Animaniacs (2020–2023) User Reviews

Not without its flaws for sure, but still a fun, zany and overall worthy revival of the 90s classic series

[rhyssouthall · 7/10 · 21 November 2020]

I would say the first season of the reboot was... pretty good. Not perfect, definitely stuff I think they could improve upon, but there's plenty enough to enjoy for fans old and new alike.

The show's strengths definitely lie with the hillarious animation, the top notch voice acting (Paulsen, Harnell and MacNeille still got it), the orchestral music and for sure, the writing is often more hit than miss. I could understand why some critics might believe the same charm isn't there -- mainly due to the original creators not being invited back -- but no doubt there is still a lot of effort being put into this by people who respect the source material. Nothing about it feels lazy.

That being said, there are a few segments that could have been condensed down and this is especially where the lack of most of the original series' cast (the irreplacable Slappy Squirrel, the Goodfeathers, etc) is sorely felt -- whether this was a creative choice or the studio, one can't be sure. The first season's desire to be timely also runs the serious risk of some episodes and jokes being dated. It's widely agreed Animaniacs is at its best when it's being timeless and when they are here, it's a barrel of laughs. I just hope the writers tilt the scale more towards timeless going forward, and with any luck, maybe we'll see some of the old cast again. I mean, who doesn't miss 'Good Idea, Bad Idea'?

I'm looking forward to Season 2 next year. There is definitely something of worth here and I'm interested in seeing what they do going forward.

Missing the energy of the original series, but still decent

[yogijb · 7/10 · 2 January 2021]

I grew with the original Animaniacs. I must've been 7 years old when it came out and I was hooked on it!

No need to mention that I was looking forward to the reboot to relive those memories.

The new series does an alright job getting the 34-year-old kid inside me back in the series, but not "great."

There are good gags, the music is amazing, the HD quality is looking slick (although needs some getting used to, especially if you've just binge-watched the original series,) the intro-song gags are fun and pretty clever but maybe too overthought (e.g. "Animany, totally-insany, don't-need-to-mansplany, Animaniacs.)

However, the animation is not as extravagant and over-the-top funny as the original. It really feels like there is a brand new (too young) team of animators that are not that familiar with the original and rushed into making the new series.

I really miss some of the old characters and recurring sketches, like Slappy and Skippy Squirrel, Mime Time, Mindy and Button, Rita and Runt, the Goodfeathers, The Wheel of Morality, etc.

At the same time, it felt to me a bit desperate in certain episodes to dive into Asian types of animation, such as Japanese anime and K-pop. Really hard to understand, even if the series is trying to recruit new audiences.

The self-mocking jokes on their reboot were pretty funny in the beginning, but as they recur more often, they start to wear off quickly.

This said, I still had plenty of laughs and chuckles throughout the season and looking forward to the second season coming out.

An okay reimagining of the Warners

[matthew0417 · 7/10 · 5 January 2021]

I finally caught up on all 13 episodes of this reboot and it's.... alright. The show starts out kind of weak but it progressively gets better. Warners and PATB are just really fun characters to watch. It can also be pretty funny at times and the songs are pretty decent. I don't mind the political stuff, I think people are just overreacting especially when the original had political jokes in it and made fun of famous figures. Animation is also really good. Overall I recommend it.

Dear god

[MarkoutTV · 10/10 · 20 November 2020]

They did it. Those crazy sons of guns actually did it.

Thanks for the review, animated Goldblum.

For real though, the writers have managed to keep the animaniacs spirit alive and proved that they can slide into modern society and remain relevant as ever. The first episode does its job showing the animaniacs acclimating to the modern world and riffing on the glut of Hollywood remakes. I LOVE that this episode exists and I also love that it's just one episode.

From the second episode on, it's right to business as usual and it feels like the Warner Brothers, and the Warner Sister, never left.

This is how you do a remake, people. Love it.

A solid return for the Warners and Pinky and the Brain in this latest version of the Animaniacs

[cartoonnewsCP · 8/10 · 20 November 2020]

The Animaniacs have returned and the Warners have come back to wreak havoc in the 2020s. How does this make me feel?

