.  However, they also make the scene their own when one reporter asks them if their cartoons should have more wholesome morals and less violence.  They’re nonchalant as they show more preference to things like falling anvils.  We also get another Beatles parody, this time of “Can’t Buy Me Love”, which is a rocking tune about their style of focusing on laughs over things like animation, morals, and story.  This is the kind of thing that’s pure Warners, though the philosophy is interrupted by the fans. 

However, when they mob again, the Warners come up with a clever solution that actually makes sense in real life context.  The only way to settle their fans is to get them focused on other great stars.  At this time, Pinky and the Brain have proven popular enough to get their own spinoff, so it makes perfect sense that through coaxing from the Warners, the fans chase them instead.  This has got to be one of the show’s best uses of self-awareness. 

The only problem is that it’s confusing as to whether or not this cartoon is fourth-wall breaking or in-universe.  The Warners have shown awareness of being in a show before, but only in little scenes.  Here, it’s a driving force of the plot.  They’re popular among normal people like they are in real life, when in the show they’re seen as annoying.  However, you also have other characters on their crew like Dr. Scratchansniff and Ralph the Guard as opposed to caricatures people who really made the show.  Pinky and the Brain’s inclusion is also confusing as they’re seen as stars but are doing their established thing in the series before being summoned. 

Confusion aside, this is a fun take on stars dealing with fans presented in a way only animation can handle.

A

 

 

 

Gimme a Break

It seems that even when Slappy Squirrel starts moving away from just giving a demonstration of cartoon violence, her cartoons still find a way to be formulaic.  In this cartoon, while it makes for an overall humorous experience, the final result is a tad lacking. 

Slappy is all set for a week’s vacation which is also somewhat confusing since she’s supposed to be a retired cartoon star.  Since when has she starred in any recent cartoons unless this is fourth-wall breaking and she’s talking about starring in cartoons for this actual show?  It’s highly possible since several episodes in a row have featured Slappy. 

Anyway, her relaxation is interrupted when Skippy shows up to explain that a new action movie is being filmed nearby.  Slappy of course wants no part of it given her drive for a break from explosions, but she eventually gives in.  The actual filming has a few good jabs at the stereotypical nature of action blockbusters.  The best example is the first scene of the filming where a caricature of Bruce Willis shoots elaborate explosion scenes while constantly asking how his hair looks.  For anyone who’s not into these types of movies, like me for instance, this is a good jab at showing what most people see; big explosions and pretty faces. 

From here, this is where the cartoon starts feeling repetitive and kind of dull which is disappointing considering that you typically never feel this way in a Slappy Squirrel cartoon.  Slappy tries to have her rest and relaxation, she keeps ending up in the filming of an action scene, and then Skippy shows up thinking she’s part of the movie.  Her plan is to just get out of town for her vacation, but every mode of transport she tries ends up being part of that dang action movie.  The staging isn’t much different from each transportation she tries.  They begin with Slappy entering the vehicle thinking she’s finally reaching her vacation, the movie catches her by surprise, and she gets all blown up as a result.  The trips may be a good surprise that she’s on the filming set at first, but it’s not so surprising after happening every single time.  Also, you’d think that someone as savvy with filming and explosions as Slappy would be able to tell she’s on the set beforehand.  I suppose it could be argued that it’s all from her desire to get that vacation why she can’t be on top of everything like she always is. 

In addition, the action itself which Slappy keeps unintentionally walking into is plenty exciting on its own.  There’s a sudden rush of speed when she enters a bus and the driver freaks out about a bomb that’s apparently onboard.  Humor even adds a special edge to this particular scene as Slappy refers to a bomb as one of the featured actor’s prior performances. He just brushes it off and investigates the explosion while flirting with the driver all at once.  Other exciting action scenes is Slappy on a plane with a sudden take-off and crash into a mountain.  Honestly though, that merely stands out for caricatures of actors like William Shatner and Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

The last gag though really falls flat when Slappy enters a cruise ship, it just explodes, Skippy shows up all impressed, and then the cartoon just stops.  It feels like just showing an explosion was the best the cartoon could come up with to close itself out.  It’s also very hollow without a payoff to the main conflict.  Maybe Skippy’s comment that Slappy needs a vacation could count for something. 

This isn’t exactly the best Slappy cartoon, but it’s enjoyable enough with a solid adrenaline rush and funny jabs at action tropes.

