Yes, it has all gone mad since you went away.
Unless something drastic happens, such as what has happened this year, you don't really notice how much change happens in day to day life. Changes to yourself, your friends, family, the world as a whole, you become oblivious to it. So when something comes out and points out and make fun of just how much has changed in, say, 22 years, it comes as a massive shock. Considering what this year has been, it's safe to say that many could go for something comedic, something zany. And, well, who does zany better then the Warners? "They're baaaaack"
To get one thing out of the way first, I will admit that I watched this unofficially. Hulu is not available here in Australia, and at time of writing, there is no announcement of a release here in Australia on other streaming platforms. Once it does become available here in a legal way, I will be re-watching it again as, though I'll be sharing some issues I had with the show, I did really enjoy watching it.
At least, most of it, there are some things that fans of the original show should know before going into it. When they were marketing the show as a return for both the Warner siblings, along with fellow Animaniacs standouts Pinky and The Brain, there was a reason they only showed those two groups in marketing. They're the only ones that return. Ralph and Dr. Scratchansniff return to their roles of Warner foils, though for some reason Scratchy is locked to cameos until the last episode of the season where he becomes a human Hindenburg, but if you were hoping for a return for characters like The Goodfethers, Slappy Squirrel, Rita and Runt, Mr Skullhead, then you're going to be disappointment, and potentially traumatized at first. I do think this does more harm then good though because there are some sketches that seem to go on for a bit too long, and the episodes feel more formulaic due to the smaller pool of characters, with the general episode structure being a Warners short, a Pinky and The Brain short, then something at the end that could be a song, a smaller Warner sketch, or sketches based on new character concepts which feel... forced?
There are three of these in the 13 episodes. A Halloween themed one that takes the idea of "things that go bump in the night" and turns it into a group of monsters that keep bumping into each other in the dark. Nothing amazing, but fitting for a episode themed around All Hallows Eve. Another sketch revolves around a tiny alien trying to call a invasion force to begin a attack, but a little girl treats it as a pet/ toy. This is the weakest one for me mostly because we've already seen this idea, twice. Once in the original show where they mixed up all the characters, and Brain got paired up with Mindy, and then again as a whole season of Pinky and The Brain (called Pinky, Emyra and The Brain). It just comes off as "Really? That's what you came up with?", not bad objectively, just bland. A "Been there, done that" concept. The final one was the weirdest of the three, a tech billionaire that gets turned into a Gnome that lives in people's mouths and says what they really want to say. I'm not sure if this is good or bad, as I just found it really weird, even for something as comedicly absurd as Animaniacs. I could see this one being the most devicive of the three, as it relies on how much ridiculousness you're willing to take.
Regarding the main stars of the reboot though, they've done what they've set out to do. It's the original characters brought into the modern day. I love most of the sketches for the Warners and Pinky and The Brain. The comedy pacing and delivery is still very strong, very refined, even if some of the sketches go on a bit too long. One problem I could see many people having is that some of the jokes drift away from "Look at this stupid thing in the world, let's laugh at it" to "look at this stupid thing in the world, here's what to do about it", but there aren't many cases of it. The only one I can think of off the top of my head was the first sketch in episode 4 called "Bun Control". I could see Dot being viewed as more politically charged now, thanks to her two big songs in the reboot being about the Suffragette movement (which leads to her trying to give cartoons the right to vote, leading to Warner Brothers and Hanna Barara cartoon cameos. I did genuinely laugh at the Loonatics cameo, and Daffy Duck wanting stunt doubles), and the First Ladies of the United States. Personally, I think it stays just enough in the "point and laugh" side of things to be amusing, but this is coming from someone who lives in the country where the Dingos came from to help gather up the Buns off the Warner Lot. With the exception of 1001 Narfs though, there wasn't a single Pinky and The Brain sketch that didn't get a laugh out of me. Even repetitive feeling sketches like How to Brain your Dragon and (for the Warners) Warner She Wrote have enough twists and turns to make things keep feeling fresh. For returning fans, there is enough here to enjoy, and nice little call backs that will get a laugh out of you.
At it's core, this is meant to entertain. It may have a bit of a hard time sticking to the Kids Show mentality, either that or it's another case of "wow things really have changed", but it's entertaining none the less. It's a delight having these characters back, and seeing what chaos they can do in 2020. I hope that for the second season, they bring in more of the other characters into the reboot to help add more variety to the show... that and I just want a sketch where Slappy mocks the current trends in animation (try and tell me you wouldn't want to see her making fun of someone like Steven Universe's anti violence beliefs). A bit more refining is in order, but otherwise this is a great reboot, and I can't wait to see what they've got in store next. "Goodnight everybody!"
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