Episode 99
Birds on a
Wire
Back in “Hooray for North Hollywood,” the first part opened and closed with scenes of the Goodfeathers perching on a wire and commenting on what they saw. They’d start off with the same mindset with how beautiful things like clouds and stars are, only for Squit and Pesto to disagree on something resulting in Pesto’s trademark rants. Back there, those sequences felt like they were only there to further pad out the ‘event.’
For this one, it’s treated like the standalone segment it was always meant to be. Only here, they all comment on the beauty of a sunrise as well as a nice breeze to feel. Pesto’s rant is a result of saying the breeze comes from the west while Squit says it’s from the north. As far as short segments go, these are actually a nice mix of the wholesome observant and the comically aggressive. Plus, it makes good use of the Goodfeathers considering they got next to no starring roles at this point in the series. Pesto and Squit make for an interesting dynamic that incites the debates and rants while Bobby stays the most level-headed of them all and knows what really matters. It’s a simple yet effective sketch that I wouldn’t have minded if it showed up more often during this era.
As we are on the last episode ever, this
particular segment is a decent warm-up for the true wonders about to unfold.
A
The Scoring
Session
While the show has fluctuated a bit in a lot of areas throughout this last stretch of episodes, there’s one element to it that’s been consistently strong, the music. For that, it’s fitting that it plays a big role in sending the series off in these remaining segments.
This one is a standard cartoon that plays to the process of scoring music for cartoons. To show off the scope of how big the orchestra responsible for it all is, they’re portrayed by a large number of supporting characters from the series manning various instruments. There are the principal ones like the Goodfeathers, Slappy and Skippy, Pinky and the Brain, Mindy, Rita and Runt, the Hip Hippos, Dr. Scratchansniff, Ralph, and Hello Nurse. Then there are more obscure characters who have never been as huge like the Mime, Katie Ka-Boom, Minerva Mink, Walter Wolf, Sid Squid, and Beanie Bison. Easily the most obscure of all is Stinkbomb the basset hound who’s only ever appeared once, making certain character omissions like Buttons kind of baffling.
Of course the standout characters in the orchestra are the main characters, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot themselves. Their oddball mannerisms contrast greatly with the conductor’s perfectionist views. Speaking of him, the orchestra is under the baton of a guest conductor, a rhino called Neivel Nosenest. He’s standing in for the regular conductor, the late great responsible for every bit of the elaborate music in this show, Richard Stone. Given how taxing the session later turns out to be, it’s practically relatable that he, in-universe, would need to be on sabbatical.
As various scenes of a cartoon play on a screen, the cast performs the music, and it’s big on relatability, and stretching the process of the sake of comedy all at once. Among the relatable aspects are several key players, including the Warners, stalling the session to ponder the notes they’ve been given, much to Neivel’s frustrations. The bulk of the comedy is very much reflective of the chaotic nature of cartoon that plays. Following a sunrise, it’s nonstop cartoony music that matches random scenes of Warners running through a menagerie of settings.
In the actual setting, things go quickly off course, yet still match the cartoon’s scenario brilliantly. The orchestra plays so wildly that quarter notes start swarming around like insects making peoples’ sheet music ‘unplayable.’ Yakko and Wakko have to take care of the notes as exterminators. This action leads them up on Neivel’s podium, and in typical Warners fashion, they make things crazier when they take the conducting baton to score the music themselves. It’s recklessness like this that hilariously clashes with the uptight and organized approach of Neivel. The music becomes so wacky and unrefined that the cartoon easily cuts from the Warners running around to random clips like Brain as Bubba Bo Bob Brain, and the Hip Hippos chilling. Given that the cartoon is already haphazard, this is practically fitting, and yet, the session and the cartoon wrap up on a good note, so to speak. However, for one last hard truth of composing, after all this energetic music-playing, nothing was actually recorded. Plus, before Neivel has a chance to conduct again, it’s break time, and he’s left to go insane. I have no experience with scoring sessions, but I imagine stuff like this happens a lot and is bound to drive whoever’s conducting crazy.
