'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' did sound very curious in concept. It does sound like two different ideas merging together that don't sound like they would go, but there are shows and such that do wonders with concepts that sound odd on paper. While still a fan of 'Tiny Toon Adventures' and especially 'Pinky and the Brain' (the two shows that the characters come from, 'Animaniacs' is also fantastic), 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' never did it for me as a child.
And it is still pretty wretched now, in fact it is a show that is even worse now perhaps. Still have the exact same problems with it as when younger (but they are bigger now) and have more issues on top. "Patty Ann" began it all and right off the bat it is obvious why 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' never worked and why it was panned and still considered an animation atrocity. "Patty Ann" is actually not one of the worst episodes, but it is still very weak and all the show's problems are here.
Will start mentioning the very few things that "Patty Ann". Brain is very entertaining and wonderfully deadpan, the show on the most part was a disaster when it came to character writing and interaction but somehow managed to get Brain spot on. It was a genius move having Maurice LaMarche back and he voices Brain perfectly.
Nice reference to 'The Flinstones', the one time where Pinky shines. Loved Pinky and the Brain referencing it again later.
That is pretty much it with the good. While the animation was never terrible on 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain', it did always lack the polish and vibrancy as well as the imagination seen in the visuals of 'Animaniacs', 'Pinky and the Brain' and 'Tiny Toon Adventures' and that is the case in "Patty Ann". There is nothing dynamic or infectious about the music and the theme song has always grated. That is true of the show's featured songs too, with one of the worst offenders being the forced and un-clever "Staying Alive" parody one which was merely an excuse to give Pinky something to do.
While Brain is a great character, Pinky isn't anywhere near on his equal. Here he is pretty bland as the show did dull down his personality while taking his dim-witted-ness to "bang head on the wall" extremes. In this episode, he doesn't register and is pretty pointless and his previously dynamite chemistry with Brain is disconnected and underused here, giving his iconic "what are we going to do" line to Elmyra makes no sense. Rudy is very annoying and what anybody would see in him is a bit of a mystery. Worst of all is Elmyra, who was always one of the worst things about the show and "Patty Ann" is a good example of why. She was always the "take or leave" character on 'Tiny Toon Adventures', but this episode and episode takes all her negative character traits and exaggerates it to childish and mean-spirited effect. Anybody who found her annoying before will find her truly intolerably obnoxious in this show and she definitely is here.
She really doesn't work well with Pinky and the Brain, the chemistry is not just disconnected but it also doesn't make sense. The writing in "Patty Ann" is overly simple and childish, nothing funny, sophisticated or witty about it. You know there is something wrong when the best one gets to outwitting someone is knocking them out with an ice cone of all things. There are attempts at references, but they feel shoe horned in and will go over the heads of younger audiences. The story is not just simplistic and predictable, with little energy, it is also ridiculous to credibility straining degrees, the idea for the story just sounded all wrong and silly and neither Rudy or Elmyra are likeable enough characters to make it work.
Overall, weak start. 3/10.
And it is still pretty wretched now, in fact it is a show that is even worse now perhaps. Still have the exact same problems with it as when younger (but they are bigger now) and have more issues on top. "Patty Ann" began it all and right off the bat it is obvious why 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' never worked and why it was panned and still considered an animation atrocity. "Patty Ann" is actually not one of the worst episodes, but it is still very weak and all the show's problems are here.
Will start mentioning the very few things that "Patty Ann". Brain is very entertaining and wonderfully deadpan, the show on the most part was a disaster when it came to character writing and interaction but somehow managed to get Brain spot on. It was a genius move having Maurice LaMarche back and he voices Brain perfectly.
Nice reference to 'The Flinstones', the one time where Pinky shines. Loved Pinky and the Brain referencing it again later.
That is pretty much it with the good. While the animation was never terrible on 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain', it did always lack the polish and vibrancy as well as the imagination seen in the visuals of 'Animaniacs', 'Pinky and the Brain' and 'Tiny Toon Adventures' and that is the case in "Patty Ann". There is nothing dynamic or infectious about the music and the theme song has always grated. That is true of the show's featured songs too, with one of the worst offenders being the forced and un-clever "Staying Alive" parody one which was merely an excuse to give Pinky something to do.
While Brain is a great character, Pinky isn't anywhere near on his equal. Here he is pretty bland as the show did dull down his personality while taking his dim-witted-ness to "bang head on the wall" extremes. In this episode, he doesn't register and is pretty pointless and his previously dynamite chemistry with Brain is disconnected and underused here, giving his iconic "what are we going to do" line to Elmyra makes no sense. Rudy is very annoying and what anybody would see in him is a bit of a mystery. Worst of all is Elmyra, who was always one of the worst things about the show and "Patty Ann" is a good example of why. She was always the "take or leave" character on 'Tiny Toon Adventures', but this episode and episode takes all her negative character traits and exaggerates it to childish and mean-spirited effect. Anybody who found her annoying before will find her truly intolerably obnoxious in this show and she definitely is here.
She really doesn't work well with Pinky and the Brain, the chemistry is not just disconnected but it also doesn't make sense. The writing in "Patty Ann" is overly simple and childish, nothing funny, sophisticated or witty about it. You know there is something wrong when the best one gets to outwitting someone is knocking them out with an ice cone of all things. There are attempts at references, but they feel shoe horned in and will go over the heads of younger audiences. The story is not just simplistic and predictable, with little energy, it is also ridiculous to credibility straining degrees, the idea for the story just sounded all wrong and silly and neither Rudy or Elmyra are likeable enough characters to make it work.
Overall, weak start. 3/10.