These Warner Bros. cartoons don't share a story, so this nostalgia marathon runs in premiere order, from Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) through Animaniacs (1993) and the Kids' WB years to the Animaniacs revival (2020). Pinky and the Brain started inside Animaniacs, so watch a few Animaniacs episodes first.
- Titles
- 10
- Films
- 2
- Series
- 8
- Watch time
- 183 hours
- Avg IMDb
- 7.5
Old Warner Bros. Cartoon shows in release order
Here is every Old Warner Bros. Cartoon title in the order it came out, 1990 to 2020: 2 films and 8 series.
| # | Title | Year | Type | Runtime | IMDb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tiny Toon Adventures | 1990 | Series | 49h | 7.5 |
| 2 | Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation | 1992 | Film | 1h 20m | 8 |
| 3 | Animaniacs | 1993 | Series | 35h 48m | 7.8 |
| 4 | Pinky and the Brain | 1995 | Series | 22h 40m | 7.8 |
| 5 | Freakazoid! | 1995 | Series | 8h 48m | 7.5 |
| 6 | Superman: The Animated Series | 1996 | Series | 18h 54m | 8.1 |
| 7 | Histeria! | 1998 | Series | 26h | 7.9 |
| 8 | Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain | 1998 | Series | 4h 46m | 5.8 |
| 9 | Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish | 1999 | Film | 1h 20m | 7.2 |
| 10 | Animaniacs | 2020 | Series | 14h 12m | 7.7 |
Release or chronological: which order is best?
For Warner Bros. Cartoon Classics, release order and story order are the same thing: every series picks up after the one before it. There is no prequel to slot in early and no flashback to reshuffle, so the list above is the only order you need.
Where to start
Start with Tiny Toon Adventures and go in release order.
The whole thing is 183 hours. At two hours a night that is about 92 evenings.
The three highest rated: Superman: The Animated Series (8.1), Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (8), and Histeria! (7.9).
Every Old Warner Bros. Cartoon title, explained
One entry per title in release order: what it is about, why it matters to the bigger story, who is in it and how it did.
No. 01 · 1990 · Series · 49h
Tiny Toon Adventures
Follow the adventures of a group of young cartoon characters who attend the Acme Looniversity to become the next generation of characters from the Looney Tunes series.
Why it matters: Young toons study under Bugs and the classics at Acme Looniversity; Steven Spielberg produced.
- Starring
- Tress MacNeille, Charlie Adler, and Joe Alaskey
- Scores
- IMDb 7.5
- Episodes
- 98 across 3 seasons
No. 02 · 1992 · Film · 1h 20m
Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation
Term-time ends at Acme Looniversity and the Tiny Toon characters look forward to a summer filled with fun. Buster and Babs Bunny turn a water fight into a white-water rafting trip through the dangerous Deep South; Plucky Duck and Hamton Pig share the most impossibly awful car journey imaginable on the way to HappyWorldLand; Fifi's blind date becomes a "skunknophobic" nightmare; and a safari park is turned upside-down by Elmyra's search for "cute little kitties to hug and squeeze".
Why it matters: The Tiny Toons' direct-to-video summer movie.
- Starring
- Charlie Adler, Tress MacNeille, and Joe Alaskey
- Director
- Alfred Gimeno, Kent Butterworth, Barry Caldwell, Art Leonardi, Ken Boyer, Byron Vaughns, and Rich Arons
- Scores
- IMDb 8
No. 03 · 1993 · Series · 35h 48m
Animaniacs
The two Warner Brothers Yakko and Wakko and their Warner sister Dot had been (supposedly) created in the 1930's, but their cartoons were too screwy for the general public to handle. The three Warners were locked up in the studio water tower until they escaped in the 90's. There, they run wild, causing chaos everywhere!
Why it matters: Yakko, Wakko and Dot, plus Pinky and the Brain, Slappy Squirrel and Rita and Runt.
- Starring
- Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille
- Scores
- IMDb 7.8
- Episodes
- 275 across 5 seasons
No. 04 · 1995 · Series · 22h 40m
Pinky and the Brain
Pinky and Brain are genetically enhanced laboratory mice who reside in a cage in the Acme Labs research facility. Brain is self-centered and scheming; Pinky is good-natured but feebleminded. In each episode, Brain devises a new plan to take over the world, which ultimately ends in failure, usually due to Pinky's idiocy, the impossibility of Brain's plan, Brain's own arrogance, or just circumstances beyond their control.
