The Big Picture - THE COMEBACK iD (ANIMANIACS 2020)

/ moviebob1
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[SPOILER WARNING!]
The 2020 reboot of "ANIMANIACS" is... sort of a mixed bag, though erring on the positive side? But the reasons why what did or didn't-quite work (for me, anyway) are at least interesting to unpack - and on a more upbeat note the along-for-the-ride "PINKY & THE BRAIN" revival was not only much more solid but also showed off a darker edge than many were suspecting.
The new era of THE BIG PICTURE digs into one of 2020's highest-profile nostalgic comebacks and explores what made the new(ish) "ANIMANIACS"a different (or not so different) kind of revival in a year where everything seemed to want to come back for another try.
#Animaniacs #Hulu #PinkyAndTheBrain

[@Emplordxiii]

3:22 I was surprised years later to find Buddy was an actual character in the 1930s and not just a character created by Animaniacs as a stand in for bland 1930 cartoons.

[@benjdelphi]

Keep in mind the ethos for bugs bunny was that he never struck first he only ever retaliated, otherwise he would have been considered a bully.

[@75aces97]

There are a lot of rules like that. Comedy requires a lot of discipline. Very fine line between comedy and sadism.

[@BOYVIRGO666]

@@75aces97 Which is why comedy is historically very difficult for written by committee movies to get right and its why most people misunderstand movies like Blazing Saddles which while yeah it uses racist jokes uses them incredibly carefully and they are only ever mean from the mouth of the villains, and even then it goes out of the way to show the villains as being both not very intelligent and frequently hypocritical about their own racism.

[@75aces97]

@@BOYVIRGO666 I wouldn't even qualify it that much. It's very difficult to get comedy right, period. If you want to use Blazin Saddles as an example, it's hilarious, yes, and could go *very* wrong, very irredeemably. But it was Richard Pryor's script, Mel Brooks' directing at the top of his game, and a first rate comic cast. In the hands of, say, the contemporary National Lampoon's writing staff, the same premise would just as savage, but not so funny. I've maintained that a good comedy might be the hardest kind of feature length movie to make. Not logistically, mind you, and certainly not the most expensive, but hardest to get right. If you think about it, how many truly funny movies have you seen? I've never bothered to count, but I'm not sure a genuinely funny movie has been made for every year I'm alive.

[@BOYVIRGO666]

@@75aces97 Well yeah but National Lampoon is rarely so careful about its comedy as Mel Brooks is. So its not really hard to say that national Lampoon would probably have made a meaner and less funny comedy because its been an issue for them in the past where as Brooks tends to be very very aware of his writing and directing. And comedy is hard because theres many different kinds of comedy you can do and some of them really dont work in a feature length movie or they only work in a specific place in time. This is why so many movies like the scary movie franchise might as well have been written in greek to anyone born after or significantly before its specific place in pop culture.

[@ktownshutdown21]

"Of course you realize, this means war..." Though he did slap the shit out that one bull for breathing on his tail, so he had THAT one coming, LOL

[@1000WaystoBewrong]

"My platform is "Eat the Children!" me: "..I'm not sold, but you have my interest."

[@TK-_-GZ]

It's but a modest proposal after all.

[@1000WaystoBewrong]

@@TK-_-GZ This guy gets it.

[@animorph17]

No joke, I would totally vote for J37 as president/congressman. Just need to work around that anti-mouse mousehunt that brain somehow set up before trying to elect a mouse.

[@natsoray]

Pink Flamingos: "Kill everyone now! Condone first degree murder! Advocate cannibalism! Eat Shit! Filth are my politics, filth is my life! You can take whatever you like!"

[@Plutoburns]

Always room for more groucho clips. I actually watched them about the same time as animaniacs cause my mom is awesome

[@Dai_Tallsian]

The Mousechurian Candidate is the first time a Pinky & the Brain episode has made me feel uncomfortable. Not saying that's a bad thing, though. I also really hope Julia Brain becomes a recurring antagonist or foil to the Brain. She's undoubtedly one of the most interesting parts of the season and I really hope the ending of the episode was meant to set her up as an addition to the status quo.

[@Mysticgamer]

Yeah, usually I root for brain but, in the new episodes it's clear that brain would be a lousy ruler and is cruel to anyone he deems inferior to himself. I wonder if they made him crueler or if I simply didnt notice because I was a kid in the nineties?

[@theoriginalsache]

@@Mysticgamer There isn't an official answer, but according to Maurice Lamarche, Brain definitely took a darker turn and he said he played it like the natural evolution of 20+ years of failing to take over the world. Like, his plans just kept getting more and more morally dubious (and they were always morally dubious) as time went on until he went full evil.

