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Relive your favorite animany, totally insaney moments! It’s Time for the Top 11 Best Animaniacs Episodes!
Tagged with: animaniacs cartoons doug walker nostalgia critic television Top 11 top 11 animaniacs episodes top lists
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say critic! if you ever decide to do a 6th nostalgic commercials video, I’m willing to lend some of the commercials I’ve posted to you as long as you give me the credit. I’ve even posted a top 11 nostalgia commercials video that I think would be cool to see you do. I plan to post a follow up video on that sometime soon, but I do plan to post those commercials individually. if you’re ever interested, you can respond to me via my YT page. here the video I’ve mentioned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bjk6sZbbJeo
Here’s one I’d add. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxtZHOE4ScY
A 6th commercials special is confirmed
even if that’s true, I’d still like to help him out since I have over 600 + commercials on my computer. and the ones I’ve posted in that video plus others I plan to post I think would be cool to see. I’m willing to lend them to him as long as he gives me the credit for it. fore example, these are 2 commercials that were high on my list:
1 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8WFXsCfEBY
&
2 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8oIdHBlRJY
My only problem with Animaniacs was a lot of the jokes feel a bit dated now, so many of them revolved around pop culture references. Pop culture references as jokes do not typically age well over the years. But still, the show was a great show with hilarious jokes, the show shines the best with Pinky and the Brain.
Mystery Science Theatre 3000 has a similar problem. Despite it being one of my favourite TV shows some of the references they make are so dated that the viewer is left confused and simply tilts their heads a bit. Some of the jokes are SO dated that Shout! Factory has release annoted episodes on YouTube with little notes explaining the references. But thankfully in both the case of Animaniacs and MST3K not all the jokes are references and if you watch enough episodes of either you’ll start to pick up what they’re referencing.
You could say that about the classic Looney Tunes shorts, too. It can be very hard to get some of the pop culture jokes if you don’t know the history behind it.
I honestly disagree.
As a teen, I barely got any of the pop culture jokes, but still found them extremely funny. Rewatching the series as an adult and finally getting the references made it even funnier for me.
I admit a lot of childhood shows haven’t held up for me (a lot of TMNT 87 comes to mind), but Animaniacs is something that is already funny if you watched it as a kid and is even funnier as an adult since Animaniacs is so chock full of adult humor.
But I do have to say since it’s been 20+ years since Animaniacs debuted, the pop culture references can be seen as old to people since 2 decades of new ones have come and passed. Does this make them outdated? Not by a longshot since good entertainment lasts forever.
Agree, even though I was just a child in the 90s, I don’t mind pop culture references from that time. It’s quite educational.
I get the same culture whiplash while watching reruns of “The Critic.” Granted, I grew up all throughout the 90’s so I look back upon that show and “Animaniacs” with a smile… but even I have to cringe a bit at the number of references to Bill Clinton’s presidency (Hell, it’s in the “Animaniacs” opening!).
Thinking back on pop culture references, though, my favorite will always be an episode of “Freakazoid!” where he purposely gets himself captured by the villain just so he can do something ridiculous like Sgt. Agarn from “F Troop” wearing a dress… then to immediately cut to a clip of Sgt. Agarn from “F Troop” wearing a dress. XÞ
Weren’t most of the pop culture references in Animaniacs already dated when the show first aired anyway? Orson Welles, Perry Mason, Woodstock; these are all things that only adults or very old-fashioned children would’ve gotten even back then. If anything, I’d say the fact that the references are “old” is LESS meaningful now than it was then. We have the internet, after all; it’s never been easier to be exposed to media from before your time.
Then again most of the pop culture references are mainly about films known to this day, so referencing Aliens is better than referencing some ’90s one hit wonder because Aliens is truly good enough to be remembered despite being decades old. Animaniacs just knew (or were lucky enough) to pick which things to reference. Plus it’s way less dated than Tiny Toons when you compare the two.
I only have one thing to say NC, it’s about damn time
The Goldbergs had an episode similar to “Bumbie’s Mom”, where Adam was traumatized by Optimus Prime’s death in Transformers the Movie and filmed his own ending
But Trans the Movie was actually much worse, from what I’ve heard. It killed off most of the cast pretty much just for toys. At least Bambi’s mom had a character-related reason for dying.
I was more upset by Starscream’s death by how ‘graphic’ it is in comparison to Optimus Prime’s death.
I was more upset with Starscream’s death in the Bay movies, seriously take one of best Transformers and have him killed off by Shia Lebeof, Starscream’s deserved better man :,(
Totally agree with you! I was seriously pissed after that happen.
As for old G1 movie. Yes, slaughter was made to sell new line of toys, but even then you need balls to do that. They could simply give new characters from ass and forget that old even exist, as they did in most similar shows. But instead they made something epic.