Ultimately, the fun of music, great use of
characters, and hilariously relatable stress make this cartoon a strong faux look
behind the scenes, and warm-up for the true musical highlight…
A+
The
Animaniacs Suite
In my opinion, this is the perfect way to send off a great series. On the surface, one might not think it amounts to much. It’s very much a sequence of clips from the majority of the past 99 episodes of the show set to an exceptional music score composed of various character themes. The thing is that this is what makes the final segment of the series the perfect send-off.
It’s the very thing that brings together everything from Animaniacs that’s great or has left a significant impact on the viewing audience throughout its entire run. Very often, it’s made everything work by timing the character’s personalities, the gags, and even movements to elaborate music from a meticulously conducted orchestra. Now it’s allowing the music to be heard and felt at its full potential. The use of existing clips from past episodes is also integral in paying tribute to the greatness of Animaniacs. It’s like the audience is being reminded of what has made the show the animated marvel it is and the clips match many variations of the music to a tee.
Just from the opening alone set to strains of the theme song, each clip is a perfect choice for its many variations. Those of manic chases and elaborate gags match the grandiose and bombastic covers while scenes of expressing love and sentiment match slower and emotional covers. Then both the music and clips take full advantage of the characters and their themes that have become easily distinguishable after getting to know the cast for a whole series. How the piece segues into different character themes seamlessly is quite impressive on the orchestra’s part. You can easily take in the manic energy of the Warners, the meticulous planning of Pinky and the Brain, the cuteness of Mindy and Buttons, the class of Rita and Runt, the beatings of the Goodfeathers, and the physical comedy of Slappy Squirrel all at once.
The accompanying clips accentuate the music very nicely as well with what’s happening on screen matching the tone of what the music conveys. Once the characters and themes are established, more clips pile onto each other as if to help the music build to a grand conclusion. When it comes, it fully delivers with one-last grand scale cover of the Animaniacs theme. As the end draws near, it practically seals the deal of how immersive this whole piece. It’s practically sad that the last clip is of the Warners getting captured, but I guess that’s reflective of the hard truth that after this, the great show as we know it is over.
I’m not 100% sure that the crew knew this was going to be the last of Animaniacs, but it really goes out in style with this piece. The orchestrations are amazing. There’s a grand look back on all the good times with the cast and the comedy. Best of all, the herculean task of looking through 99 episodes for the perfect accompanying clips is pulled off splendidly.
Some
series finales feature ultimate adventures, long-awaited events, or maybe even
rush things out to say things are resolved in spite of other visible problems. This one stands above those standards by
crafting an unbelievable emotional experience that reflects all the great
qualities the show it's ending should be remembered for.
With that in mind, it just makes it all the more wonderful that there
really aren’t many finales like this one, allowing Animaniacs to truly leave its mark on TV animation.
A++
Cartoon Ranking
1. This Pun for Hire
2. The Scoring Session
3. The Brain’s Apprentice
4. Magic Time
5. Bully for Skippy
6. Wakko’s 2-Note Song
7. Go Fish
8. From Burbank with Love
9. A Very, Very, Very, Very Special Show
10. Valuable Lesson
11. The Sound of Warners
12. Night of the Living Buttons
13. Dot’s Entertainment
14. Pitter Patter of Little Feet
15. Boo Happens
16. Buttons in Ows
17. Cutie and the Beast
18. Boo Wonder
19. Star Truck
20. The Sunshine Squirrels
21. Boids on the Hood
22. Back in Style
23. Our Final Space Cartoon We Promise
24. Yabba Dabba Boo
25. The Boo Network
26. The Carpool
27. The Party
28. The Girl with the Googily Goop
29. Mindy in Wonderland
30. Jokahontas
31. Gimme the Works
32. Ten Short Films About Wakko
33. Hooray for North Hollywood Part 1
34. Papers for Papa
35. My Mother the Squirrel
36. One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock
37. Hooray for North Hollywood Part 2
38. Amazing Gladiators
39. Prom Night