Why it matters: The Animaniacs mice get their own show about taking over the world.
- Starring
- Rob Paulsen, Maurice LaMarche, and Tress MacNeille
- Scores
- IMDb 7.8
- Episodes
- 95 across 4 seasons
No. 05 · 1995 · Series · 8h 48m
Freakazoid!
The adventures of Freakazoid, a manic, insane superhero who battles with an array of super villains.
Why it matters: A nerd becomes a manic superhero after getting sucked into the internet.
- Scores
- IMDb 7.5
- Episodes
- 24 across 2 seasons
No. 06 · 1996 · Series · 18h 54m
Superman: The Animated Series
Superman, an incredibly powerful alien from the planet Krypton, defends Metropolis from supercriminals. Superman hides his identity behind the glasses of Clark Kent; a mild-mannered reporter for the newspaper the Daily Planet. At the Daily Planet Superman works with fellow reporter Lois Lane and photographer Jimmy Olsen.
Why it matters: Superman in the DC animated universe, from the makers of Batman: TAS.
- Starring
- Tim Daly, Dana Delany, and David Kaufman
- Creator
- Bruce Timm and Alan Burnett
- Scores
- IMDb 8.1
- Episodes
- 54 across 3 seasons
No. 07 · 1998 · Series · 26h
Histeria!
Perhaps the world's only animated sketch-comedy educational series, Histeria! delivers lessons that stick - to your funny bone. Hosted by Father Time, the cartoon cast careens through time to deliver historical facts from Siberia to Sumeria, despite the efforts of Miss Information, the claims of The World's Oldest Woman and the perpetually poopy diapers of the egg-shaped Big Fat Baby.
Why it matters: Sketch comedy about world history.
- Starring
- Frank Welker, Tress MacNeille, and Laraine Newman
- Creator
- Tom Ruegger
- Scores
- IMDb 7.9
- Episodes
- 52 across 2 seasons
No. 08 · 1998 · Series · 4h 46m
Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain
The popular animated characters Pinky and the Brain continue to concoct schemes to rule the world while hiding out in the suburbs where they live with Elmyra, a hyperactive tot of Tiny Toon Adventures fame.
Why it matters: Pinky and the Brain become Elmyra's pets.
- Starring
- Cree Summer, Maurice LaMarche, and Rob Paulsen
- Creator
- Tom Ruegger
- Scores
- IMDb 5.8
- Episodes
- 25
No. 09 · 1999 · Film · 1h 20m
Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish
The Warner Brothers (and the Warner Sister) go on a quest to find a fallen wishing star to help Dot with her illness. Unfortunately the rest of the town, including an evil king, also hear about the star and want to get to it first to have their own wishes come true. It's a race against time and it's up to the three zany siblings to get there first.
Why it matters: The Animaniacs feature film: a wishing star in a fairy-tale kingdom.
- Starring
- Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille
- Director
- Liz Holzman, Rusty Mills, and Tom Ruegger
- Scores
- IMDb 7.2
No. 10 · 2020 · Series · 14h 12m
Animaniacs
Yakko, Wakko and Dot return for all-new big laughs and the occasional epic takedown of authority figures in serious need of an ego check. Joining the Warners are Starbox & Cindy on their latest play date while Pinky and the Brain's ideas for world domination lead them to all new adventures.
Why it matters: The Warner siblings return on Hulu, with Pinky and the Brain.
- Starring
- Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille
- Scores
- IMDb 7.7
- Episodes
- 123 across 3 seasons
The best and worst rated Old Warner Bros. Cartoon shows
Across 10 rated titles, Warner Bros. Cartoon Classics averages 7.5 on IMDb. The top of the list is Superman: The Animated Series at 8.1, then Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (8) and Histeria! (7.9). At the bottom: Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain (5.8) and Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish (7.2).
