In 1993, Steven Spielberg’s
Amblin teamed up with Warner Animation to produce “Animaniacs,” a comedy
musical animated series mainly about three “forgotten” Warner cartoon characters
(Yakko, Wakko and Dot) who routinely wreak havoc in the Warner Bros. Burbank
studios. Also featured were the misadventures of would-be world conquering lab
rats Pinky and the Brain, and parodies just about any pop media imaginable.
While the original series ended in 1998, streaming service Hulu brought it back
in late 2020, with a season 2 due next month and a third already green-lighted.
Anticipation for Hulu’s “Animaniacs” was already high with an initial teaser
last August. A second one just blew fans’ minds.
Polygon tells us that Hulu and Warner Animation just released a new
teaser for revived “Animaniacs” season 2 on their platform, due to premiere on
streaming in November. This was one of the trailers showcased during this year’s
New York Comic Con (NYCC 2021), which ran though this past weekend. Where the
preview from over a month ago was straightforward comedy, the second teaser
delves into the parodying the franchise is well-known for. It was also a nice
follow-up to the anime-inspired segment from the inaugural season of the Hulu
revival, dubbed “Anime-niacs” by viewers.
Said teaser riffs on the opening
sequence of “Thundercats,” a 1985 animated series produced by Rankin/Bass (now
part of Warner). This show was notable for having animation outsourced to a
Japanese studio. It essentially gave some western TV viewers of that decade
their first taste of anime visuals. Here, the Warner Brothers (and Sister) get
zapped by a magical energy that turns them into the “80’s Cats,” fighting a
giant robot too. Another shout-out comes from the fact that the voices for
Yakko and Dot (Rob Paulsen and Tress MacNeille) are both industry veterans who
have notable 1980s animation voice-work.
The “Animaniacs” voice cast were
also present on a virtual panel for the show in NYCC, discussing the return of
the series via streaming on Hulu. They also shared their experiences with the “Animaniacs”
fandom from the classic show, including the more off-the-wall portion such as
tattoo freaks putting the series characters on their necks and such. Catch the
second season of Animaniacs on Hulu this coming November 5, for more of that
stuff above.
Image from Comic Book Resources
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