I was excited from day 1. As a loyal fan of the original, I loved the skits and satire that the original had and I'm glad it's been upgraded to poke fun at current events. I've seen 4 episodes so far and I've enjoyed every segment. The writing is still naughty as it was before, and the comedy is mostly solid. The only thing I dislike is that only the Warners and Pinky and the Brain are the only characters in it, so it does get a bit repetitive. I hope they introduce more in the future. Also, it's still funny, but not as funny as the original, but that's to be expected, since almost no reboot is as good as the original. But it's a reboot done right in my opinion, and we have too many failed ones (a.k.a. Teen Titans Go)

The animation is quite nice to watch. Episode 4 had an anime sequence that really amped and hyped fans to watch the show, and man it did not dissappoint.

With that said, I'll be giving the reboot an 8/10, or a solid B. I'll be watching the rest of the episodes and will give a proper youtube review on my channel too.

It's time for an awesome reboot

[travelertoon · 8/10 · 20 August 2021]

Hi readers. I know it has been 8 months since I have posted a review. I told you I was not going to review in IMDB that much. But here I am planning to post a review once or twice a month.

This review will be on the; Animaniacs 2020 reboot. I always wanted to make a review on it; and this reboot is really great. Probably not as good as the original, which I have seen which I think was a hilarious blast. But this reboot is still really awesome maniacs.

Let's look at the animation first. It's good and fluid with the animation, like how the Warner siblings are still cartoony. But if I have a nitpick, it's that I'm not really a fan of the human designs in the show. They're not the worst, but I still dislike them.

The stories are still enjoyable and fun. In the reviews, I have heard a lot of people criticize how political the show is. While some of it might be too forced. I think it still doesn't ruin how the Animaniacs reboot is still zany to the max.

Now let's look at the characters. The Warner siblings; Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are still fun and chaotic like from the original. Pinky and the Brain also return in the reboot. While still being a fun duo trying to take over the world. It was disappointing that other characters from the original haven't returned yet; like Slappy Squirrel. They might come soon in season 2.

The characters that meet the Warner siblings, and Pinky and the Brain are a mixed bag though. With some of them being fun, while others are not. The short with the alien and girl were cute, but the one with the gnome...ugh.

So my overall thoughts on the Animaniacs reboot are that the animation is good. The storylines are still fun and enjoyable. The returning characters were great as themselves. But there are still flaws like what I mentioned in my review. I would give the Animaniacs reboot a 8/10.

Absolutely love it!

[dreastar156 · 10/10 · 9 January 2021]

Thank you for rebooting! I've missed the Warner brothers and Warner sister Dot! Love love love you guys!

'Animaniacs' revisited

[TheLittleSongbird · 6/10 · 11 April 2022]

'Animaniacs' is one of my favourite animated shows, loved it when younger but love it even more so due to understanding the references and humour more. Likewise with 'Pinky and the Brain' (don't like its spin off very much at all though), due to absolutely loving Brain as a character. Although 'Tiny Toon Adventures' is not related to this really characters-wise, that was a show that was brilliant at its best though 'Animaniacs' and 'Pinky and the Brain' were a lot more consistent.

Expectations were mixed for this 'Animaniacs' reboot. Part of me was fascinated, being a fan of animation for goodness knows how long and some reboots have been better than expected. Also was interested with how far the humour had come on and how the Warners would fare in a more contemporary setting. Having said that, the point of it was questioned. Part of me was questioning, is this even needed and was worried about how lacking in new ideas animation has become. The 'Animaniacs' reboot was actually better than expected. When it hits, it does so incredibly well. It is though a very uneven show and when it is not so good it's disappointing.

Shall start with the good things and they are many. The animation is bright and beautifully detailed with some suitably wild expressions in faces, eyes and body language, despite preferring the bolder and more traditional look. The music fits well and while it may not enhance the action it adds to it in a way that's appealing and accessible. The theme tune is hip and catchy. The voice acting, done by some of the best and most prolific voice actors in the business now and ever, is impeccable. It was a masterstroke bringing the voice actors back and the right thing to do. Cannot for instance imagine Brain being voiced by somebody other than Maurice La Marche.

