My Mother the Squirrel / The Party / Oh Say Can You See? / The 12 Days of Christmas - (Animaniacs Vol 4 Part 4) - 'Toon Reviews 39

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Episode 79

My Mother the Squirrel

If the tail-end of my Vol 3 reviews is any indication, the Kids WB years are not exactly going to be kind to Slappy Squirrel.  Introduced as a retired cartoon star who uses her knowledge of cartoon violence to get around in modern life, she came off as one of the show’s most interesting stars.  At this point though, she’s not exactly teaching the art of cartoon violence.  With little to no emphasis on big explosions or cartoonish gags, it seems that the grumpy old squirrel part of Slappy’s character is the sole thing that remains in her cartoons.  Still, going into them with an open mind is sure to bring something worthwhile from the experience such as in this cartoon.  

As a take on one of the show’s better one-off cartoons “Wild Blue Yonder,” it’s an alternate take on the little blue bird who hatches while his mother’s away.  Like in the previous cartoon, the bird believes anything close by is his mother, though is smart enough to not mistake a plane for one again.  However, he does see the easily agitated Slappy as his mother, and sticks with that mindset throughout the cartoon.  In the process, there’s something amusing about a child as innocent as the bird up against a total grump like Slappy.  Sure, she’s done better comedic routines, but there’s nothing really bad about what the bird puts her through.  Even when she becomes annoyed enough to flat out kick the bird out, there’s something cute about the bird still going back to her without even listening.  It also makes for some of the most awkward positions Slappy finds herself in as the bird keeps insisting she sits on him, giving her a very weird sensation down below.  Only advice from Skippy, who happens to have a book on the subject of birds, can give Slappy the slightest understanding of what this bird wants.  

It’s through this willingness to learn how to care for the bird that slowly has her warm up to the fledgling, though it may be through a tolerance of him flying under her.  The bird also proves his worth to Slappy by opening nuts too difficult to crack, and adopting Slappy’s crankiness by yelling at another bird, his real mother, to be quiet.  So by the end, despite their differences, Slappy and the bird bond very nicely.  It would make the transition in tone to Slappy’s cartoons a lot more acceptable if the bird stuck around with her for the rest of the series.  

Yes, for all its potential as the start of a fresh new dynamic, it’s really just as much of a one-off as the bird’s first appearance.  It becomes noticeable that the Slappy cartoons really won’t be as good as they used to be, but this cartoon manages to stand strong enough as a very cute cartoon by itself.

B+

The Party

In case it wasn’t obvious enough of how the Warners operate radically differently from the outside world, this cartoon perfectly showcases that idea.  Even in a setup as simple as a dinner party, they always find some way to apply outrageous comedy to almost every area.  

They invite people they usually antagonize like Ralph the Guard, Dr. Scratchansniff, and even CEO Thaddeus Plotz. This interestingly suggests they have no hard feelings to the people in their lives, although the former two people have been shown to be on good terms with the Warners as of now.  As for Plotz, who has yet to have developed such a good rapport with the Warners, he takes much more convincing when he’s told Steven is going to be at the party.  Clearly suggesting that they mean Steven Spielberg, Plotz is more than willing to put up with what the Warners have in mind for the evening.  

At the actual party, while it seems much more subdued for something thrown by the Warners, there are at least a few standout elements.  With the guests asked to bring dates, there are returns of a few memorable side characters like Ralph’s wife, and Dr. Scratchansniff’s date from “Drive-Insane.”  Plotz is only able to ask a totally random woman with a tendency to add a cadence to a lot of what she says, showing how low his social life really is.  The comedy brings a few awkward moments that kind of go both ways.  Some of them are just plain off-putting like the guests offered peanut butter sandwiches as a dinner appetizer.  It feels like the comedy’s supposed to come from a long sequence of nothing but everyone eating them and having nothing to drink to wash the food down.  Thankfully, other moments are a more enjoyable kind of awkward.  There’s a running joke of the Warners suggesting everyone to go meet Christopher Walken before cutting to his unusual physique and monotone voice.  Even if the joke is repetitive, it somehow gets funnier every time it happens.  Following the peanut butter sandwich scene, there’s also a humorous dance from Wakko who publicizes this party being an event where he wears pants.  It might not seem too big, but it’s more meaningful considering how he often claims that he’s not wearing pants.  The dance itself is fun to watch and is highlighted by a few trademark belches, although in playing to the awkwardness of the scene, everyone is appropriately disgusted.  