I luv Animaniacs. They need to bring it back.
Or at least an HD Blu Ray remaster.
My personal favorite is the Baloney and Friends parody on Barney the Dinosaur. I still die laughing at the Warner’s reactions to the big orange monster.
My favorite use of Baloney was when he was used as a torture in the “Please Please Please Get a Life Foundation” short.
I found that one funny and also one of my faves.
I would have put that on here too, as well as the Apocalypse Now parody with Mr. Director. I didn’t even realize that was a parody, because I’d never seen the movie. When I finally did I was laughing my butt off the whole time.
I don’t know if Wakko’s Wish would have counted, but that could have been on here too.
On that Van Gogh thing: I know it’s an attempt to tie it to a similar role, but I’d have made a reference to one of Kirk Douglas’ two best performances: Chuck Tatum from Ace in the Hole or Colonel Dax from Paths of Glory.
At the very least…as a kid I knew Kirk Douglas played “Spartacus” and wore a similar “Roman Empire slave-type” outfit (though blue instead of white) that wouldn’t have been worn during the 1500’s Italian Renaissance, so….I found a broad stretch to link the caricature of Kirk Douglas to play Michaelangelo (because I didn’t know about Vincent Van Gogh).
It did sort of turn my brain to a pretzel doing it but at least it made me curious enough to look it up and I learned a few things. 😛
doug u should review wackos wish one of these days
Wakko’s Wish was terrible, so it would totally fit…God I wish I could get the time back that I wasted watching that, it was worse than when they decided to change Pinky and the Brain into Pinky Elmyra and the Brain
On the ceiling is what you consider the number one best? I thought of it more around 3 or 2, but okay
You mean that not everyone has the same exact taste? :O
Been a long time since Animaniacs appeared here!
Excellent list Doug, and I would have to say a lot of these episodes are among my favorites as well. I bought the dvd sets a few years back and was surprised how much more I enjoyed the show as an adult than when I was a teen when the show came out.
nice to see one of the more touching moments talked about. I like comedy just fine but I prioritize more emotional stuff in my entertainment.
and I have mixed feelings about the ending of the Woodstock episode where Slappy torture’s Skippy with polka. I guess it’s good that Skippy isn’t but you’d think he is off limits to comedic suffering for the same reason Fluttershy from MLP is.
Ugh! I also can’t stand Czech national dance..
to add to what I said, it was the fact the episode ‘ended’ with Skippy in pain was my problem.
This show is about a month older than I am. I remember being four years old and sitting down with my parents to watch it back in the early days of Cartoon Network. I own all three of the DVD sets that Warner Brothers has released and, in 2012, I got to see Rob Paulsen, Maurice Lamarche, and Jess Harnell at an Animaniacs panel Emerald City Comicon. I was in the second row and all throughout the panel I felt like I was a little girl again. It was the most fun I’ve ever had at a convention and my only regret is that I didn’t bring the DVDs to get them signed.
ah, I used to love watching this show as a kid. I remember that Pinky & The Brain eventually got their own show at some point, which makes sense since they created an animated series based on Osmosis Jones. the $6 pick I also think was pretty funny and probably one of the few Pinky & The Brain skits I still remember…sort of. its great shows like this and Batman TAS that helped created Kids! WB. I hope that the NC can look into some more amazing shows from Kids! WB in the future like Batman Beyond and so many others. in either case, I always loved watching this show when it came on as well as Tiny Toon Adventures.
Great episode but um…was this a plug? That DVD at the end there would be a big no-no as far as reviews are concerned unless Doug has received money to promote it.
Not complaining, just thinking aloud.
Well, it’s no secret he absolutely adores Animaniacs as a character and in real life. So I think he’s just promoting it to an extreme.
Honestly, he’s had both Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche appear in cameos on the show (The Pinky and the Brain breakup scene is BRILLIANT!) and did that amazing 3 part interview with the show creators and writers back in the past. If the price of that is some plugging for Animaniacs, honestly, bring on the plugging for it!
YES! As soon as I saw the title of this, I whispered, “Oh, hell yeah.” Animaniacs is amazing! My dad, brother, and I have watched it for decades! I know way too many songs from this cartoon that it’s not even funny…
I’m actually surprised that my two favorite episodes weren’t on the list. Chalkboard Bungle and King Yakko always get me doubled over laughing, the first one even more so now that I’m an Education Major. I’d actually be really interested to see a Top 11 Worst Animaniacs episodes because, let’s face it, for every great one there was a…not as great one. The Warners, Slappy, Pinky, Brain, Chicken Boo, Hello Nurse, even Rita and Runt were always great. Unfortunately, I wasn’t a big fan of Buttons and Mindy. And I don’t think anyone was a fan of the Hip Hippos.