40. Cute First (Ask Questions Later)
41. Soda Jerk
42. The Christmas Tree
43. Hercules Unwound
44. Belly Button Blues
45. No Time For Love
46. Acquaintances
47. Oh Say Can You See
48. Soccer Coach Slappy
49. Anchors A-Warners
Song Ranking
1. The Animaniacs Suite
2. Dot – The Macadamia Nut
3. The Ballad of Magellan
4. Hello Nurse
5. Bones in the Body
6. Noel
7. The Big Wrap Party Tonight
8. When You’re Traveling from Nantucket
9. Panama Canal
10. Multiplication
11. Here Comes Attila
Miscellaneous Ranking
1. Punchline
2. It
3. Gunga Dot
4. Mighty Wakko at the Bat
5. Ralph’s Wedding
6. End Credits
7. Moosege in a Bottle
8. Rugrats Parody
9. Birds on a Wire
10. The 12 Days of Christmas
11. Flavio Commercials
12. The Return of the Great Wakkorotti
13. Pinky and the Ralph
Final Thoughts
When
talking about your favorite show, it’s always sure to be a great deal of
fun. For that, it’s a little bittersweet
that my look at the last stretch of Animaniacs
has been covered. However, it’s also
very rewarding to know that I’ve been able to share my thoughts on all areas of
the series proper. While this is so, in
the specific case of Volume 4, it’s also become noticeable how much of a downgrade
it is from the glory days.
Now,
by downgrade, I don’t mean that the series has gone majorly downhill or even
gotten all that bad. The material just
doesn’t have the same impactful or memorable punch that the other sets of
episodes have, and there can be several reasons for that. As was the case in the last couple episodes
on the Volume 3 DVD, there isn’t much variety as there was in the earlier days
mainly through the main stars of cartoons.
When it comes to core members of the cast, the only ones who take the
spotlight frequently are the Warners and Slappy Squirrel. This makes sense as they are the strongest reoccurring
characters, and Slappy is the ideal character to be the second most prominent
star with Pinky and the Brain doing their spinoff. The problem is that getting so much of
certain characters and not enough of others doesn’t do a fitting service to the
varied cast the series has showcased for so long. It practically feels fresh when a cartoon of
the Goodfeathers, Mindy and Buttons, and even the occasional Pinky and the
Brain starring role come up since there’s so few of them. Also gratifying is that episode structures
aren’t always the same with some being heavy on songs and parody bumpers
in-between all-cartoon driven episodes. That
said, certain topics covered in episodes often feel very odd such as three
episodes containing a Christmas-themed segment when nothing else connects to
the holiday.
Looking
at the cartoons themselves, another major thing to note about these episodes is
their constant need to parody any pop culture element that comes to mind. Now for the most part, cartoons and segments
that jab at popular properties come off really well. They’re crafted in a way where you don’t have
to know anything about them to enjoy them, and have some truth behind reported
shortcomings. That said, there being so
many works centering on pop culture feels overbearing at times. Sometimes, the characters can get so into
what they’re parodying that what’s meant to make fun of something might as
well be taken seriously. Other times, the
parody is so dead-on reflective of the real thing removing any sort of fun that
could come from the material, particularly in the Friends parody “Acquaintances.”
This in turn leads to the biggest drawback of this set of episodes. There are several times when great ideas don’t live up to their potential. As a series known to really get into having fun with animation, this is a pretty disappointing element to many of the cartoons. In addition to certain parody cartoons falling flat from a humor standpoint, standard cartoons frequently come off as misfires. A good number of Warners cartoons are sadly below the usual high standards. Some feature them doing something very mundane like getting rid of hiccups or throwing a party that’s surprisingly light on excitement and only exists for a lame joke. Their animated antics are present, but through repetitive processes and taking place in a single setting, it’s nowhere near as fun as they usually make things. Sometimes there’s promise for something big for the series such as a two-part special that looks into a plethora of movie satires, and changes the status quo somewhat. The final result is that in spite of great songs and Hollywood jabs, everything is tied together with a very slow-paced story where the featured characters are majorly watered down.
