Animaniacs, Vol. 1

United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama...
A lot of people remember "Animaniacs," but not many people remember how popular it once was. In 1993, the year these episodes appeared on the Fox network, "Animaniacs" was the most popular cartoon on that network, and one of the most-watched cartoons on TV. It had a cult following like few other shows of its time; alt.tv.animaniacs was one of the most densely-populated groups on usenet. Adult and college-age viewers loved "Animaniacs" as much as, if not more than, the little kids; the obscure cultural references, double entendres, and good solid cartoon violence made it even more fun for an older audience.

Well, that was 1993, and over a decade later, how does this show hold up? Very, very well. All the things that made it so popular in 1993 -- the great lines, the imaginative visuals, the music (with the late Richard Stone leading a full orchestra, no computer-generated music allowed), the voices, the cultural references, the violence -- still work today. The...

Not a full season really, but still worth-owning the first 25 episodes!
Yeah, it's a not really a full first season, but the first 25 half-hour shows is still a big number for a 5-disc set! I just can't wait to buy this for my siblings, because I loved the show as a kid, and nowadays, I still appreciate the zany Looney Tunes-esque slapstick antics, solid art style, and great voice-acting.

As listed on tvshowsondvd.com, the first 25 episodes are:

1. De-Zanitized, The Monkey Song, Nighty Night Toon

2. Yakko's World, Cookies For Einstein, Win Big

3. HMS Yakko, Slappy Goes Walnuts, Yakko's Universe Song

4. Hooked on a Ceiling, Good Feathers (pilot episode)

5. Taming of the Screwy

6. Flipper Parody, Temporary Insanity, Operation Lollipop, What are We?

7. Piano Rag, When Rita Met Runt

8. The Warner's Lot Song, The Big Candy Store, Bumbie's Mom

9. Wally Llama, Where Rodents Dare

10. King Yakko

11. No Pain, No Painting, Les...

At Last
I had waited a long time for this. What's really good to see is how well the material holds up over time. Just like the classic Bugs Bunny cartoons from the 40's, these work on so many levels. The innuendo, the cultural references, the style...it's all timeless. I've made it my mission to introduce my wife to the series and this was the perfect way (replacing the VHS copies I made from the shows original airing). This series was the perfect example of what to do "right" with an animated series. It's true not all the characters worked well (the one joke Katie Ka-Boom, Favio and Marita) but the show had enough variety to make it interesting. You never knew what you were going to see from show to show. One one episode you may see the Warners at the height of zany, and the next you'd be touched on your heartstrings by the tale of some wrapping paper and it's journey through the world. It's was completely unpredictable and that was refreshing. Most cartoons today are predictable and bland...

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