Do agree with everybody that has said that the Pinky and the Brain segments are amazing, true in spirit to the segments in the original in atmosphere and writing and the two characters were clearly written by writers that understood the characters and loved them. Brain alone is worth seeing the show for. Enough of the writing is funny, smart and witty, there is a liveliness to the pace, and mostly the target audience is not a problem (some of the references are adult-oriented).

The humour though is inconsistent. Too many instances where it is too smug and tame. There are also too many political references that are very heavy-handed, repetitive and add nothing, the show also forgets the target audience with these references as younger viewers are very likely to not understand them. Yes there is political humour in the original too, but it was clever witty humour that wasn't beat around the head.

Furthermore, the storylines do lack variety and the energy could have been more consistent, especially in the Warners segments. The supporting characters are too few and are fairly forgettable. Also inconsistently written are the Warners, the writers don't understand them as much as Pinky and the Brain and their writing isn't as affectionate or witty. Sometimes they are suitably absurd and then at other times their writing is too safe.

Overall, not as pointless as feared but uneven. 6/10.

Funny, but please don't shove politics down my throat

[Alrob22 · 8/10 · 1 December 2020]

This series is at its best when it the irreverent, satirical, absurd comedy is getting shoved down your throat. This series is at its worst when it decides to instead shove its political opinions down your throat. I know I don't like Trump, I don't need cartoon characters telling me to not like him! It's stupid that they expect me to take a cartoon character's political opinion seriously...come on.

This show is honestly really funny though.

Reboot it, reuse it

[MissSimonetta · 6/10 · 21 November 2020]

Recently, director Christopher Columbus complained about Disney's plans to remake HOME ALONE. He pointed out that when something has staying power, you cannot recapture that lightning in a bottle, no matter how much money you throw at it. That's kind of the way I feel about this reboot. While it often imitates the style of the original cult series, everything feels so much safer-- and dare I say it, a little more mean-spirited.

Good things first: the Pinky and the Brain segments are amazing. They understand these characters and what made the original shorts so funny without saturating themselves in nostalgia. Also the animation is pretty good on the whole as is the orchestrated music in the style of the old Looney Tunes cartoons.

Unfortunately, the rest of the show doesn't live up to the old one. Firstly, there's something off about this presentation of the Warner siblings. They seem to be going for a more "the 21st century is so insane that the Warners are the sane ones now" approach, which doesn't really work. These characters as originally presented were essentially the Marx Brothers filtered through classic cartoon logic: they spread anarchic madness wherever they went, to both the innocent and the not-so-innocent. The Variety review of the reboot is on point when it says that the Warners were agents of madness driving an uptight world insane, not "snarky pundits commenting on its flaws." To be fair, the Warners shorts do have good jokes and flashes of the old style-- it's not a total failure, but the smug attitude gets old fast, especially when they make the same jokes about being sellouts to Hulu.

But the bigger problem is the lack of other characters beyond the Warners and the mice. I once read that ANIMANIACS was in a way THE MUPPET SHOW of its generation: a variety show that appealed to adults and kids with its vaudevillian sense of humor and willingness to take creative risks. The original series featured several reoccurring characters, ranging from the cartoony to the more dramatic. Not all of them stuck or worked, but the variety made the show interesting to watch. There was a willingness to play around that the reboot lacks-- making all the show's self-aware jokes about the creative bankruptcy of reboots hit a little more sourly.

I seem to be in the minority, but that's fine. There is a lot to enjoy, but it doesn't work for me. Personally, I think the most successful modern reboot is still DUCKTALES 2017, which remembers what made the original series good while updating it in ways that add to its charms.

As good as the 90's Animaniacs (nearly)

[corellianfive · 10/10 · 20 November 2020]

I seriously could not stop smiling. Literally laugh out loud funny and has all the sophistication and level of clever humour of the original series. It's definitely met my expectations.