B

Please, Please, Please Get a Life Foundation

If you’re a TV or movie fan like I am, I wouldn’t be surprised if you often find yourself reading reviews or theories on many popular shows.  That’s something you’re sure to find a lot of nowadays, and sometimes it can go a little too far.  People are free to like and dislike whatever they want, but there’s giving constructive criticism and there’s getting hung up on inconsequential details.  The latter element of voicing opinions seems to be going way too far in this day and age.  I’ve seen reviews of various forms of media giving long convoluted rants over why something in a show they watch feels wrong to them.  They often go to the point of saying those little details ruin the experience, insult the people behind them, and make it difficult to enjoy something that’s good despite any imperfections.  That’s a big problem with critical reviews these days, and ones I always strive to avoid when I review things.  Leave it to this show to have a short segment to highlight this issue before it even became huge. 

The targets are obsessed fanboys commenting over their computers on unimportant trivia and facts the show’s been a tad inaccurate on from over the years.  Although there was no social media in those days, there is some fitting relevance. The early days of the internet did provide something of a message board where fans discussed things like this.  While one fanboy is a big fat nerd who lives in his merchandise laden bedroom, others are designed like average everyday people, so enough respect is paid throughout. 

The attention then turns to a big campus designed to teach people like these fanboys that there are more important things in life than analyzing shows.  It’s perfectly fine to be passionate about them, but at the end of the day, they’re objectively works of fiction that have no bearing on the real world.  Through teaching this important lesson, comedic ways are worked in to get the idea of knocking sense into someone across.  The most effective way done is by a good old blow to the head from a mallet or anvil, and for the toughest clients, a greeting from Baloney the dinosaur.  By the end of the advert, the fanboys are still fans, but are clearly much more successful and do more than just sit around and analyzing a show to the point of not enjoying it.  That’s the lifestyle I follow, and I believe it suits me fine.  With the amount of nitpicking and harassments to hardworking showrunners on the internet, I believe other people should look to what this foundation provides too. 

On the whole, there’s so much insight to be found in this commercial parody that’s impressively ahead of its time.

A+

Cartoon Ranking

1.      The Warners’ 65^th Anniversary Special

2.      Super Strong Warner Siblings

3.      Baloney and Kids

4.      Ragamuffins

5.      Frontier Slappy

6.      Woodstock Slappy

7.      Deduces Wild

8.      Wakko’s Gizmo

9.      The Warners and the Beanstalk

10.  Brain Meets Brawn

11.  Morning Malaise

12.  Meet John Brain

13.  Yes, Always

14.  Drive Insane

15.  Lookit the Fuzzy Heads

16.  Take My Siblings Please

17.  A Hard Day’s Warners

18.  Wakko’s New Gookie

19.  Karaoke Dokie

20.  Nutcracker Slappy

21.  Witch One

22.  Of Course, You Know This Means Warners

23.  No Face Like Home

24.  Meet Minerva

25.  The Chicken Who Loved Me

26.  Scare Happy Slappy

27.  Bingo

28.  Smell Ya Later

29.  A Gift of Gold

30.  Ups and Downs

31.  Rest in Pieces

32.  The Helpinki Formula

33.  The Mindy 500

34.  Les Boutons et le Ballon

35.  Bad Mood Bobby

36.  Whistle Stop Mindy

37.  Gimme a Break

38.  Three Tenors and You’re Out

39.  Gold Rush

40.  Up a Tree

41.  Cranial Crusader

42.  Mermaid Mindy

43.  Katie Ka-Boom: The Driving Lesson

44.  With Three You Get Eggroll

45.  Kung Boo

46.  Pigeon on the Roof

47.  The Brave Little Trailer

48.  Girlfeathers

49.  Super Buttons

50.  We’re No Pigeons

51.  Miami-Mama Mia

52.  Fake

53.  Katie Ka-Boom: Call Waiting

54.  Katie Ka-Boon: The Blemish

55.  Katie Ka-Boom: The Broken Date

Song Ranking

1.      A Quake! A Quake!

2.      Variety Speak

3.      Schnitzelbank

4.      I’m Mad

5.      I’m Cute

6.      U.N. Me

7.      Dot’s Quiet Time

8.      Coo

Miscellaneous Ranking

1.      Please, Please, Please Get a Life Foundation

2.      Branimaniacs

3.      Previously on Animaniacs

4.      Macbeth

5.      Oh, Oh, Ethel

6.      Spike

 

 

 

 

 

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode filled with parodies of Lion King and Cat in the Hat, and animated takes on the Stanislavsky method of acting, and all the words in the English language.

If you would like to check out other Animaniacs reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.