[@jasonsamuels3757]

Brain generally operates in a grey area. I liked the Snowball character in the original run of the show because he represented what Brain could be like if he embraced his darker side. Brain's treatment of Julia certainly took a dark turn, but I like the way they ended it and I hope to see her again. Another interesting episode Bob didn't mention was the one where another version of Brain who claims to be from the future reveals he's traveled to the past to stop Pinky from ruining his plans. What's fascinating is that Present Brain seems more than happy to defend Pinky from Future Brain and seems to view this later version as some sort of lunatic. Really interesting character dynamic going on in that one. It might be nice to see Future Brain show up again too.

[@TakeWalker]

"Oh thanks, they're my ears" is the funniest thing I've heard all day if not all week. I had to pause the video so I could stop and laugh. XD

[@dlzimbruceleritate]

it's painful how many people sleep on the looney tunes reboot, putting the characteres in a suburban setting and having them live their lives, was a brilliant creative choice

[@Gigas0101]

I cracked up at "no wrong number", maybe I should give that show a watch, the jokes feel obvious but the delivery's effective!

[@segamai]

It’s a pretty great show, but honestly Lola Bunny is the shining standout. What they did with her character, and Kirsten Wiig’s voice acting resulted in one of the best character retoolings I have ever seen.

[@JanetStarChild]

@@dlzimbruceleritate If any show should come back from the dead, it should be that Loony Tunes Show. It's really that good.

[@natmorse-noland9133]

I agree that the Odyssey bit was the strongest sketch in the reboot. The literary allusions were always my favorite part of the original series (e.g. the West Side Story sketch in the Goodfeathers, the Les Mis sketch for Rita and Runt), so I wanted to see more of that.

[@travisbewley7084]

And the "My hubris just gave me an idea!" Will always stick with me.

[@natmorse-noland9133]

@@travisbewley7084 yes! That got probably the biggest laugh of the episodes I've seen so far.

[@MCBigman]

Diedrich Bader was having a ball playing Odysseus.

[@chibiktsn3]

Mouschurian Candidate was easily one of the highlights of the season. It's the first time I felt actually uncomfortable with Brain's plan, but in a good, "Oh, yeah, he's trying to take over the world, he's a bad guy," sort of way. Plus, we need to see Julia again, she has SO much potential, and if the Warner siblings get a recurring antagonist, I can't think of a better one for Brain than Julia.

[@sneakyskunk1]

I really miss The Looney Tunes Show. Every Bugs and Lola centric episode was golden.

[@ECL28E]

A show that made Lola actually funny

[@SamuelUlmschneider]

I would absolutely love for you to a Really That Good: Marx Brothers. A lot of their stuff holds up so well!

[@Crazyivan777]

This. Times about a thousand.

[@TrueYellowDart]

Hells yea!

[@davidv4018]

Yup

[@TheMaskedHero]

My only concern with this idea as much as I love it is that I fear not enough people know the Marx Brothers to have that question even be posed. That said, what do I really know? I think Bob should absolutely do it.

[@davidv4018]

@@TheMaskedHero probably a big picture?

[@BOYVIRGO666]

You know who didnt like Chicken boo? The fools that he tricked. Chicken Boo rules.

[@PersephoneDarling28]

Also I'm glad someone else really loves 2011's Looney Toons Show. It was a great update of the characters and the Seinfeldesque sitcom

[@dlzimbruceleritate]

judging by he comment section, a lot of people loved hat show, myself included

[@photofreak56]

Hearing Carlin talk about why men are scared of women. Feels the most honest view of GOP women

[@jimballard1186]

I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just confused. Why do you specify "GOP" women? Do you think the men Carlin was talking about aren't afraid of all women?

[@photofreak56]

@@jimballard1186 sorry I ment GOP men look at women.

[@jimballard1186]

@@photofreak56 Ah, thanks for clarifying!

[@Izandaia]

The fact that the same exact take would be just as accurate and insightful in 2020 is... A hell of a thing.

[@USUXXSOHARD]

How so?

[@QuetzalOvejasElectricas]

Dude, what an amazing take. I wanted to do a video on this on my channel (in Spanish) but I couldn't do it better than you. And since I can't just plagarize many of the valuable things you put here, I'll really have to think about how I yell at clouds. Keep on the good work, Bob, I wish you the best.

[@XanderVJ]

Quetzal, ¿qué haces tú aquí? No sabía que fueras seguidor de Bob. XD To any Spanish-speakers reading this, even if it's not your first language, I recommend his channel.

[@SmithMrCorona]

dude

[@Neyebureturns]

Ondia, no esperaba verte por aquí 😳

[@Escarianoavieso]

I don't really agree with much of what Bob says here except for The Mousecherian Candidate part. But I would still watch a Quetzal vídeo about the topic.

[@gigpot]

'the Looney Tunes show' was underrated. I mean 'Looney Tunes' but make it Seinfeld

[@dlzimbruceleritate]

true, brilliant premise

[@DCstroller]

Hey Bob just want to say, we love you and keep on trucking

[@oshkeet]

After writing up the original tv trope entry YEARS ago, it's wild to still hear people use the word I invented ("Expy") on youtube

[@archer1949]

George Carliin: right then, right now. He was a freaking prophet.

