I lovedAnimaniacswhen I was a kid. The animated series, along withTiny Toon Adventures, were surprisingly sharp despite being for kids with episodes and sketches parodying decidedly non-kid fare likeCitizen KaneandGoodfellas, but still making it accessible and funny. That’s on top of some all-time great work like “Nations of the World”. For those unfamiliar withAnimaniacs, it was a series of recurring sketches with the framing device being the Warners—Yakko, Wakko, and Dot—escaping from the Warner Bros. water tower and running amok. The episodes would also feature ongoing shorts like “Pinky and the Brain.” Basically, it was a way to do short-form storytelling that probably couldn’t sustain an entire episode, but was good enough for a 5-7 minute story.
Now Hulu has announced that they’ve ordered two new seasons ofAnimaniacswith a straight-to-series order.Steven Spielberg, who executive produced the original series, will return to executive produce alongside Amblin Television Co-PresidentsJustin FalveyandDarryl Frank. New episodes are set to premiere on the streaming service sometime in 2020.
If that feels like a long time to wait, you can dive in to classic episodes on Hulu starting today. The streaming service has now become the exclusive home to all 99 episodes of the originalAnimaniacsas well asPinky and the Brain, the subsequentPinky, Elmyra and the Brain, and the completeTiny Toon Adventurescollection.
“I am so pleased and proud that Animaniacs will have a home at Hulu,” said Executive Producer Steven Spielberg in a press release. “Together with Warner Bros., we look to bring new audiences and longtime fans into this wild world of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. I am also excited that the full library of Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures episodes are included in the deal.”
Personally, I’m eager to return to classicAnimaniacsandTiny Toon Adventuresepisodes to see how they hold up. If you’ve never seen any of them before, I recommend giving them a shot. They manage an impressive balance of channeling oldLooney Tuneswhile still having a unique personality.