Now the prospect of Steven showing up is the only reason Plotz puts up with all this nonsense.  However, as you can guess, the Steven the Warners were referring to is not Steven Spielberg, but rather, the fat fanboy from the Please Please Please Get a Life Foundation.  Like the Warners say, that’s a long way to go for a stupid joke, but it warrants a few good laughs nonetheless.  With this cartoon, despite it not being the Warners’ best work, it’s proof that there is room for good entertainment even when low-key and simple.

A-

Oh Say Can You See

The Flame is among the more unusual characters in the cast of this show.  It’s not that there’s anything wild or eccentric about him, but a flame with a childlike voice lighting up a room as a document of American history is written isn’t in line with the main tone.  It’s cute for sure, but not exactly a winning staple of comedy.  Yet, his material has come off as fresh and atmospheric, or even brimming with American spirit.  This cartoon being the Flame’s final starring role doesn’t even come close to those works though it’s still decent as it is.  

It follows Francis Scott Key taken prisoner on a ship during the War of 1812.  While in a cell watching the battle rage on, the American flag still standing inspires him to write what becomes the American national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner.”  The Flame goes through his usual motions once Francis summons him with a match.  He groggily comes to, freaks out that there’s a fire when he’s fire, and then realizes that Francis is about to write something.  After that, the cartoon is nothing more than the Flame reading what Francis writes for “The Star Spangled Banner.”  At least there are a few obscure historical references, like the lyric “by the dawn’s early light” originally being “through the dawn’s early light.”  For authenticity’s sake, the word through is crossed out, as would be the case with any song’s first draft.  

That said, there’s nothing to make the cartoon stand as anything special.  There’s nothing whimsical of the Flame’s surrounding like his first cartoon, nor is there a dramatic visualization of what’s being written like in his second cartoon.  Then again, there’s nothing whimsical about a ship’s prison hold and the flag still waving is dramatic visualization enough even if it’s not that impressive.  There’s hardly even stakes to the surroundings other than the Flame in danger of falling into the ocean as Francis tries to get to a boat when a cannonball sets him free.  Finally, when the song is written, it ends at a random scene of a baseball game.  I know the national anthem is common to hear in baseball, but it just feels shallow to say that things like that are all the song is good for.  

In fact, shallow is a good way to describe this cartoon.  It’s nothing more than the Flame watching someone write a document with no real stand out moments.  Maybe if the other cartoons in this episode were America-themed it would be easier to enjoy this.  As it stands, the work is fine, but is overall something that just happens.

C

The 12 Days of Christmas

It’s one thing for an episode to have an America-themed cartoon when no other segment follows that subject in the slightest, but this one goes a step further.  It includes a Christmas-themed segment when nothing else in here relates to that holiday.  While the audience is sure to be left dumbfounded by this direction, there is some remote humor to the given material especially when looking at the segment’s background.  

Apparently, Cody Ruegger, one of the sons of creator, Tom Reugger, learning the titular carol was the inspiration.  The final result gives a good idea of how that turned out.  Set against a fitting holiday setting of a concert with an orchestra composed of principal characters of the series, the little blue bird comes out to perform.  The orchestra plays the song, and the bird starts to sing.  This is where the humor completely bursts out as the bird’s rendition of “The 12 Days of Christmas” is very loud, very off-key, and consists of nothing but turtle doves.  To further drive this background home, the bird is voiced by Cody, giving a feel that this segment is an excuse to show how he learned the carol.  That goes to show that even when a little kid has the wrong idea about something, the results can be quite funny.  Being incredibly short allows the comedy to really stick and not go on longer than it needs to.  It allows the show to keep its status of being literally anything it wants to be and coming off as successful.  Coming from a personal recount of the series creator certainly helps.  

You still can’t shake off the oddness of getting a Christmas segment in a non-Christmas episode, but with the right attitude, it’s still good for a Yuletide laugh.

A-

Cartoon Ranking

1.      This Pun for Hire

2.      Go Fish

3.      The Sound of Warners

4.      Buttons in Ows

5.      Star Truck

6.      Yabba Dabba Boo

7.      The Party

8.      Gimme the Works

9.      My Mother the Squirrel

10.  Hercules Unwound

11.  Oh Say Can You See

Song Ranking

1.      Multiplication

Miscellaneous Ranking

1.      The 12 Days of Christmas

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode all about Dot via an Andrew Lloyd Webber parody, a take on Betty Boop, and a humorous version of Gunga Din.

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