[@TheSkysketcher]

He wasn't a prophet, we're just sadly still dealing with a lot of the same problems that they had back then.

[@robbybevard8034]

Not a prophet. People just don't ever change.

[@gstone8255]

The Looney Tunes Show was great !

[@dlzimbruceleritate]

best way to handle a bugs bunny reboot, i feel like a lot of people skipped out on this reboot and the mystery inc. scooby-doo reboot, that was also pretty great, overarching narrative, a nice origin story for the gang and i think people didn't watch these shows because they were reboots, and movie reboots at the time were pure cash-grab trash

[@q.barclay8562]

Yes ✌

[@Escarianoavieso]

I thought it was really uneven and often mediocre. But it wasnt because it was a sitcom or because of the characters living in suburbia. Not even because of the redesigns. It was because the writing was extremely uneven with some funny jokes combined with others that were really dull and the animation also ranged from pretty good to really lousy from episode to episode.

[@cratwane]

I don’t think the Warners have to “win” necessarily in every sketch. Like I think Yakko’s rap was just criticizing the inherent toxic masculinity and general braggadocio of some rappers. I mean they came out essentially shaking hands so I think it was more of a message if anything.

[@animorph17]

My favorite part of that was "Hello hearse"

[@JosephGualtieri]

MORE MARX BROTHERS PLEASE!

[@NyJoanzy]

So that's what Cultural Marxism was based on.

[@AkumaTh]

Defends Chicken Boo and talks about how great the Looney Tunes Show was. Favorite episode!

[@ECL28E]

Chicken Bob?

[@GinnyNReviews]

I do remember that Chicken Boo was considered the least popular character, that's why he stop appearing after the first season I think. I cannot find the source though.

[@ZiddersRooFurry]

The joke got old fast.

[@Emplordxiii]

To be fair, the first season was 65 episodes so that was a lot of segments with that character(seasons 2-4 where 10 episodes or less).

[@katherinealvarez9216]

@@ZiddersRooFurry yeah, it did. I did love the Rita & Runt segments along with Buttons & Mittens and Slappy. I miss Slappy.

[@randomcharacter6501]

Idk I was a kid back then and I preferred Chicken Boo to say Katie Kaboom or Minerva Mink. But I absolutely did not like Rita and Runt.

[@TheGerkuman]

Chicken boo disappeared, and came back. Even happened with Katie Kaboom. Seems that they only brought back the characters when they had a good idea for them.

[@CrimsonTemplar2]

Chicken Boo always felt one note to me. I always thought that time could’ve been better spent bon another Slappy Squirrel bit.

[@hafaball]

my favorite sketch so far has been the Murder on the Orient Express sort of parody. Maybe only because the biggest laugh from me was the guy who couldn't say M words correctly. Great video.

[@kenblaney7031]

The original run of Pinky and The Brain generally skewed in the opposite direction with Brain to my recollection with Snowball taking on the role of outright villain. Brain occasionally gives up taking over the world expressly because he isn't evil deep down.

[@crossaffliction]

When HBOMax came out I went through the OG Looney Tunes shorts, Looney Tunes Show, The New Looney Tunes Show and finally the Max shorts ... and, yeah, there was a devolution from sitcom to "shorts, but at least we've got new characters/designs" to "just the same thing as the old thing ... which is available right over there". Bugs dealing with a caffeine addiction in one episode was the funniest thing ever.

[@HobGungan]

So nice to see a piece on this that doesn't unironically ask "is it too WoKe?!?1" I felt similarly that, while not perfect, the vast majority was definitely worth watching and the spirit still there. Although I loved the Bun Control episode mostly because of how outrageously creepy the antagonist was, and the great endung to the CB episode made up for the uncomfortableness of most of it. I also agree with some comments here that the Warners and Bugs Bunny explicitly never antagonized anyone who didn't treat them like dirt first. Just like the Odysseus episode. If there is one thing about the new episodes that consistantly caught me off-guard, is that a lot of the new character designs and animations feel more reminiscent of Ren & Stimpy's style than the original Animaniacs (which isn't "bad" really, just different). But then that just makes absolute sense when you look at who directed the majority of the shorts and like, given what she was put through, it's just really nice to see her working on such a prestigious project. Lastly, I appreciate their attempts at introducing new characters and shorts (always love Maria Bamford's work and Nils is just delightful), but honestly The Incredible Gnome Who Lives In People's Mouths is so much mors of a Freakazoid! sketch than an Animaniacs sketch. Bring on Season 2!

[@GeneFJacket]

I cannot express how much I ADORED The Looney Tunes Show. No one believed me that it was animated Seinfeld for teens, but that's exactly what it was, and it had no earthly right being as good as it was.