Okay but needs work

[jjj-14044 · 6/10 · 31 January 2021]

I recently watched the Animaniacs reboot with my little sister and we both liked it, but I feel like it has the potential to be better. Now, I don't want to be too harsh on the reboot because afterall, only the first season has been released and I think it would be unfair for me to judge the entirety of the reboot for that reason, but I will still share the nitpicks I have because I believe there's room for improvement, so here we go. I feel like the comedy doesn't land as hard as it could, there were some jokes that made me and my sister laugh, like the joke in s1 ep13 where there's a slow motion sequence and Yakko requests for the scene to hurry up, or the joke in s1 ep1 where Pinky implies that he knows humans use the internet to watch, um... salacious content. But the reboot tends to rely on gross-out humor as an ongoing comedic tactic, which I don't think is very funny. It definitely gets a reaction out of me, I'll say that, but not the one intended. Characters expelling saliva while kissing just seems... kind of unnecessary. And I'm not sure if this was intended to be a joke, but the line in s1 ep1 where Pinky states that his relationship with Brain is derived from his enabling of Brain's "abuse" feels... kind of insensitive. Abuse is just... not something that should be joked about or thrown around like that (coming from someone who has actually experienced physical and verbal abuse as a child). And it doesn't make much sense for Pinky to classify Brain's boppings as abuse since there's a VERY big difference between slapstick comedy and physical abuse. Pinky's line also sort of taints my perception of his friendship with Brain. We know from the 1995 Pinky and the Brain spinoff that the two care a lot about each other and that their friendship is a lot more intimate than we initially think. Now, I know that Brain has always hit Pinky on the head with just about any object he can get his hands on, but again, slapstick is NOT the same as actual, real life abuse. Because slapstick isn't intended to be taken seriously, it's a form of comedy and a lot of people find it amusing, especially me! I love slapstick cartoons! But if the line was taken out of the episode and replaced with some other piece of dialogue, that'd be great! I think it shows care for the audience, especially since the show is still aimed towards children. When it comes to the nature of the main characters, I think they behave just about the same as they did in the original series, except for Brain, who is noticeably crankier in this series. I'm aware that Brain's voice actor, Maurice LaMarche, has stated that his elevated grouchiness in the reboot makes sense considering that he still hasn't taken over the world in 22 years. I'm not exactly keen on this modification, but I think this concept could be interesting to explore in the show if done correctly. Perhaps Brain could slowly come to realize how ill-natured he's become and has to combat the increasing maliciousness that comes from his desire for global domination. I feel like something along those lines would help the audience become more accepting of the change in personality. I just hope that Brain's temper doesn't interfere with his friendship with Pinky, because I think one of the key traits that made Brain such a likable character was his warm spot for Pinky. In addition, I've seen Russian viewers express their dislike of the reboot's use of Russian stereotypes. I do not speak for the majority of the people as I am not Russian, but I will say that you can critique a foreign country's government WITHOUT making fun of its people. I think we're well passed the era of generalized stereotypes. For the art, I'm quite fond of the redesigns of the characters, even if they are rather subtle. I think it's a neat new look. However, I think the lineart is a bit wonky. There's not much variation in line width either, the thickness at the start and ends of the lines appear to be the same size, which I think makes the animation lose its fluidity, no matter how smoothly animated the scenes are at times. It's hard to explain without any visuals, but I hope that makes sense. Some of the backgrounds are too brightly-colored, making them not very easy on the eyes. A decrease in saturation would look much nicer, in my opinion. I think that's about it for my review, it ended up lengthier than I would have liked, but I really do believe that the show has the potential to improve. I hope the criticism helps to make the reboot a worthy successor.

A big disappointment.