In fact what’s done with many of the principal characters is what majorly holds such works back. There are times when the Warners aren’t just noticeably tamed from their usual hilarity but they stray away from vital rules that make their nature as annoying entities work. When inflicting on antics on people who deserve to be taken down a peg, what they cause is overly morbid with no comedic edge like in “Cute First (Ask Questions Later)”. Even worse is that they tend to go after people not deserving of having their days or activities ruined. “Anchors A-Warners” is the worst offender of this with Dr. Scratchansniff getting tortured by the Warners while trying to enjoy a cruise, and he never wronged them at all. Him being undeserving of punishment is the very thing wrong with what’s regularly done with the Warners’ treatment of others in these cartoons. The fact that he gets injuries that never heal is also telling of how plots like these fail on a comedic sense. That even goes for cartoons with interesting animation history where certain stars the Warners are sold to are injured for life because of them like in “Back in Style.”
Adding insult to injury is that the second most prominently shown character, Slappy Squirrel, isn’t given material
to do justice for her character either.
Rather than owning classic cartoon comedy, she’s mainly shown doing
lighter things like raising a bluebird for one cartoon or coaching a soccer team. Her comedic edge is also
compromised a couple of times. She gets serious dementia over something silly
like talk shows and is treated like an actual squirrel in the wild whose tree
is used for Rockefeller Center at Christmas.
It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what’s weaker about this stretch
of Animaniacs material compared to
others, but these observations are what stick out the most.
While
I can’t hesitate to say that this part of Animaniacs
is the weakest of the series, what must be stressed is that the series doesn’t
become bad because of the weak points.
In fact, it’s still really great overall, and there are plenty of times
when the show stands as very impressive.
Despite the amount of cartoons where things don’t always click into the
high animated quality the show usually reaches, those that do showcase the
series as the best of the best. The
amount of cartoons that go all out with creative or comedic concepts are very
impactful and easily make up for any area of weakness. This works in great favor for the Warners
who, despite getting material that doesn’t always do them justice, are in top
form when everything in a cartoon works.
They add in high quality comedy at literally every chance they get
during a film noir style mystery in “This Pun for Hire.” Preachy environmental shorts get the mocking
they kind of deserve as they make a vain one just to get an award in “A Very, Very, Very, Very Special Show.”
Activities like playing go fish and writing a song with two notes are
given elaborate portrayals. There’s
solid chemistry between their zany nature and their secret agent partner in
“From Burbank With Love.” Their more
notable performances show them find clever ways to use comedic cartoon violence
and please the network censors by only showing the violence’s after
effects. That’s pleasing to see since other animated series never became nearly as antic-driven or creative with violence once
this show had ended. Heck, even Slappy
Squirrel manages to shine in this category with arguably her truest-to-form
cartoon on this set of episodes, “Bully for Skippy.”
On
that note, another big strength to these cartoons is how they allow lesser
characters of the past to really shine with some of their most solid
material. Sparse as their starring roles
are, their appearances are honestly some of their best works of the
series. Mindy and Buttons are the most
prominently used lower tier characters in the spotlight with three cartoons
that make their formulaic nature work.
The pain gags are actually funny, there’s more imagination through
running through film parodies, and Buttons getting scolded has much less of a
sting. I bet these characters would be
much better received if this was the general approach to their cartoons. The Goodfeathers also get more solid than
average material here that doesn’t focus on them constantly getting beaten, but more on their chemistry as a group. This
in turn makes for fun bumpers of them perching on wires and compliment on
little things like stars, clouds, and the wind only to break up the pleasing
nature with Pesto’s rant. Their sole
starring role in a cartoon also has them fight back when they get too beaten
which is practically satisfying after their share of material. Even bottom of the barrel characters are
given solid performances. The Hip
Hippos’ best role may involve working off of the Brain disguised as their baby,
but their solo starring roles in “Amazing Gladiators” is actually a fun and
exciting game show plot. Katie Ka-Boom
may still be largely unpleasant as a character though. However, through her
material here providing decent reasons for reacting and her family standing up
to her, she’s at least more bearable than usual. There are even several instances where
characters don’t just stick to their own universes, but also join together for
certain starring roles. In other words,
a lot of works in this set of episodes are very welcome cast gatherings. They mostly appear in parody shorts of poems
and song numbers requiring them to get together as a group, but it plays to a
lot of series strengths. With many core
characters together, you get a feel of the mere size of the cast and the comedy
stands at its most creative. In fact,
this is the very feel that’s needed for showcasing things like baseball games,
hanging at a resort, weddings, news interviews, scoring sessions, and wrap parties. I’d go so far as to say that
this is the biggest advantage these last episodes have over the older episodes.