[@QuetzalOvejasElectricas]

Me: Hahahaha these new Animaniacs are on point, hahaha, I was a kid in the 90s. Bob: So this is the old men yelling at clouds and not understanding gen Z. Me: Fuck, I'm old.

[@QuetzalOvejasElectricas]

Groucho Marx led to Cantinflas and Yakko Warner. This is a great video, Bob.

[@Launchpad05]

Even though The Warners do come off as 'the adults' punching down on what kids like, I'd love to see The Warners bash 'Teen Titans Go' because it's a garbage cartoon, and insults the original, the comic book it's based on.

[@benjaminwinnick1051]

Now I really want to watch it. As a former secondary school teacher and current university teaching assistant, the 1990s dunking on the 2010s sounds totally like my jam!

[@gentlemandemon]

I wasn't excited about the remake, but watching a few episodes (in cartoon watching state of mind) turned it around for me. Not every episode or sketch is a winner, but I think that's the nature of the format. Not every bit has to be a winner. I'm definitely interested to see what they do moving forward.

[@Spike-Prime]

"Did people really hate Chicken Boo? I always thought that was one of the stronger bits." I don't know about others, but the day before I saw the Chicken Boo episode, I remember talking with my dad about what a garbage one-note joke the character was, and how much I hated the only (absolutely terrible) joke every single short CB had. I had no idea the character would appear again, but I thought the joke was funny when it turned out to be him. IMO, that bit from the 2020 cartoon was literally the only funny thing Chicken Boo ever did.

[@pierrewhite2062]

Bugs out with his date was really funny.

[@alearnedman]

I LOVED the Looney Tunes Show

[@dragon1130]

I'm about 6 episodes into the Animaniacs reboot and I am enjoying it so far. I do feel like it's playing catch up to alot of things though. I was also a bit confused about the chicken Boo joke. I thought how it was delivered was funny but, yeah, always thought everyone liked him. Though, thinking on it a bit more, I think it does make sense. Chicken Boo was always the butt of the joke when he gets exposed and ostracized from civilization because of who he is. Should they have done it differently...ehh, probably.

[@Doodlesthegreat]

The making fun of "kawaii" episode would have landed a lot better had they not been beaten to the punch by Sanrio themselves with "Aggretsuko." Otherwise, it's fine. Nothing as amazing as "Bumbi's Mom," but fine.

[@Jayfive276]

I’m just glad they just went “we’ve been gone 20 years? We need to catch up! Ok we’re caught up now, on with the funny” They could have, for example, had an eye-roller of an episode where Yaako learns that it’s no longer acceptable to go “helloooo nurse” I hope they do some parody songs in season 2.

[@Flyingfoxman]

I think the best thing The Looney Tunes Show did was finally fit Lola Bunny into the Looney Tunes' world.

[@Goldstar_]

Agreed. I hope that loony Lola will eventually show up in Looney Tunes Cartoons (on HBO Max) and in future Looney Tunes projects.

[@katherinealvarez9216]

9:00 I did like the Looney Tunes show. And yes, I loved their version of Lola.

[@ValkyrieTiara]

If they wanted to kinda take the piss out of more modern cartoons without going full "old man yells at cloud" about it, I would have liked it if the context of the reboot was that they've escaped into a world that is now, after all this time, just as crazy as they are. Entire lineages of cartoons inspired by their antics, a political landscape more broken than anything they themselves could have conceived, not to mention the current state of the internet and social media. What if the Warners escaped, saw the world as it is today, and were DELIGHTED by it? And the show centered around them setting off to claim their rightful place as the kings (and queen!) of this new world that is now so far beyond anything they could have ever wished for?

[@jasonblalock4429]

They can save that for the Freakazoid crossover episode. (Hey, a man can dream...)

[@robbybevard8034]

@@jasonblalock4429 They just did a new Freakazoid episode last week actually. .... on Teen Titans Go. Sigh. Horror of that show aside, it was basically a Freakazoid reunion with the titans as guest stars rather than the other way around, so it was okay. An excuse to throw a couple old jokes at the screen for ten minutes. The episode was titled "Huggbees" if you want to hunt it down.

[@V4Now]

Aaah, the Marks Brothers. The classics understood. Carlin too.

[@douglouissmithh]

怖い Kowai is scary. 可愛い kawaii is cute. They do sound very similar. ironic right

[@jensinamart5153]

I am so glad I'm not alone in feeling Chicken Boo was actually pretty amazing.

[@ProjectXa3-1]

6:22 I actually worked at a theater that did a show of that Groucho impersonator. Dude was good, close friend of the family or something. Show title was "an evening with Groucho", very well done. One-man show format, starts off with him monologuing about the brothers and their work and how he looked up to it and such while he applied the makeup eyebrows and moustache on stage, and then suddenly he just *is* Groucho, very impressive. EDIT just checked, guy's name is Frank Ferrante if you're looking.

