Do we ever have faboo news for you today. Ambin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation are currently developing a new version of Steven Spielberg’s Animaniacs — and yes, Spielberg is involved once again.
The original Animaniacs is regarded as one of the greatest cartoons of the 1990’s (if not every other decade as well). Its main characters, Yakko, Wakko and Dot, were said to be the original “Warner Brothers” (and sister) who were locked away in the studio’s water tower for being public nuisances. They would get out in each episode and harass someone, usually a jerk who deserved it, or Beethoven, or Howard Stern in bird form, or the studio’s put-upon p-sychatrist Dr. Scratchansniff. Then you would get a different cartoon starring one of the show’s numerous other characters, including Pinky and the Brain, who became so popular they gained a show of their own.
One thing Animaniacs wasn’t was cheap. Like most other programs of WBA’s Silver Age, it used gorgeously fluid animation and a fully orchestrated soundtrack in each episode. The high cost of WB Animation’s typical budget prevented Cartoon Network from ordering more episodes of Freakazoid when reruns of that show took off on the channel. But these are different days. CN is working directly with WB Animation on Teen Titans Go, and since the broadcast kids’ market is dead as a week-old fish, CN has WBA all to itself.
But will a new version of Animaniacs be able to hold up to the original? Other things you don’t see on kids’ cartoons these days include gratuitously violent sight gags, direct references to recent cultural and political events, and jokes about getting kinky with Prince. Cartoon Network is the most lenient and writer-friendly of the factories currently making kids’ TV (see yesterday’s Steven Universe episode for one example). At this time, though, it is unknown where the new Animaniacs will be shown.
Finding the right writing staff is crucial as well, because much of Animaniacs‘ appeal came from its clever dialogue and wit. Much of the original staff is still working in the industry today, but we have no clue if any of them are being included in the conversation to revive this show (I’ve asked Tom Ruegger what he knows; this spot will be filled in with his reply later). As some recent reboots have proven, finding fresh talent to fill big old shoes is tricky. Let’s hope we don’t wind up with some guy who writes self-insert fanfiction of Dot falling in love with him.
This project is in the early development stages and if you recall how long it’s taken for DuckTales to get from announcement to air, you know we may be waiting a while. To pass the time, see how many nations of the world you can name in your head.
Wow, this must've been a cold day in hell for this show to even be considered for a reboot, especially since several key people (writers/musicians/directors) who made it great are either at other studios or passed away. And considering Spielberg seemingly not wanting nothing more to do with animation, this is a surprise.
This will not be an easy task at all if the show ever makes it past the stages of talks.
Oh, dear. I do hope this will be great, but I typically have a healthy skepticism about remakes. When the original is so great, the reboot rarely measures up. See The Powerpuff Girls, Garfield, True Grit (know this isn't animated, but using it as an example), among others, for proof of this concept. If they can get the original cast back on board in addition to the writing team, it could be interesting. But I also have to admit I'd really love to see strong original programming instead of all these reboots.
I wanna see the Warners Dab and play with Fidget Spinners……..NOT!
well, spielberg is involved with this.. He knows what's good for this show
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Best case scenario: Spielberg's supervision means that we don't lose the old feel of Animaniacs. The jokes are more modern, yet not ridiculous/meme-heavy. Everyone's happy. Successful reboot.
Worst case scenario: GO! *ear-screeching music starts as cheaply animated versions of the Animaniacs dance around* A-N-I-M-A-N-I-A-C-S, LET'S GO!
Seeing this get a reboot is a surprise. Will they try to get some of the original voices back? Or will it be like the new PPG where the warners will be voiced by new actors?
I know this is a very unpopular opinion, but aside from that song naming all countries of the world, which was awesome, I never got into the Animaniacs. (unlike the Looney Tunes, used to be a huge LT fan and especially Daffy Duck shorts will never get old for me)
I used to watch the Animaniacs sometimes at my grandpa's, but only because he didn't have Cartoon Network so Nickelodeon was the only channel airing cartoons.
If they do get new VA's, i expect them to be actual children closely the same age as the Warners. I'm also hoping that they make the Warners have their own episodes, each, instead of all three of them in the same episodes together.
Well, I'll give this reboot the benefit of the doubt because Spielberg himself is involved!
This can be really good or really bad.
Animaniacs always prided itself in being the spiritual decedent of Looney Tunes, and the classic MGM shorts. And part of what makes them so well loved is their ability to be redone over and over again, which their own spark but not losing the spirit, hit and misses notwithstanding.
This will their trail by fire, too see if Animaniacs truly has what it takes to stand with Looney Tunes as a property that deserves to remembered for decades to come.
This is still in the early development stages, so it's not definitely happening yet. In any case, I was surprised by this news.
Well the original actors weren't children when the original aired, and considering the new series might do the name the states type of gag like the original, I don't see a kid being able to pull off the song at a speed that Yakko did them in. As for separating, They are kind of a set. Plus it would take away from the other characters.
are you telling me that they are in the phase of "in talks" like when nickelodeon were in talks with rocko,hey arnold,invader zim or when gendy tartakovsky was in talks to revive "samurai jack"?
spielberg probably would aprove animanaiacs reboot since thats not "jaws" and say to a viewer that hed like to revive/ reboot the show
remember last time the original show was canceled by jamie kellner for pokemon when it was in kids wb not ended
This is pretty cool news. I liked watching Animaniacs back in the day. Even my Dad really loved the show. I wasn't sure if they'd ever try to reboot it, but it sounds promising given that Steven Spielberg is involved. It will be a long time before it gets off the ground given that they're just in early development, but I am curious how they'll handle it.
I'm also wondering where the show could air. That's a long way off from now, but that was one of my first thoughts after hearing the news. I'm not sure if I could see an Animaniacs reboot airing on Cartoon Network for some reason. Netflix could be a possibility given how they've handled various animated series there. It would probably depend on what they want to reboot to be exactly too.
Would Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille reprise their roles of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot? And would the reboot have any new songs?
right now,rob paulsen is really pissed off about animaniacs reboot because they dont call him for the reboot
and took that as a rumor
nate ruegger is amazed(in a good way) about animaniacs reboot
rich irons us amazed too about animaniacs reboot.
i did a research about michael shneider did in the past and all is true. animaniacs reboot conversation is real. that all what i know
With Spielberg back I do have hope that the show can be as good as the original, I would really love to enjoy the Warners and see them remind others that they are great examples of how to be funny.
First I want to know the people who are going to be involved (hoping in at least Tom Ruegger) and then say my opinion about this. The fact that Spielberg is back is already a good sign.
I follow him on Twitter and he didn't sound pissed. It's still early in development, so they probably haven't done any casting yet.
ok thanks for the answer about that.
if greenlght animaniacs reboot,call trey parker and/or matt stone(south park creators as guest stars) they are definetly animaniacs
check this out .they are really animaniacs
also ryan reynolds(for his work as deadpool),seth green(robot chicken)
so the question is who will recieve wb animation , amblin animation and steven spielberg s call to do animaniacs reboot?
so the question is who will recieve wb animation , amblin animation and steven spielberg s call to do animaniacs reboot?
I don't think the reboot is happening at all…
How do you know? It would take time for a reboot like this to begin production.