'Toon Reviews 14: Animaniacs Vol 1 Part 6: Flipper Parody/Temporary Insanity/Operation: Lollipop/What Are We?

Episode 6

Flipper Parody

It’s common for an episode that comes up short to include shorter material to make the running time long enough.  In addition to the bridging segments and scenes of the Warners leaving or returning to their water tower mentioned at the start of these reviews, there would also be cold openers that would parody TV shows or commercials.  Unlike the other shorts, there’s enough variety to the cold openers that make them worth talking about, and that includes this cold opener which is a parody of the intro to the old TV series Flipper. 

 

It’s very short with not a lot to it though, but the shots of the Warners swimming underwater and jumping on the ocean surface as well as the tune of the song they sing pay great respect to the series.  However, given the comedic tone of these characters, there’s an edge of humor thrown in when, instead of a lyric about the great life they live, they throw in new words about how they cause confusion set to a physical gag of slamming a waterskiing Ralph the Guard into a buoy. 

So, we do open the episode with a few short laughs, but the whole short isn’t enough to make it stand out as more than what it’s intended to be.  It’s nothing special overall, but it’s harmless enough. 8/10

Temporary Insanity

Although the Warners are meant to be viewed as an annoyance for how much they pop in on others’ business and never stop joking around with them, it’s impossible not to love them not just for their hilarity, but also for a sense of innocence to their madness when they make a genuine effort to complete certain tasks.  However, their annoying others is at its best when it’s targeted towards someone who’s a total jerk. 

At their home environment of the Warner Bros studio, the character who always seems to deserve getting annoyed by them the most is the CEO, Thaddeus Plotz.  His short-temper, major care towards money, and lack of patience do not make him the most likable person to hang around, and given that he snubbed the Warners a chance at attending a party even though they acted how he wanted them to in the last episode, he’s fully open to being taken down a peg.  This cartoon has such a thing happen to Plotz when his secretary goes home sick, and the number she gives him is a call for the Warners to take her spot. 

As is usually the case with these characters, their wackiness provides a unique comical approach to the mundane secretary position.  It feels like they’re putting in genuine effort to the job, but can only approach it as the silly cartoon characters they are.  As a result, there’s not really a narrative to follow since all we get is one gag from the Warners after another, but that just goes to show that sometimes in animation, you don’t always need a plot to show off the talents of everyone involved.  All you need is to place characters in one setting, and with clever writing and direction, put all the jokes and humorous scenarios for the characters to do on display leading to a collection of animated greatness resulting from the setup. 

From this setup, the Warners certainly have a lot of animated greatness from how they act as temporary secretaries.  There’s Dot on a fast-talking spree of putting callers on hold and then breaking to flirt with Mel Gibson, Yakko making Plotz sign random papers as well as trick him into signing a big check, each sibling giving their own off-the-wall approach to forms of paperwork set to a lively tune, and everyone misunderstanding what Plotz means by “take a note.”  There’s also a running gag where the Warners immediately stop what they’re doing to fight over who answers the phone when it rings with Wakko constantly failing capped with hilarious delivery of the line: “I never get to get it!” 

As out-of-control as the way the Warners go about the job is, the fact that they never seem to be messing everything up on purpose makes them worth rooting for when Plotz loses so much patience with them that he feels obliged to attack them.  However, one last bit of the telephone gag that includes a fast-paced chase around the studio that builds up the cartoon gags as the phone drags a bunch of poles into the building satisfies everything on all fronts.  It brings Plotz down a peg for losing too much of his cool when dealing with zany kids just trying to help, gives the collection of comedy a grand finish, and even gives a satisfying concluding point for Wakko when he finally answers the phone. 

In the end, we have a cartoon overflowing with comedic genius that only the Warner Brothers and the Warner Sister can bring with an onslaught of well-written gags, the perfect character at the receiving end, and a strong sense of fun all throughout.  10/10

Operation: Lollipop

This is our official introduction to Mindy and Buttons, probably the most divisive cast members featured in the theme song.  In most of their cartoons, the premise is highly identical.  Mindy is put outside to play while in a harness while her dog, Buttons, is in charge of keeping an eye on her.  However, when something catches Mindy’s eye, she finds a way to break from her harness and chases after it while Buttons chases after her to keep her safe, but constantly gets hurt in various ways depending on where Mindy runs off to.  In the case of this cartoon, the thing Mindy chases after is a lollipop her mom gives her that gets stuck on the side of a mail truck and the chase leads them all the way to the inside of a mail plane taking off. 

While we do basically get the same thing happening in these cartoons, I still find them enjoyable for what they are since there is some variation to the formula depending on where Mindy and Buttons end up going.  Mindy herself prides herself on general cuteness most of the time, but still has her own appeal for her comedic bits of calling her mom “Lady” or a random male “Mr. Man,” constantly asking why bystanders she meets do what they do (not shown here), and how relatable she is to little kids who are easily attracted to something cute.  It happened a lot with me when I was her age. 

