There are episodes of 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' that do not have promising concepts or much potential. Then there are others that while not novel by any stretch, but actually their concepts intrigue. "That's Edutainment" is one of those, it is one that was very familiar ground already well before the show was even conceived but when done very well it is inventive and nostalgic. It is also a premise that wouldn't be too out of place in 'Pinky and the Brain' perhaps.
Sadly, "That's Edutainment" didn't work in my view, though it is one of the 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' episodes that is semi-watchable. There are worse episodes of the show. It definitely has good things and it did start off actually quite well, but lost its way too early due to Elmyra, running out of ideas and the referencing not being handled particularly well. Really liked the premise, but the execution was too uneven for me to recommend and like an episode like "The Raven" the potential was a waste.
Am going to start with the good for "That's Edutainment". Brain is typically intelligent, amusing and wonderfully deadpan and Maurice LaMarche nails his voice work. It was great to see more of Pinky, who generally on the show was too under-utilised and dumbed down, in character and there are signs in the first half of the chemistry between him and Brain that was a big part of 'Pinky and the Brain's' appeal.
Did think too that some of the animation was vibrant and had some nice detail. A few amusing moments, namely with Brain.
Just wish that the second half was a lot better than it was. It doesn't do enough with the premise and should have been a lot sharper and more imaginative, rather than being so obvious. Also found the climactic moments abrupt and that Brain is treated too cruelly. When Elmyra has more to do in the second half she demonstrates why she is such a maligned character on this show, with her behaving like a spoilt brat with her usual childish and too cutesy dialogue. When Pinky and Brain are together, it is great to see. There though could have been more of it, with it getting short shrift later.
While the animation is not bad, it also isn't great. It is not very imaginative or polished. The music grates and the writing later on feels really lazy and lacking in sharpness and wit. 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' was often rather all over the place with the referencing, and the referencing is not that funny or nostalgic. Was also very put off by how stuck in the 90s a lot of them were which makes the episode feel very dated, even back then when going into the 21st century. The pacing could have been a lot wilder and had more energy.
Overall, starts off well but that promise isn't maintained the whole way through. 4/10.
Sadly, "That's Edutainment" didn't work in my view, though it is one of the 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' episodes that is semi-watchable. There are worse episodes of the show. It definitely has good things and it did start off actually quite well, but lost its way too early due to Elmyra, running out of ideas and the referencing not being handled particularly well. Really liked the premise, but the execution was too uneven for me to recommend and like an episode like "The Raven" the potential was a waste.
Am going to start with the good for "That's Edutainment". Brain is typically intelligent, amusing and wonderfully deadpan and Maurice LaMarche nails his voice work. It was great to see more of Pinky, who generally on the show was too under-utilised and dumbed down, in character and there are signs in the first half of the chemistry between him and Brain that was a big part of 'Pinky and the Brain's' appeal.
Did think too that some of the animation was vibrant and had some nice detail. A few amusing moments, namely with Brain.
Just wish that the second half was a lot better than it was. It doesn't do enough with the premise and should have been a lot sharper and more imaginative, rather than being so obvious. Also found the climactic moments abrupt and that Brain is treated too cruelly. When Elmyra has more to do in the second half she demonstrates why she is such a maligned character on this show, with her behaving like a spoilt brat with her usual childish and too cutesy dialogue. When Pinky and Brain are together, it is great to see. There though could have been more of it, with it getting short shrift later.
While the animation is not bad, it also isn't great. It is not very imaginative or polished. The music grates and the writing later on feels really lazy and lacking in sharpness and wit. 'Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain' was often rather all over the place with the referencing, and the referencing is not that funny or nostalgic. Was also very put off by how stuck in the 90s a lot of them were which makes the episode feel very dated, even back then when going into the 21st century. The pacing could have been a lot wilder and had more energy.
Overall, starts off well but that promise isn't maintained the whole way through. 4/10.