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 28 November 2021]

While the new version of "Animaniacs" looks just like the old one, I found it to be a major disappointment. One problem is that unlike the original show, it's only the Animaniacs and Pinky & the Brain installments...which I normally love but what about the other other great characters, like Slappy Squirrel, the Goodfeathers, Katie Kaboom or Good Idea/Bad Idea? While I don't mind them not making segments about the hippos or the singing cat (they always bored me), these other characters are sorely missed. As for the Pinky & the Brain and Animaniacs stories, sadly they all are okay at best and lack the fun and zip that made the show so wonderful back in the 1990s...and since the animation is good and the voice actors the same, you can only blame the writing. Overall, it LOOKS like the original but isn't...proving the old adage, 'You can't go back', is true once again.

A mixed blessing. Not the best revival a fan could hope for, but not the worst either.

[Darwinskid · 17 May 2021]

This is my third attempt at writing a review for this title, I am not so sure why IMDb rejected the previous two, but here we are with my third try at leaving a comment.

Anyway, Animaniacs was one of my favorite shows growing up and still remains a favorite of mine now as an adult. I was skeptical a revival could work because the original is too much of a product of the 1990's - back then the internet was nowhere as complex of a system as it is today, there was actually such a thing as Saturday morning cartoons, and western animation itself didn't venture out as much to appeal to strictly adult audiences as they do so now so a lot of animation writers had to work around censorship. There were no streaming services, if you wanted to watch an episode of television you had to make you were there on time when it aired, you could only tape programs instead of DVR. Cable networks such as HBO and Showtime were known mostly for showing movies and would not become known for having daring and critically acclaimed original programming. Blockbuster season at the movies generally occurred in the summer time and occasionally in the winter but not all year round as they would like to have you believe these days, either. It was a pretty different time, and other attempts at revivals of 90's favorites haven't always gone over too well. Coupled with the fact that the majority of the original writing staff of Animaniacs didn't return I had serious skepticism about this. Having seen the first season on Hulu my feelings are that it is largely a mixed bag.

On the one hand it does seem like they ae really trying to keep the spirit of the original strong despite it being the 2020's, and you have the original voice artists back which is a plus. The animation is a bit clunky in areas but not awful - it could look worse. Some of the writing is clever and funny, but on the other hand the series misses much of its original cast of characters, a lot of the satire feels overdone in parts without much to any subtlety whatsoever, and the political satire feels much too one-sided for comfort.

Could have been great, could have been worse.

30 years for the Warner siblings. But they're gonna need a movie again

[gabethedinosaur · 10/10 · 6 November 2021]

The anamanicas have been around for 30 years since 1993 . Now the question is what will they do now since season 3 is done . I hope they do a season 4 or maybe they should a movie this time with the same animation and the Warner travel in time to meet they're younger years 1993 and king Salazar returns and plotz works as the same crazy man and Ralph same thing. And all the animanicas come back and they sing a song which drives everyone crazy . Wakko and his siblings must continue they're contracts until it's done .

The Classic is Back!

[lippysmackyjackey · 10/10 · 20 November 2020]

Better than I had imagined. Amazing the original character actor voices are back! Growing up watching the original series was like watching it again! Great job

A bit jarring to see such a time capsule revived but awesome

[Okonh0wp · 9/10 · 21 January 2021]

I grew up on this show and it personifies the 1990s for me. As a result, it's a bit jarring to see this show updated to have Dot reference having a crush on Chris Pine and having the theme song discuss being pronoun neutral, but I'm no purist. The theme song says "but we did meta first" but watching the series, one asks if there's a such thing as "too much meta."

Rebooting a good thing doesn't ruin the original and the show does a pretty darn good job of keeping the spirit of the original in tact. It's a little disappointing to see the lack of Slappy the Squirrel, Rita and Runt or the Goodfeathers. It's interesting that those sketches were based on then-recent hit films (Goodfellas, Rain Man) but those films have survived the test of time and one would hope they'd do some of their long-storied rejected characters.

The best thing I can appreciate is the way the animation supplements the comedy the way Mad Magazine or Futurama does. Everything from Easter egg gags in the background to the way faces are drawn to convey what we should expect from their personality sets the stage.

They're still zany to the max!

[BoxwoodExpress · 10/10 · 20 November 2020]

Animaniacs was one of my favorite shows growing up. I wasn't born in the 1990s, but I watched this show when it started airing reruns on the Hub Network in 2013, and I adored it.