[@gabrielrussell5531]

Chicken Boo was my favorite bit.

[@Getwright-]

Mine too. Great theme song, and a catch phrase (hes a chicken a tells ya, a giant chicken) which was fun to randomly shout at your friends

[@gabrielrussell5531]

@@Getwright- The concept even supported a videogame. Octodad is just a chicken boo episode.

[@Getwright-]

@@gabrielrussell5531 it really is.

[@mynameisphil86]

Wait, do people really not like Chicken Boo? They were my favourite bits from Animaniacs.

[@ForrestFox626]

Better than the Hippos

[@augustvalek]

I just hope they bring back the rest of the cast, I missed them sorely

[@Mickey_Human]

I don’t know if it’s somewhere in your backlog but I would love a Marx Bros retrospective like you did for Keystone Cops

[@TDawgBR]

I'm 48 and WB cartoons have been part of my life for all of it, and I never made the connection between Groucho Marx and Bugs Bunny. Thanks Bob for the education.

[@vexorian]

The Looney Tunes Show is legendary.

[@Gingrnut]

That Mouschurian Candidate is a genuinely fascinating premise, and Brain being unambiguously awful sounds like a delight to see. Think I'll have to give this show a shot!

[@silence_dais]

The first season of the reboot is definitely a mixed bag. I enjoyed it but as the last couple of episodes were going on I was feeling some burn out like this wasn't meant to be binged.

[@TK_Brainslug]

exactly my thoughts they should have released them on a weekly basis

[@armjjb5189]

I suppose that raises the question: what makes some shows bingeable but not others?

[@silence_dais]

@@armjjb5189 I'd say more plot driven series would be the binge ones while shows that do various sketches aren't meant to be consumed all at once. I've tried binging Flying Circus but after a while I started to get bored as the humor got stale for me. When I stopped and came back a few months later it was funny again so maybe comedy series that are light on plot and focus on the jokes would probably be not the show to binge.

[@robbybevard8034]

​@@armjjb5189 Animanaicas has NEVER been good for binging. Or even dvd really. The way its designed it NEEDS the commercial breaks to separate out the skits. Back to back to back and without those 8 minutes of commercials, it just feels really short. One or two episodes a day, or even once a week, was always the best pace for them.

[@sageofsquirrels111]

I've been a longtime fan of the Warners and enjoyed the reboot while watching it. There are definitely some shots fired and not all of them were golden bullets...but that's not terrible either. I really am hoping for an improvement with season two and the value of two extra years for scripting and learning. I do think some of the original's best bits were in the later episodes. I absolutely loved the Odyssey episode for the chance to see the Warners portray how petty the Greek Gods always were. I would love more historical/mythology episodes.

[@Pugiron]

Chicken Boo was a joke that was over after one episode

[@state_song_xprt]

You could easily do an entire episode - or a series of episodes - on the Marx brothers. There's definitely a lot to explain and discuss there!

[@louisduarte8763]

Bob, your description of Bugs' schtick is why I always rooted for Daffy, from the old shorts to Duck Dodgers (remember when he had his own show?) to the underrated-and-hilarious Looney Tunes Show. In a moment of interesting timing, me and my best friend were watching the episode about Bugs and Daffy's high school reunion, a few weeks before our own 10-year reunion. And it's your show, you don't really NEED a reason for more Marx Brothers clips. But, I would suggest analyzing each Marx Bro's individual style and schtick. Even Zeppo. And try to work in the forgotten 5th Marx brother, Gummo.

[@21Arrozito]

Daffy was always more interesting

[@thunderstruck560]

The pinky and the brain defend with Maria bamford was probably my favorite of the season too and I do hope we see her again. I was almost convinced she was going to become a regular part of the team and I kinda wished she would have. It would have shaken up the dynamic more than adding elmira for some reason.

[@mega1232]

Sorry bob - I'm on the opposite side of where you sit on chicken boo - I was always bored to tears during his bits because of how samey they were. His appearance here as the "bad guy" for that episode was actually a highlight for me.

[@nightazday7988]

I personally want Pinky and the BRain's take on Death note

[@danielgertler5976]

i thin kthe reboot has been fine so far but I don't really get why only the warners and P&tB were brought back. It's just reigning in your variety unnecessarily.

[@PersephoneDarling28]

Slappy at least needed to return

[@Goldstar_]

@@PersephoneDarling28 Yes, she does. Slappy Squirrel was my favorite A! segment after the Warners. Unfortunately, the reboot's producers don't seem to want to bring back Sherri Stoner, who created and voiced the character and also wrote most of the Slappy shorts.

[@gstone8255]

I love The Looney Tunes Show !

[@reclusesix4044]

YES!! Someone remembers The Looney Tunes Show. BEST LOLA HANDS DOWN, NO ARGUMENT!