Cartoons
may vary in quality, but there’s solid consistency in other areas of these
episodes. The parodies may be
overbearing, but they’re still fun to see for the most part. There are plenty of bumpers that spoof on
commercials or intros to popular shows.
Some are thoroughly authentic like a parody of the opening to Rugrats or a lead-in to a cartoon that
feels straight out of Rocky and
Bullwinkle. Some even offer a
brilliant mixes of atmospheric horror with cartoonish comedy such as an opening
bumper parodying a scene from It. Even some cartoons parodying properties stand
out by making strong points about what’s being parodied. For all its faults, “Back in Style” speaks
honestly about the cheapness of limited TV animation from back in the day. “Star Truck” feels more like a culmination of
the show’s constant Star Trek jokes
and is staged in a way to still be funny even if you’ve never seen the original
series. The most effective and memorable
parody cartoons are those of the dominating success of Disney. “Cutie and the Beast” builds a fun adventure
from what’s essentially a smaller-scaled intentionally inferior version of the
decade’s most celebrated animated musical. “Jokahontas” is especially
well-timed coming just as the trend of Disney films were starting to feel
formulaic and corporate despite still being big moneymakers. These are the types of parodies that easily
resonate with audiences and reflect an entertainment period sure to take the
interests of the masses. It doesn’t
change the fact that parodies are slightly overly abundant this time around
though.
One
thing that’s equally abundant here is music, and it is especially consistently
good, living up to its great potential even in the weakest of works. I mean, it’s practically what makes every
disappointment of “Hooray for North Hollywood” worth everything. With all this in mind, it goes without saying
that the music stands strong on its own.
Episode 82 is practically nothing but music-related shorts where
practically everything delivers. There’s
also cleverness to the songs themselves.
Some of them reach for truly off-the-wall educational topics like
multiplication, bones in the body, the Panama Canal, and historical figures
like Magellan. Aside from one song about
Attila the Hun, the material is made catchy, funny, and cohesively educational
making what’s taught instead of probably forgotten. There are also great works that exist for
fun’s sake that stick just as well. They can be about one of the core
characters in the cast, another multi-character get-together, or a parody of
the latest music craze that holds up way better than the real thing. You could argue that the show’s crew knew
that the music is the strongest thing about the series when it comes to the
series finale. It’s a work all about the
music with two winning segments. One is
another funny cartoon of the entire cast in a scoring session that perfectly
showcases the painstaking efforts animation composers go through to pull off
something great. The other is a
brilliant way to look back on the best moments of the show set to grand orchestral
covers of character themes from the series that brought everything to life. I
understand that it’s not always easy to please everyone when it comes to
writing cartoons or material for characters.
However, when it comes to music, there’s no denying that even at the
show’s lowest point, it always manages to deliver.
While
the content of Animaniacs Vol 4 isn’t
the show at its best, it’s still remarkable that what the episodes have to
offer is still great as it is. While
there are plenty of signs of burnout, there are also a lot of impressive
performances and sequences that continue to benefit animation as an art. I may not be drawn to return to a lot of
these works as much as those from the first three DVD volumes, but they don’t
make me think any less of my favorite animated series. Some parts are even quite admirable in fact
and really make the volume worth owning.
This overall means this run of episodes is the black sheep of the
series, but still one that deserves to be included with the rest of the flock.
Highly Recommended
But wait!
There’s more!
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