CROSS-POSTED TO JUST EAT THE DAMN PEACH. I have said before how I love The Animaniacs (here and here, in fact). Spielberg, is of course, a genius. And speaking of geniuses, here is one of my all-time favorite clips, from the episode called "The Genius." This is one of at least two episodes in which Spielberg goes after Jerry Lewis. Here's Jerry Lewis ("The Genius") trying to teach the Warner kids how to do comedy. But the Warner kids already know comedy.
Here's a little summary of the show that explains its appeal to adults:
The humor of Animaniacs varied in type, ranging from parody to cartoon violence. Animaniacs made parodies of television shows and films, one of which being a parody of a large Animaniacs competitor, Power Rangers. In an interview, Spielberg defended the "irreverence" of Animaniacs, saying that the Animaniacs crew has "a point of view" and does not "sit back passively and play both sides equally." Spielberg also said that Animaniacs' humor of social commentary and irreverence were inspired by the Marx Brothers and Looney Tunes cartoons.Animaniacs, among other Spielberg-produced shows, had a large amount of cartoon violence. Spielberg defended the violence in Animaniacs by saying that the series had a balance of both violent humor and educational segments, so the series would never became either too violent or "benign." Animaniacs also made use of catchphrases, recurring jokes and segments, and "adult" humor.....
A great deal of Animaniacs' humor and content was aimed at an adult audience. The comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan Pirates of Penzance and H.M.S. Pinafore were parodied in episode 3, "HMS Yakko". Furthermore, jokes and statements that are double entendres (such as Yakko’s song of eight of the nine planets in the Solar System, after which Wakko reminds Yakko that he forgot Uranus) were used throughout the duration of the show. These jokes are signified by Yakko blowing a kiss and shouting, "Good night, everybody!", thereby ending the sketch. Some content of Animaniacs was not only aimed at an adult audience but were suggestive in nature. For example, one character, Minerva Mink had episodes that network censors considered too sexually suggestive for the show's intended audience, for which she was soon de-emphasized as a featured character.
The Animaniacs characters had personalities and character traits similar to those of film stars in movies marketed to adults. The Warners personalities were made similar to those of the Marx Brothers and Jerry Lewis, in that they, according to writer Peter Hastings, "wreak havoc," in "serious situations." In addition, the show's recurring Goodfeathers segment was populated with characters based on characters from the 1990 film Goodfellas, an R-rated crime drama neither marketed nor intended for children. (Animaniacs)
Here are some of my favorite Animaniacs quotes:
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