[@Goldstar_]

Agreed. Turning Lola into a funny character was one of the best decisions that WB has ever made. Bringing Daffy Duck back to his earlier crazy self was another.

[@masofdas6475]

I'm two episodes in and this ep more or less captures my feelings on the new season exactly. The jokes land more often than not, but there's a definite strain in trying to figure out how exactly the Warner Siblings function in this new world/setting. VERY interested to see how the eps cited here that I haven't seen yet (but don't worry, the internet spoiled me on them WELL before now XD) will land for me once I get to them.

[@katherinealvarez9216]

8:00 I may only have know him as the train conductor but this man was very funny and has admirable qualities. No I'm putting him on a pedestal, just that he came through in certain things

[@hawaiidkw1]

You know what... now that I've seen this, I think I'll wait until both seasons are up on Hulu before diving in. I'm getting creeping flashbacks to shows (Son of Zorn and The Muppets come to mind) which had me super fired up for going into the first episode and proceeded to slam me in the gut so hard I was hunchbacked for a week. Being cautious won't kill me. Few tidbits: - I don't like "make 'em evil" as a substitute for actual character development. It was a bad move when it was Homer and Bart Simpson and it's a bad move here. I don't like that Nora Rita Norita (the Latina CEO) is a villain, I _really_ don't like that The Brain is, and that whole bit with Chicken Boo kidnapping everyone strikes me as flat-out ridiculous. "Equal opportunity" does not have to mean that NRN _must_ be as greedy and sleazy as Thaddeus Plotz. Why can't she just be this weirdo plot device like Mr. Director, especially since they're not using _him_ anymore? "Neutral" is still a thing last I checked. As for Brain, I thought we all understood that he was a _wannabe_ megalomaniac, and however harebrained his schemes were, he never meant _harm_ on anyone... hell, that's _why_ he used things like country music hypnosis and shrinking potions. To turn around and say "Oh, he's a bad guy now" reeks of laziness. - I don't yet have a clear picture on which way this show's politics are going to skew (I've heard several conflicting takes on the "bun control" episode), but I'm really, _really_ hoping that it'll have the guts to be on the side of the angels. Equal rights for all, always punch up, watch your language, fight the power, God isn't fixing anything, you get the drill. Not only because reprehensible viewpoints get way too much airtime and influence as it is, but because I've _seen_ right-wing/punching down/politically incorrect works, and they have the entertainment value of a car crash and usually last about as long. Liberality For All, anyone? - This. Show. Needs. Slappy. Squirrel. I don't care how they bring her back. She was the only thing that was consistently good about the original show, and I can only name a couple times I disliked her (Critical Mass, And Justice For Slappy). Her combination of humor, wit, savvy, mastery of slapstick, and occasional genuine love and tenderness is irreplaceable. I'll go as far as to say that if I don't see Slappy or a worthy successor by the end of season 2, I'm giving this up for good.

[@Alucard-A-La-Carte]

I forgot that not everyone on the internet watches wrestling, and got REAL excited when you said "New Day energy." And the weirdly disaffected, jaded one screaming "SOMEONE TELL ME I'M RIGHT!!!" at his most vulnerable...I mean maybe they DO get the Gen-Xers they supposedly are-and-also-making fun of.

[@BetaJackMaxis]

I remember seeing that they made Yosemite Sam to make Bugs more heroic because while Elmer Fudd was dumb, Yosemite Sam was violent, aggressive, and obnoxious. Therefore, it's ok for Bugs to be invincible. Also, the point in Pinky and the Brain was that Brain believes sincerwly that the world would be better with him at the helm. They even had Snowball, who also wanted to conquer the world but was evil and selfish about it. So yeah, out of character.

[@DAndyLord]

I remember as a kid hating Chicken Boo. I just couldn't wrap my head around the conceit that people didn't recognize he was a chicken.

[@julianlanza]

You never need an excuse to show more Marx Brother clips, they are always relevant and hilarious

[@GyariSan-kj8lr]

I really wouldn't be surprised if old characters from the original show that were left out in the 1st season of the reboot end up coming back in a 2nd season. Most online reaction I've seen seems to be wanting at the very least Slappy Squirrel & her nephew Skippy having a return. But it probably be interesting if the old characters make cameo appearances in sketches next season to bounce off of the Warner Brothers & Dot, such as the Goodfeathers or the Hip Hippos. Heck I wouldn't even mind if Minerva Mink is brought back, because I think Julie Brown would appreciate the check. Something I do highly suspect though that would be a nice twist is if it were to turn out the new character Nora Rita Norita was actually Heloise Nerz aka Hello Nurse in some kind of disguise (similar to the Hunter/Chicken Boo). As in Wakko's Wish, they made it quite clear her deepest desire is to be respected for her intelligence & figuring, not just be liked for her figure. And given how Nora at times behaved throughout the season, it be an interesting way to show Nerz as having an actual personality, not just eye candy.