- Superman: The Animated Series8.1
- Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation8
- Histeria!7.9
- Animaniacs7.8
- Pinky and the Brain7.8
- Animaniacs7.7
- Tiny Toon Adventures7.5
- Freakazoid!7.5
- Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish7.2
- Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain5.8
Who appears in the most Old Warner Bros. Cartoon shows
Maurice LaMarche leads with 9 appearances as Dizzy Devil and David Letterman, ahead of Tress MacNeille (8) and Frank Welker (8). Counted from each title's top-billed cast.
| Actor | Role | Titles | First and latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maurice LaMarche | Dizzy Devil / David Letterman | 9 | Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) to Animaniacs (2020) |
| Tress MacNeille | Babs Bunny / Big Boo | 8 | Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) to Animaniacs (2020) |
| Frank Welker | Furrball / Byron Basset | 8 | Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) to Animaniacs (2020) |
| Rob Paulsen | Fowlmouth / Johnny Pew | 7 | Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992) to Animaniacs (2020) |
| Cree Summer | Elmyra Duff / Mary Melody | 4 | Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) to Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain (1998) |
| Jess Harnell | Wakko / Wakko Warner | 4 | Animaniacs (1993) to Animaniacs (2020) |
| Jeff Bennett | Flaxseed / Hippie | 4 | Animaniacs (1993) to Histeria! (1998) |
| Nancy Cartwright | Mindy / Rudy Mookich | 3 | Animaniacs (1993) to Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish (1999) |
| Charlie Adler | Buster Bunny / Usher | 2 | Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) to Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992) |
| Joe Alaskey | Plucky Duck / Tupelo Toad | 2 | Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) to Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992) |
| Don Messick | Hampton J. Pig / Hamton J. Pig | 2 | Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) to Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992) |
| Gail Matthius | Shirley the Loon / Sissy Boo | 2 | Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) to Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992) |
Old Warner Bros. Cartoon directors and creators
12 filmmakers have directed or created Warner Bros. Cartoon Classics; Tom Ruegger has the most, with 3.
- Tom RueggerHisteria! (1998), Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain (1998), and Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish (1999)
- Alfred GimenoTiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992)
- Kent ButterworthTiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992)
- Barry CaldwellTiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992)
- Art LeonardiTiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992)
- Ken BoyerTiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992)
- Byron VaughnsTiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992)
- Rich AronsTiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992)
- Bruce TimmSuperman: The Animated Series (1996)
- Alan BurnettSuperman: The Animated Series (1996)
- Liz HolzmanAnimaniacs: Wakko's Wish (1999)
- Rusty MillsAnimaniacs: Wakko's Wish (1999)
How long it takes to watch every Old Warner Bros. Cartoon show
All 10 titles add up to 183 hours: 3 hours of film and 180 hours of series, counting every episode. That is about 92 two-hour evenings, or 19 days of ten-hour binges. The longest film is Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation at 1h 20m.
The 2 best rated films: Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation and Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish.
Everything takes about 6 months.
Track what you've watched on the timeline and it counts the hours left.
Common questions
What order should I watch the Old Warner Bros. Cartoon shows in?
These Warner Bros. cartoons don't share a story, so this nostalgia marathon runs in premiere order, from Tiny Toon Adventures (1990) through Animaniacs (1993) and the Kids' WB years to the Animaniacs revival (2020). Pinky and the Brain started inside Animaniacs, so watch a few Animaniacs episodes first.
How many Old Warner Bros. Cartoon movies and shows are there?
There are 10 titles in the Warner Bros. Cartoon Classics franchise: 2 films and 8 series, released from 1990 to 2020.
How long does it take to watch all the Old Warner Bros. Cartoon shows?
About 183 hours for all 10 titles, counting every episode.
What is the first Old Warner Bros. Cartoon title in chronological order?
Tiny Toon Adventures, set in Acme Looniversity. In release order the first is Tiny Toon Adventures (1990).
What is the best Old Warner Bros. Cartoon title?
By IMDb score, Superman: The Animated Series (1996) at 8.1, followed by Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation at 8.
Who has appeared in the most Old Warner Bros. Cartoon shows?
Maurice LaMarche, in 9 of them as Dizzy Devil.
What is the longest Old Warner Bros. Cartoon movie?
Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation, at 1h 20m.
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