'Animaniacs' Revival Arrives On Hulu In November; Pinky And The Brain Coming Back, Too
It's been 22 years since Animaniacs graced the small screen. But they're making a big comeback in the streaming world with Hulu reviving the animated series that was originally executive produced by Steven Spielberg. Now Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation have some all-new adventures following the Warner brothers Yakko and Wacko, as well as the Warner sister Dot, as they run around the Warner movie lot. And they're coming to Hulu this fall.
Hulu officially set the Animaniacs return for November 20, starting with 13 episodes. Here's the official synopsis:
After returning to their beloved home, the Warner Bros. Water Tower, the Animaniacs waste no time in causing chaos and comic confusion as they run loose through the studio and beyond, turning the world into their personal playground. Joining Yakko, Wakko and Dot, fan-favorite characters Pinky and the Brain will also return to continue their quest for world domination.
That confirms that Pinky and The Brain will be back on the show they originated from before getting their own animated series. But singling Pinky and The Brain out for a return without mentioning any of the other supporting characters who were part of Animaniacs would seem to imply they'll be the only ones returning. That leaves the likes of Slappy Squirrel, The Goodfeathers, Rita and Runt, Buttons and Mindy, and Minerva Mink out in the wind, unless Hulu just didn't feel the need to mention them. But presumably with only a 13 episode order in place, they wanted to give more time to the titular characters and the second-most popular characters from the show. But the good news is they already have an order for a second season of 13 more episodes, so those characters could still return if they're not part of the first season.
Animaniacs was a family friendly cartoon that was silly enough for kids to enjoy, but it also contained a lot of clever pop culture references and homages to various movies and TV shows from previous decades, including some cheeky nods to Steven Spielberg himself. With 22 years of new entertainment history to lampoon, I'm very interested to see what the Animaniacs make fun of in this revival. Hopefully it will include some mocking of the superhero movie genre that has exploded since the show came to an end.
Steven Spielberg returns as executive producer of Animaniacs along with Warner Bros. Animation president Sam Register. Amblin Television co-presidents Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey, Wellesley Wild, and Blue Ribbon Content are also serving as executive producers with Gabe Swarr as co-executive producer.