This show is just as good as the original. The animation is hand-drawn, bright, colorful, and bouncy. The new songs are beautifully composed and sung. Plus, they got the original voices for Yakko, Wakko, and Dot back. The show may not have the same writing team as the original, but the new writers know how to write hilarious scripts because I laughed out loud several times.

Many people are hating on this show because it covers modern stuff like technology, social media, reboots, and Donald Trump's presidency. Did you even watch the original show? The original show poked fun at 90s pop culture all the freaking time, such as Friends, Rugrats, and the Macarena. Plus, the original show was no stranger to political humor, as they made fun of Bill Clinton and the Republican Party frequently.

After 22 years, the show has still got it. I'm a little bummed out that certain characters aren't in the reboot like Slappy Squirrel, but the makers of the reboot said that if the reboot is successful, then they will add the missing characters. Go support it on Hulu and have a zany time!

Good, but not Great

[DrReverb · 6/10 · 24 November 2020]

When you don't include the original creators in a reboot, you're bound to trip. While the animation is good and very entertaining, the writing is its biggest weakness. The show drags out the "hey, we're a reboot!" gag throughout the entire season. It's fine for the first two episodes, but beyond that is stale. I was also disappointed by the lack of time travel. Rather than visiting different events and cultures in history, we're stuck in current year. Lastly, there's way more partisan political jokes. The original made fun of everyone and was only a small portion of the humor. Bill Clinton only showed up a couple times in the original, while Trump shows up at least three times in the first season alone. The Animaniacs are basically anarchists, but the episode "Bun Control" was a very blunt message telling the audience what to believe. That's a good way to alienate half your audience.

In conclusion, for a reboot it's all right. Warner Bros. leaving out Tom Reugger was a mistake. Tom's on the record saying his agent contacted them when he heard about the reboot and Warner said they didn't want him. Big mistake.

The way every reboot should be

[Pukeonthestreet · 9/10 · 6 February 2021]

It has everything the original had and more I guess it helps having so many of the original people involved but still considering it was a streaming reboot it could've went horribly and didn't at all.

Better than expected, but not perfect. Hopefully it will get better with time.

[aj1218 · 6/10 · 25 November 2020]

I grew up watching Animaniacs, Histeria, and Freakazoid. I was pleasantly surprised that they got many of the original cast to reprise the roles. I am a little disappointed that they did not involve Tom Rueger (the original creator) involved. Now that I have kids I am glad I can watch new ones with them.

The show has a lot of charm but they are missing many of the beloved characters that expand the show. With only Pinky and Brain/Animaniacs it gets a little repetitive. They make a joke about the characters being gone in one of the episodes but sadly it is only one joke and in one episode.

The original Animanics did mention politics a little but this show is more hamfisted with it. And politics is even more prominent than it was in the 90s. This will annoy some people, primarily because it is done poorly and it will date the show very quickly. (The bun control episode was seriously just poorly written and executed)

Overall worth a shot, hopefully in the second season they create new characters or bring back some old ones to expand the roster and tone done the politics. Slapstick/Zanny comedy has a place in today's media landscape

This reboot is INSANELY AWESOME

[Anger246 · 10/10 · 20 November 2020]

I love the reboot of Animaniacs. Its great seeing returning characters like Pinky, Brain, Yakko, ect. Great episodes so far. This takes me back when i started Animaniacs back in 1995. I am loving this reboot so far. Great work, i want to see more of this. The best part: Pinky and The Brains own theme song.

Painfully average

[laynce · 6/10 · 21 February 2021]

The best it ever got was the standard for the old show

empty!

[theprogs · 5/10 · 26 January 2021]

"Lack of ideas", this is what I can describe this reboot. they could have hired some good writers for the show, the scenario is so empty and I got bored so quickly. hope the 2nd season will be better.

Love it

[Chucky110 · 10/10 · 17 December 2020]

Love it like I did when I was younger. All the negative reviews saying too political is complete rubbish. There is not that much at all and when it is it is not that much.