Buttons is certainly put through a lot of hardships of following Mindy into a danger-filled environment and enduring the pain of them all, but it’s tolerable so long as he doesn’t get hurt in a way that feels too realistic.  Here, the pain he endures isn’t very concerning since it’s basically running into things or falling down a manhole only to pop out while humorously running away from a gator.  The more memorable ways Buttons hurts himself come in at the plane such as when he’s comically crushed by the plane’s wheels dragged inside during takeoff or struggling to stand on the wing while opening the door to where Mindy’s searching for the lollipop.  Speaking of Mindy, it’s hard for me not to hope she can get her lollipop back given her clear sadness when it gets away from her as well as how she’s willing to try and get it back herself without bothering anyone about it. 

The way both she and Buttons end up home is nicely constructed too when, while holding onto Mindy to keep her and her lollipop from falling out of the plane, Buttons has his paw grab a mail bag that parachutes them all back to the yard.  However, since Buttons ends up with letters all around him, Mindy’s mother scolds him because it looks like he attacked the mailman when he was told not to.  This is another part of the Mindy and Buttons formula, and given that it’s present in almost all their cartoons, that makes it a given that very few cartoons of these characters will get top-tier status.  After all the trouble Buttons is put through, it’s really not fitting to see him deal with the scorn of his masters.  Usually though, while it is mean, it’s not a huge sting since these parts are short and don’t make the enjoyable factors any less enjoyable, and the scolding scene for this cartoon is one of them to fit this criteria. 

So, even with the formulaic and occasional mean elements, this and many other Mindy and Buttons cartoons to come offer enough cuteness, excitement, and laughs to make this cartoon worth sitting through. 8/10

What Are We?

While most standalone song segments on this show are designed to educate the audience on certain topics, there are times when a song exists because the crew behind this show has a fun idea for one. 

This song in particular plays around with the idea of one of the biggest questions about the Warners regarding what type of creatures they are.  Their overall designs are unlike anything of most animals, and while they may have some characteristics of animals like dogs, and have been described as monkeys in an earlier segment, they just don’t seem to fit the complete mold of any one creature.  The uniqueness of their species is just one interesting thing about these kids, but it still leaves something big to ponder over. 

Starting off with them once again being too crazy for Dr. Scratchansniff to reform, when the psychiatrist goes on a tirade about how they aren’t normal, the Warners explain just what type of normal creatures they could very well be the only way the can, singing.  It’s a fast-paced ditty of the kids listing various animals with several comedic bits from acting as many of them.  They include Dot acting as a cat and adding in a line on sharpening her claws on Scratchansniff’s couch when he least expects it, Yakko acting as a horse with wild mannerisms that send Scratchansniff through a wall, Scratchansniff freaking out by wilder suggestions the kids think of, and any time they transform into other animals.  The whole song fascinates with how the Warners can fit the mold of almost any animal imaginable, as well as being a hilarious watch in general, just what we’d expect moments with the Warners to be like at this point. 

Ultimately, the song doesn’t really provide an answer for what exactly the Warners are, which can make the whole thing feel empty for some, but if you’re in the right mind, their response that what they are is cute can be interpreted that as cartoon characters, they can really be anything they want which is in line with their unpredictable nature.  In all, you might not get any substantial answers to one of the biggest questions about the Warners with this song, but you’re sure to get a nice dose of great entertainment. 9.5/10

Cartoon Ranking

1. Slappy Goes Walnuts
2. H.M.S. Yakko
3. Hooked on a Ceiling
4. Temporary Insanity
5. De-zanitized
6. Win Big
7. Taming of the Screwy
8. Cookies for Einstein
9. Operation: Lollipop
10. Goodfeathers: The Beginning

Song Ranking

1. Yakko’s Universe
2. Yakko’s World
3. The Monkey Song
4. What Are We?

Miscellaneous Ranking

1. Nighty-Night Toon
2. Flipper Parody

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode where the Warners end up in a piano concert of all things while hiding from their captors, and in Rita and Runt's debut starring role, we find out how Rita met Runt.

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

'Toon Reviews 4: The Loud House Season 1 Episode 1

Starting today, the animated TV show being looked at on the blog will be on the modern side with a recent one from Nickelodeon that’s actually really good thanks to its humor, heart, unique animation style, use of character, and a great look at family life:

The Loud House (Season 1)

Basic Premise

Throughout the 2000s straight into the 2010s, Nickelodeon didn’t really seem to have very appealing series, which is a shame considering how much of a powerhouse of entertainment they were in the previous decade with shows like Hey Arnold, Ren and Stimpy, Rocko’s Modern Life, Rugrats, and even the first three seasons of SpongeBob Squarepants, which hold up today.  After those shows, Nickelodeon’s programming became mostly boring, stupid, mean-spirited, or just downright disgusting and not worth your time with shows like Fanboy and Chum-Chum, Sanjay and Craig, and Breadwinners.  Not to mention, they’ve gone on to run shows like SpongeBob and Fairly Oddparents into the ground by having them run too long and lose what made them so beloved in the past.  Sure, in this time period they’ve released the two shows of the Avatar franchise, but those great shows are far and few between the bad shows.  Then, in 2015, Nickelodeon released a show that was actually critically-acclaimed called Harvey Beaks suggesting that the network was slowly getting out of its slump.  I trust that it’s very good, but I haven’t seen it due to lack of interest (maybe someday I will).  What did interest me though was the subject of the coming set of reviews which is the Nicktoon that followed Harvey Beaks that deserves all the praise it’s gotten, The Loud House.