[@Emplordxiii]

Problem with this is a white, blonde, blue eye woman disguising as a woman of color. That creates a lot of problems

[@theoriginalsache]

Chicken Boo was one of my favorite segments. It was The Warner's, followed by Pinky and the Brain, Slappy Squirrel, Good Idea/Bad Idea, Chicken Boo. I know Boo was a one joke character, but watching a guy go, "He's a chicken, I tell you! A giant chicken!" was never not hilarious to me. I hated Katie Kaboom, Minerva Mink, and The Hip Hippos, though. Those three were the worst.

[@CoolExcite]

I was under the impression that the whole joke behind Bun Control was that the metaphor was incredibly hamfisted and didn't even work

[@Rodney17302]

You can parody something without trying to make a statement that there's something wrong with it. The anime and kawaii segments were perfectly fine and they weren't punching down or trying to say that those things were wrong. Why can't the lesson for the kawaii episode be as basic as "Sometimes too much of a good thing is bad?" or "Be careful what you wish for"? It really doesn't need to go any deeper, nor do I think that it does.

[@TheStarBot]

The Bun and Chicken episode was conversional? I thought those were extremely funny lmao

[@sephirothsadvent]

Controversial, as in Parler has already ran a bunch of threads about how the show is a communist thing trying to overthrow american values.

[@Jettison42]

@@sephirothsadvent yeah trust nothing from Parler, it claims to be free speech but if you’re a leftist at all you will get banned.

[@Emplordxiii]

The Bun, among not on the right, was the fact that the allegory was poorly done due to its long run time that made many, “We get it, buns mean guns!” Plus, no one refers rabbits as buns.

[@Jayfive276]

@@Emplordxiii yeah it did nothing worse than overstay it’s welcome. It’s point is no less valid.

[@GundogPeacock]

@@Jettison42 I can see that criticism. I took it as a joke about shows having heavy handed allegories. But my nostalgia for Animaniacs could have painted over my reception to the episode as a whole.

[@ogrejehosephatt37]

I actually liked how they brought back Chicken Boo. I would not be surprised if many other people hated him. It's a bit I loved in spite of me wanting to hate it. I was hoping Boo would make an appearance in this season, and I wasn't disappointed. Actually, by then, I was getting concerned I wouldn't see anyone else besides the Warners and Pinky and the Brain. So I also appreciated how they hung a lantern on it.

[@GundogPeacock]

Am I the only one who would enjoy a 40ish minute, Civil War style, crossover of the Warner Brother's cast vs the Loony Toons?

[@castlewise]

As a comparison I find the new Mickey Mouse shorts have somehow managed to walk the line between classic and modern

[@tcbvgames]

1:50 "Did people actually hate Chicken Boo?" Yes. Yes we did. Boo was a one note character that was rarely funny in the first place. But Every. Single. Short. was about One Character wasting several minutes telling everyone else what was obvious to every 5-year-old in the audience. It's like a bad SNL skit that refuses to end, and they kept redoing it. I get the POINT of Chicken Boo. (Classic WB shorts always had protagonists in obvious disguises.) But Chicken Boo was BARELY a single 2-minute short worth of material. And they felt the need to make... I dunno... 30 of them? Even my favorite Chicken boo short was nothing more than a bunch of characters listing the titles of James Bond movies, as dialogue. It's a guilty pleasure, mainly as a party game. But really...

[@Pinkanator]

Genuinely I thought Chicken Boo was getting a small appreciation as a psuedo-trans icon lol.

[@TheCreepypro]

I was wondering how this show was going to be I'm glad that it at least is worth checking out

[@TrueYellowDart]

Oh I think a whole series of Marx Brothers deep dives would be a welcome addition.

[@MrEgray2009]

How has nobody mentioned this era demands a Freakazoid reboot

[@Fooacta]

The last thing I need is Freakazoid rattling off Tumblr memes and Facebook conspiracy theories.

[@timezerohour8864]

@@Fooacta I don't know could be a fun take if we had another anti/new version of Freakazoid to play off the old one.

[@natmorse-noland9133]

For a sec I thought they were gonna go that direction when Yakko ate the tablet and digested the whole internet.

[@Theigzorn]

@@Fooacta well the internet historian than.

[@Fooacta]

@@timezerohour8864 that sounds like it could be fun

[@vazak11]

Insightful review!

[@chriscoleman929]

Chicken boo was the best sketch they had

[@Spike-Prime]

What, in the original or in the reboot? Because I watched Animaniacs all the way through quite recently, and I absolutely hated every single Boo cartoon. It was the same joke repeated ad nauseum, and it wasn't a good joke in the first place.

