Tuesday, March 24, 2020

The Sound of Warners / Yabba Dabba Boo - (Animaniacs Vol 4 Part 3) - 'Toon Reviews 39



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Episode 78
The Sound of Warners
One film that I seem to appreciate more the older I get is The Sound of Music.  Such an inspiring emphasis on the power of music and wholesome themes of family love amidst sweeping production values is simply one of cinema’s most enthralling works. In its trend of parodying popular works, this film is the target of this carton.  Thankfully, this cartoon doesn’t really attack The Sound of Music for what it is.  It instead shows how the nature of that film doesn’t fit that of a cartoon starring the Warners.  

Starting off with overhead pans of the city of Burbank just before the first song, the immersion in the parodied material is clear.  As for the first song that plays just as the focus is set on the cartoon's version of Maria, named Prunella Flundergust, it sets up a funny formula for the song parodies.  This one is of the titular song of The Sound of Music which highlights the beauty of nature that causes the performer to burst into song.  In the parody, it describes the much less attractive smog-filled, traffic laden Burbank street, but is approached with the same love for nature.  One thing you can get out of this fist song is that it’s very telling of what to expect from Prunella.  Like the original Maria, when she has the spirit of song in her heart, she’s just got to express it everywhere.  Though unlike Maria, Prunella is too fixated on her songs to show any emotion other than joy and happiness and practically seems inhumane.  This is realized when she reaches the Warner Bros studio, where she willingly takes on the role of the Warners’ new nanny.  

In a lively song parody of “Maria,” a list of all the wild things the kids do to the studio staff leads to their introduction.  The Warners at first are perfectly accepting of a new nanny, even adding their own musical flair.  However, the moment Prunella shows her overbearing motherly ways, the Warners can tell they're in real trouble.  It seems that the Warners can overpower people with their overbearing traits, but are virtually powerless against the overbearing ways of other people.  With Prunella’s singing about anything, it’s too much even for them.  She takes them on a picnic they attempt to rope Dr. Scratchansniff into, and she breaks into a number about poison oak he catches.  Fitting the comedic parodies, this number is all the funnier when you find out it’s a play on one of the film’s most endearing songs “Edelweiss.”  At night, the Warners toss and turn in fear over Prunella’s smothering, and her help only makes them more afraid in a sappy modern reference-filled take on “My Favorite Things.”  This is enough to move them to violence, but when Wakko tries, he can’t go through with it.  

Via a fourth wall-break, it’s because the Warners annoying people isn’t that simple.  They have to be provoked by someone being mean or rude.  So, the Warners work their own annoying musical antics during Prunella’s songs about the benefits of oatmeal parodying another endearing song, “Climb Every Mountain.”  Despite how boisterous they are, she’s completely unmoved.  After a good effort, the Warners resort to their next best option by asking for help from someone who enjoys blowing people up as a hobby, Slappy Squirrel.  In her humorous ways, she nonchalantly gives the blissfully unaware Prunella a bunch of dynamite that blows her all the way to where she belongs.  Even if you have only the slightest knowledge of The Sound of Music you can tell that it’s the home of the Von Trappe family where she’ll become the children's governess.  As for the Warners, it seems that they still can’t shake off Julie Andrews characters when soon afterwards, they’re met with a Mary Poppins parody.  I wonder if they’ll realize she’s even firmer than her Sound of Music character.  

On the whole though, this is a solid parody of a classic musical with hilarious takes on the songs, and a humorous showing of a character out of place in a given environment.
A+

Yabba Dabba Boo
Among the characters in this show’s cast, one of the absolute most formulaic is Chicken Boo.  The giant, realistic-looking chicken somehow making it big until his disguise comes off follows the same routine every time.  Yet, more often than not, the formula works with the cartoons being short and never overstaying their welcome. They even have a few of their own distinctive surprises.  There are a few notable ones here in this cartoon about Chicken Boo playing a renowned director helping a film crew get a film adaptation of The Flintstones off the ground.  

First off, some of the members of the crew are caricatures of people who actually work on Animaniacs.  The man in charge of the meeting is a caricature of staff writer Peter Hastings.  One of the directors bears a striking resemblance to the series creator, Tom Reugger.  The one director calling Chicken Boo out for who he really is takes a liking to Sherri Stoner, complete with the snark of a certain squirrel she voices on the show.  Throughout the meeting, there’s a fresh take on how hilariously easy it is for the outside world to fall for a chicken in a flimsy disguise.  When asked what Fred Flintstone would do in certain situations, all Chicken Boo can answer with is a few authentic chicken clucks.  This is enough to send the directors laughing as if those clucks are perfect for the scenes they have in mind all while the Sherri Stoner caricature gives a deadpan glance to the whole thing.  It’s one of those things that make Chicken Boo so stupid that you just can’t help but laugh at it.  

As for how he’s exposed, it’s actually one of the most believable ways for that to happen.  Lunch comes in for the film crew, and they all happen to be cooked chicken entrees.  The very sight of them is enough to make Chicken Boo freak out as the sight of dead chickens would typically do to a living one, and these actions cause his disguise to come off.  His identity exposed gets him kicked out as usual, though you can’t help but wonder how the film will turn out now.  Will the crew still use Chicken Boo’s decisions they felt were genius?  Are they going to have to think harder for something for Fred to say in those scenes?  That’s one of the inherent problems with these Chicken Boo cartoons.  

Still, I give credit for this being one of the best cartoons to embrace the sheer ridiculousness of the idea of his formula.
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.      Gimme the Works
8.      Hercules Unwound
Song Ranking

1.      Multiplication


Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where Slappy Squirrel becomes mother to a bluebird, the Warners hold a dinner party, the Flame comes back one more time to help write the Star-Spangled Banner, and there's even a funny take on a favorite Christmas song.

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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