This is a simple slice-of-life show where the stories are very basic and grounded in reality.  However, much like something like Peanuts, it gets a lot of mileage out of its basic life stories and creates something that’s funny, relatable, endearing, and overall universally appealing.  To be honest, it’s pretty easy to see that when you read what the show’s all about.  It follows an 11-year-old boy named Lincoln, who goes through life as the only boy in a family with 10 sisters each with their own distinct personality.  They include Lori, the bossy, boy-crazy teenager, Leni, the dumb blond, Luna, the aspiring rocker, Luan, the incurable prankster and comedian, Lynn, the sports nut, Lucy, the spooky little girl, Lana, the handywoman, Lola, the pageant queen, Lisa, the child prodigy, and Lily, the baby.  With characters this distinctive and rich with personality, one can tell that they can really do a lot with even the simplest of plots.  Sure enough they do which helps in making this a great achievement from Nickelodeon, which means a lot now.  However, to see just how great of an achievement this show is, we’ll be going through the many short cartoons that make up this show’s first season; BTW, it’s honestly hard to believe it's only a year old.  Anyway, we better get started exploring the life of Nickelodeon’s biggest family; brace yourselves, things will get chaotic.

 

 

Now on with the reviews:

 Left in the Dark

Not only is this a strong premiere cartoon, it’s a really dang great cartoon in general.  At its core is an incredibly simple story about Lincoln trying to beat his sisters to the TV and later heading down to the dark basement to fix everything when the power goes out.  That doesn’t sound like much, but thanks to the diverse cast of characters the story feels a lot bigger than it really is.  We get a great sense of what the sisters’ personalities are like near the beginning when Lincoln cleverly appeals to their interests so the way to the TV will be clear.  However, they really get a chance to shine when they head down to fix the power like Lori trying to make her authority as the oldest one clear by being in charge, Luan seizing every opportunity to crack a joke, Lisa sneaking in her experiments, and Lucy popping up out of nowhere scaring everyone.  They all make what’s happening a lot of fun, but this cartoon also shows how heartfelt this show can get.  It’s shown when Lincoln steps in to do whatever he can to protect his sisters from whatever horror is in the basement using what he knows from his favorite show.  Its real impact though comes in at the end when, after all that he went through, Lincoln ends up missing his show, but his sisters are quick to console him and remind him of how great he was in the basement, showing that despite how chaotic living together can be, the Loud siblings really do love each other.  Thanks to its showcase of personality, humor and heart, this cartoon is a great watch and one that demonstrates how great this series can be. 9.5/10

Get the Message

 

 

 

 

 

 

What happens in this cartoon is initiated by Lincoln’s most rocky sisterly relationship, which is with Lori.  While Lori is not a bad character at all, she doesn’t come off as one of the most enjoyable Loud siblings for being too bossy when enforcing rules, not being the most considerate of the feelings of others, and mostly focusing on her relationship with her boyfriend, Bobby, though to be fair, the boyfriend part of her character is pretty enjoyable for how over-the-top her feelings for him are presented.  All these traits are on display when Lincoln unintentionally wanders into her room while playing with a toy, and when Lori accidentally breaks the toy and doesn’t seem to care, prompting Lincoln to send her a mean message.  Later on, however, Lori does slowly start to show off her good side by buying Lincoln a new toy, and even if her reveal doesn’t sound genuine, it’s admittedly a good start to even more of Lori’s good side we see throughout this season.  The rest of the cartoon features Lincoln trying to delete his mean message from Lori’s phone as a result of what she did.  This whole plot is fine and good, but it’s not the show’s most engaging ones.  This is mostly due to an explanation of the plan that could’ve been cut out, many moments of Lincoln’s friend, Clyde, crushing on Lori which can get kind of creepy and would pop up frequently in many future episodes, and Lori not seeming sorry enough for what she did to make the audience really care if Lincoln deletes the message or not.  There’s honestly more entertainment from the small moments of other sisters, like Lana and Lola acting as hall monitors, Luna using her music to censor Lincoln’s message as well as Lori’s rant at the end of the cartoon, and Lucy showing up in the vent leading to Lori’s room to read one of her poems.  There’s enough material here to make this cartoon enjoyable, but certain factors prevent me from calling it a highlight. 7/10

The Ranking

1.      Left in the Dark

2.      Get the Message

 

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next episode of the season, featuring questionable morals of what it means when a girl picks on a boy in "Heavy Meddle," and an instance of embarrassing ones family leading to life-scarring hatred in "Making the Case."