[@chriscoleman929]

@@Spike-Prime ORIGINAL, DUDE

[@kaptainKrill]

@@Spike-Prime that’s kind of the point. If you’re a millennial who grew up with the animaniacs, Chicken Boo was great. Because what’s funny to kids isn’t what’s funny to adults. I’m with Bob- not sure who said they hated it. Unless it’s only the now-adult fans all crying out after rewatching on Hulu, in which case: this is why rewatching shows from your childhood is rarely a good idea.

[@Spike-Prime]

@@kaptainKrill Yeah, I didn't grow up with Animaniacs. I'm not even sure if they ran it in the UK, at least on any channel I had growing up (I am 26, so a bit too young for the first run). I first watched them around 10 years ago, and I loved much of the show, and revisiting, shorts like Hooked on a Ceiling are still amazing. But tonnes of the show -- mostly the first season -- holds up amazingly well. IMO, the main Warners cartoons, Slappy Squirrel and Pinky and the Brain were the best, my fave being Slappy. Bumbie's Mom is an absolute untouchable classic, pretty much perfectly executed. Chicken Boo, The Goodfeathers and especially Katie Ka-Boom never appealed, with Katie and Boo tied for worst place.

[@Spike-Prime]

@@kaptainKrill I would add as well, Bob has this tendency to be strangely disconnected from the actual audience. He often doesn't listen to real criticism of film, TV or comics from people who disagree with him, and makes up people's "real" reaction, reasons and opinions without listening to what anybody has to say. It gets very frustrating.

[@tekkaoz]

I think one of the major problems with the show was the 'drop everything' release. A lot of shows simply don't work as well if you binge 10+ episodes in a row.

[@fedupN]

I dug the 2011 Looney Tunes show, even if I only found it years later. As someone who always fucking hated Bugs (smug bastard) I really like the change up of his dynamic and character, to say nothing of the others.

[@Snatcher2047]

I always liked Chicken Boo and agree that the hippos were the worst part of the original.

[@7ambris]

Speaking as a millennial, I really didn't get the "old man yelling at clouds" vibes you were referring to. Sure it was parody, but wasn't really mean spirited parody of those topics. It was a fairly nuetral take, that sure, mocked the subjects, but didn't demonize them. Just my 2 cents

[@archer1949]

I thought I was the only one who liked that Looney Tunes reboot from a few years back.

[@DCstroller]

Yeah I never liked chicken boo

[@katherinealvarez9216]

1:47 I didn't care much about Chicken Boo, but I never hated those segments.

[@ECL28E]

I love that they're also bringing back Tiny Toon Adventures on HBO Max, but there's a LOT of re-working they have to do. They can't get Elmyra, because of some weird licensing thing, since she moved to that Pinky & The Brain spinoff; Fifi's gender-swapped Pepe schtick's gotta change up, cuz non-consensual lovin' just isn't kosher. Sad for all the Fifi pervs, but my point still stands; Shirley's new-age spiritualism has become a fucking punchline, thanks to essential-oil moms, anti-vaxxers, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

[@Goldstar_]

Elmyra's being left out of Tiny Toons Looniversity has nothing to do with licensing (both series are co-owned by Warner Bros. and Amblin); it's because her behavior of tracking down animals and smothering them with love (basically killing them with kindness) could be seen as animal cruelty by some. We don't know yet if Fifi or Shirley will appear in the reboot or not. There's no official word on that as of yet.

[@louisduarte8763]

All the more reason to keep Shirley in, to point and laugh at people like her.

[@ECL28E]

@@louisduarte8763 No, I don't see the sport in that.

[@Rocketboy1313]

Wondering if they will pull the trigger on rebooting Freakazoid?

[@Lastofthescofflaws]

Chicken-Boo aside, we all know Randy Beaman skits were king.

[@juliagoodwin9510]

So what episodes are worth watching? I'm happy Animaniacs is coming back, but I'd kinda prefer they start showing the older series again...

[@bigglou]

The original series is on Hulu as well.

[@sephirothsadvent]

Just watch them all. None of the episodes are very long and they all are broken up into shorter bits. Every bit has at least one joke that is pause the episode to laugh funny.

[@juliagoodwin9510]

@@bigglou OK, thanks!

[@OfNoImport]

i have to complain. not because of this or the new animaniacs reboot, i haven't seen it and i love bob and his stuff. no. i have to complain because i've had the stupid 'chicken boo' theme song stuck in my head since i tried to go to bed last night after I watched this.

[@theshadowdirector]

Personally enjoyed the chicken boo sketch though I do agree about the New Looney Tunes show, very under appreciated.

[@chwenhoou]

You could just cut to the chase and do a full-on Marx Bros retrospective for The Big Picture. Ain't nothing wrong with that.

[@ArthurCrane92]

On the subject of the Marx Brothers, I've only seen snippets of their work here and there (like the original fake mirror gag from Duck Soup) though I feel their work is one of those things where the work was so influential that going back to the source is more for, for a lack of a better word, academic purposes and the reaction would be along the lines of "Oh, so this is where THAT comes from". Am I wrong?