What I’m Watching: a successful cartoon show reboot

Dec. 1, 2020 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com

The Animaniacs have returned on Hulu.
Reminder Publishing submitted photo

What I’m watching: a successful reboot of a 1990s cartoon show.

On Hulu: Animaniacs

In some ways it was not that long ago, but it was a very different time in television. I’m speaking of the animation boom in the 1990s. At that time you had powerhouse shows coming from Nickelodeon (“Rugrats,” “Doug,” “Rocko’s Modern Life,” “Ren & Stimpy,”); MTV (“Liquid Television,” “Beavis & Butthead,”); and The Cartoon Network (“Dexter’s Laboratory,”  “Courage the Cowardly Dog,” “Cow and Chicken,” “The Powerpuff Girls”).

It was a glorious time for animation fans as many of these shows were creator-driven, insuring something unique and not developed by committee. The network success of “The Simpsons” helped spur on the development of animated programs on cable channels.

As MTV found out, their core audience at that point loved animation and the shows attracted both youthful and adult fans. In fact, many of the shows were written to appeal to both kids and adults, just as how the classic cartoons of the 1930s and ‘40s were designed.

Among the fans’ favorites was “Animaniacs” on the WB. Produced by Stephen Spielberg’s Amblin Company. Featuring a large cast of characters, the cartoons featured were in the spirit of the classic Warner Brothers cartoons of the 1940s and ‘50s. They were sharply written with characters breaking the fourth wall. Like the classic “Looney Tunes,” the shows featured some great scores as well as a number of wonderful and witty original songs.

The Animaniacs themselves were cartoon characters that were so uncontrollable they were locked into the water tower on the Warner Brothers lot. In many ways they embody the anarchist feeling frequently shown by Bug Bunny.

The Pinky and the Brain episodes featured two lab mice, one a genius and one not so much, who attempt to take over the world every night.

What helped the production was a wonderful voice cast that included Rob Paulsen, Maurice LaMarche, Jess Harnell, Tress MacNeille and Frank Welker among others. I had the pleasure of interviewing Harnell, LaMarche and Paulsen at that time and I’m happy the three of them continued with other prominent roles in animated productions after the five year-run of the show ended in 1998.

This past week, a new reboot of the series started on Hulu and I’m happy to say the show picks up pretty much where it left off. The humor is timely and at times edgy. The animation is adequate and at least some of it is animate by hand, which is a plus in my book. The music and songs are also wonderful.

The voice cast is as sharp as ever.

One complaint fans have made in social media is the show only features new cartoons of the Warner brothers and sister – yes the Animaniacs have the last name of the studio – and Pinky and the Brain. Other characters have only made a cameo appearance.

Also much of the original creative crew, such as creator Tom Ruegger, was not been brought back. This is something to which some fans have expressed outrage.

I’ve watched the first six shows and have enjoyed them greatly. I’m hoping the success of bringing this show back will encourage network execs to bring back some of the other animated shows from the 1990s.

Short takes

There is a wealth of interesting and well-done documentaries on Tubi, the free streaming service and I watched two recently that are well worth any film fan’s time. “Friedkin Uncut” from 2018 about director William Friedkin whose films include “The French Connection,” “The Exorcist,”  “ To Live and Die in LA” and “Sorcerer,” among others.

Director Francesco Zippel’s only real blunders were not have to have the director speak about the differences working in the industry now – his last film was in 2011 – versus the 1970s and ‘80s. Zippel also doesn’t bring up any up any of the flops the director has had.

Still there is a lot of fascinating insights offered.

Some people might disagree with me – nothing new there – but I believe that Roger Corman is among the most influential directors/producers in film, especially considering he remained an independent his entire career. The low-budget king was profiled in “Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel,” a 2011 film.

When you consider the number of filmmakers who got their start with Corman – Peter Bogdanovich, Ron Howard, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme and Joe Dante, among others – you realize the kind of impact he had in the film industry.

This is a loving documentary and one with much emotion. Jack Nicholson, whom Corman essentially discovered, breaks down in tears thanking Corman for his support.

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