Anyway, great review as always, Doug!
So both of those decades then? 😛
@16:23 Oh hello Witch Hazel, looks like warner brothers took a shot at disney again after bambi’s mom 🙂
I’m more of a Tiny Toons man, but I can’t deny Animaniacs was funny as all get out.
On my list I’d put at least one of the Katy Kabooms. With daughters of my own, we point out their Kaboom moments frequently.
I’d also put just one of the Mindy & Buttons cartoons. The one that is a runny gag/homage to all the other ‘chase the baby’ forebearers like Tom & Jerry and Popeye & Sweet Pea.
An honorable mention would be that mega crossover were all the Spielberg cartoons go to the man himself to find out which one is his favorite. I think it was in an episode of Freakazoid so just a mention.
My favorite Warners pester episode is with Ernest Hemingway. I got those jokes and references more than the Sistine Chapel one. To each their personal preference.
Frankly, the only truly *good* Katie Kaboom was “The Driving Lesson,” since that one hit both sides equally. The others were generally all teenage girl stereotypes that really weren’t that funny.
11 – RIP Leonard Nimoy.
10 – Hard to believe he was that hard.
9 – Finally, one I remember!
8 – Other shows should do that.
7 – Saddam Hussein actually appears at the beginning of the Devil thing.
6 – I don’t regret country music dying out.
5 – Slappy Squirrel and Pinkie Pie were the only funny women ever.
4 – That’s getting crap, or pee, past the radar.
3 – Skippy’s parents weren’t lucky either.
2 – Kind of like “I was frozen today!”
1 – Mine was the “Please Please Please Get A Life Foundation”.
God, I love Animaniacs, and I love it whenever it’s talked about on this show.
I do hope lists for the other Spielberg-produced cartoons will surface in the coming years. Thanks for making my Tuesday.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen most of the episodes, but personally I love HMS Yakko. An entire short of Gilbert and Sullivan music.
“The Sound of Warners” didn’t make the list? I love seeing the one character who was able to get the better of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot.
Always good to see you do an Animaniacs episode/list! I got hooked on day one, ended up as one of the “superfans” parodied in Please Please Pleese Get a Life Foundation (albeit not one of the ones quoted), and still have a cel from a deleted scene from Potty Emergency up on my wall today…
Ah Animaniacs, you never disappoint! Well okay, maybe the jokes tend to go over kid’s head and the references are so 90’s kids nowdays wouldn’t get them… but the humor is still good enough to enjoy.
There’s baloney in our slacks! 😀
Ah, the Animaniacs. Some of my fav episodes (SPOILERS ahead) were:
(1) the one where Pinky & the Brain go to an Amish village to find some super powerful sneeze-inducing mineral called sinusite. The barn raising scenes were the best part.
“Come, Pinky. We have a barn to raise.”
“Aaaah! It wasn’t a dream!”
(2) the one where Pinky & the Brain do a documentary about themselves to try to hypnotize the world, only everyone is too busy watching a show about shoelaces (I still remember that the little plastic bits at the end are called aglets 🙂 )
(3) the one where Dot is Snow White, and then at the end the mirror tells her the Olsen twins are cuter.
The first two came from the Pinky and the Brain show.
Y’know, I kinda think this ought to have been split into two lists: one for the top 11 skits starring the Warners (like Hooked on a Ceiling and Sir Yaksalot), and one for the top 11 skits starring other characters (like Bubba Bo Bob Brain and Woodstock Slappy).
I agree, Hooked on a ceiling had me in stitches at the end… it was so funny… XD
11. The William Slakmer episode stinks! 10. The one about the Orson Well episode stinks, too. 9. The Sir Yaksalot one, I never liked. 6. The Country Music episode sucks! The only good part is the chick with the big titties. 3. Bumbie’s Mom was terrible! I hope whom ever made, help, produced and directed that episode, them and their whole families died a violent death!
If I weren’t a large cheese, I would make you pay for that remark.
Go away troll.
Why does Film Brain need a plug? I think most people already know him and are awaiting more bad movie beatdown.
I must something about this iconic gem of a show! In the U.K, this was one of the only 80’s/90’s cartoons shown! Why? I don’t know! I really enjoyed this show and still do! As someone who was born in the late 90’s (Still grow up with VHS, traditional film projectors and Blockbuster). I do say as a child, I never got some of the jokes and I thought the Warners were irritating at the time (No, I don’t hate them now). I must say why doesn’t much people mention British Animation much? I hear American and Anime, but never British Animation! Seriously underrated and very diverse in animation and could get seriously dark! British animation needs to get attention more!
Forgot to put ‘admit’ in the first sentence! One of those days again!