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Animaniacs

Series, 1993, The '90s, Set in The Warner Bros. water tower

Animaniacs is #1 of 24 in release order and #1 of 24 in chronological order in the Kids' WB Classics.

The story

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!

Animaniacs recap

Yakko, Wakko and Dot, the Warner siblings, are cartoon characters from the 1930s who were locked in the Warner Bros. water tower for being too zany. Now loose, they run around the studio lot, tormenting the studio psychiatrist Dr. Scratchansniff and the guard Ralph, and singing songs about the countries of the world, the presidents and the US states. The show is a variety series made up of short segments. Besides the Warners, there is Pinky and the Brain, two lab mice trying to take over the world; Slappy Squirrel, a retired cartoon star; the Goodfeathers, pigeons spoofing gangster films; Rita and Runt, a cat and a dog; and Buttons and Mindy, a dog and a toddler who wanders into danger. The humour mixes slapstick with jokes aimed at adults. Produced by Steven Spielberg, it aired on Fox Kids from 1993 to 1995 and then on Kids' WB until 1998, with 99 episodes.

Animaniacs ending explained

The original show has no story finale; it ended in 1998, and a direct-to-video film, Wakko's Wish, followed in 1999, in which the Warners compete for a wish from a falling star. Hulu revived Animaniacs in 2020 with the original voice cast. The revival ran for three seasons until 2023, with the Warners joking about their decades away, and Pinky and the Brain back as a regular segment.

Where to watch Animaniacs

Animaniacs is streaming on Tubi in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.

Ratings

IMDb 7.8/10

Where it fits

Cast