Animaniacs (2019 film)

Animaniacs is an American live-action / animated hybrid comedy film based off of the 1993 television series of the same name created by Tom Ruegger. The film was directed and produced by David Soren in his first live-action feature film and written by Ruegger, Steven Spielberg, and Tim Story. The film stars Mike Myers, Anna Kendrick, Steve Zahn, and Jack Dylan Grazer with Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille as the voices of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. The film is best known for having animation similar to Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

Several attempts to create an Animaniacs film had been rejected by Warner Bros. due to the box-office failure of Looney Tunes: Back in Action, in which another Looney Tunes film would not be made until Space Jam 2 was in development (which would release on July 16, 2021). After rumors on Twitter saying that David Soren would be in talks to direct an Animaniacs film, in which the rumors were true. Production began in mid-2016.

The film's plot follows the Warner Brothers and the Sister being released by their scientist Dr. Otto Scratchansniff. However, Warner Bros.'s president Mike MacWalker hides them in a car so they won't cause chaos, much of them being found by a girl named Ariana (Kendrick). Knowing that it was a big mistake, he sends the entire government to go look for them. Meanwhile, The Brain and his sidekick Pinky train a group of mice kids to take over the world.

The film released on October 20, 2019 and received mixed-to-positive reviews, praising Soren's direction after DreamWorks' Turbo and Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, originality to the original series, acting, and the slapstick humor. There was also a post-credit scene in the film which foreshadowed the release of the 2020 revival series which released on Hulu. The revival would later get a second and third season, which will also release on the same streaming platform, season two is set to release in 2021.

A sequel titled Animaniacs 2 was released on March 30, 2023 and once again received positive feedback from critics and fans.

Synopsis
Disappearing from the golden age of animation since 1999, the Animaniacs have been released out of their homes by mad scientist Dr. Otto Scratchansiff. Knowing that they are too crazy and dangerous to be out, Warner Bros.' president Mike MacWalker stupidly hides them in a car. The car later gets owned by 29-year-old girl Ariana Suplana, who finds them under the car. MacWalker finds out that it was a stupid idea to do it and sends the entire U.S. government to look for them. Meanwhile, Pinky and his sidekick The Brain train a group of mice children to take over the world.

Not to mention, they also travel to England.

Plot
Plans for an Animaniacs movie starring one of the main protagonists Yakko Warner had been in development at the Warner Bros. studios since 2013. It's president Mike MacWalker had been in talks to produce it. Dr. Otto Scratchansiff plans to release one of the Warner Brothers/Sisters but MacWalker denies it, but Scratchansiff runs out of the room to release them because it is not the same without the Animaniacs.

He releases the trio Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, which floods the whole Warner Bros. lot, causing Scratchansiff to get arrested for 55 years. Meanwhile, MacWalker decides to put Yakko, Wakko, and Dot into a cage under a car. Meanwhile, a 29-year-old girl named Ariana Suplana buys the car and gfoes home with it and greeting her neighbors Mindy, Buttons, Mindy's mother and Granny, even with her nephew Jack making fun of the car. She hears something under the car, which is Yakko, Wakko, and Dot.

Soon, she sees a news report about Yakko, Wakko, and Dot seeing that they are wanted. At the Warner Bros. lot having the water cleaned up by the workers, Mike MacWalker realizes it was a terrible idea and orders the entire U.S. government to go look for the Animaniacs. At the ACME labs, The Brain and his sidekick Pinky try to make a plan to take over the world. Pinky comes up with the idea of training little mice children to make inventions to take over the world. Brain approves of the idea and tries to contact mice children. While in jail, with an inmate's help, Otto Scratchansiff breaks out of jail and hops on the roof of an truck.

Jack finds out about Yakko, Wakko, and Dot being in their house. He attempts to tell Ariana's father, but Ariana forbids him to, while she drives away with Yakko, Wakko, and Dot to the Warner Bros. lot. Jack then breaks Ariana's promise and tells her dad, in which he and Jack go after Ariana. Meanwhile, The Brain and Pinky teach the mice children on how to build an invention.

At nighttime, Jack and Mel (Ariana's father) find Ariana's car and attempt to catch up with it. Jack also tells Mel that Ariana has the "legendary" Animaniacs, but his dad doesn't believe him until Yakko, Wakko, and Dot stop the car by throwing salami at the car's engine, causing it to crash, but both Jack and Mel are okay after the incident. But the car span around so much, that it caused Jack to throw up in the car. The next day, Pinky and the Brain are testing the kids' inventions, all of them fail, but only one works; a hat that can make people in the world think that your in charge. The Brain loves this idea until it suddenly blows up, with the mouse saying that it wasn't ready.

MacWalker is hosting a meeting with what to do with Yakko, Wakko, and Dot when they contain them. Soon, MacWalker gets the idea of exterminating the Animaniacs with the help of former Warner Bros. chairman Thaddeus Plotz, who got fired after the events of the 1999 film: "Wakko's Wish". MacWalker soon makes fliers fly all around the world that the Animaniacs are somewhere, which will force the Animaniacs and the person who stole them to go to England to hide somewhere. Then, Thaddeus needs to take a shower after being dirty for a while, but he bumps into a bunch of expensive fireworks in the bathroom, with Thaddeus and the bathroom exploding.

Meanwhile with Ariana driving in the desert, she realizes that the car has been broken down. Yakko, Wakko, and Dot get upset. Needing to find a place to rest in, they find a place called "Looney Desert" featuring various Looney Tunes characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and Sylvester Cat. They go into a bar where they later get assisted help by Foghorn Leghorn (who is portrayed as a car engineer in this film), who says it will take atleast a day to fix the car. Ariana and the Warner Brothers and the sister settle into a hotel that is owned by Tweety Bird (while trying to survive getting eating by Sylvester).

While Scratchansiff is driving after stealing a vehicle yesterday, he hears sirens, but then finds out that it's the police. He escapes the police after a large crack in the hole came after Scratchansiff's car went over a ramp but then hit the ground hardly. Meanwhile, Jack and Mel are contacting the police until they find clues showcasing that Ariana and the Animaniacs are currently in Looney Desert. The next day, Ariana, Yakko, Wakko and Dot wake up to find their car fixed up by Foghorn Leghorn. They thank Foghorn for their help. They then drive off after a group of policemen witness the Animaniacs, who are wanted. Scratchansiff's car bumps into them, and having a hug with the Animaniacs before driving off again because the cops are almost on their trail. Meanwhile, Pinky and the Brain discover an artifact hidden in the basement of the Warner Bros. lot and the Brain needs it to take over the world, as always.

While driving, Jack and Mel are shown on their tail about to catch them. Magically with the help of brainless 5-year-old Elmyra Duff, they disappear and then get to the United States airport, thanking Elmyra while soon after, Elmyra goes to play with a group of puppies in a puppy barn. While Ariana, Yakko, Wakko, Dot, and Scratchansiff are traveling to get to the nearest plane, a baby spots them, which causes people to go and try to get them. They then get onto a plane, in whoch they board on disguises so people won't see them. Four hours later, the plane then arrives to London, they go to the museum of London, in which they have to find out where to go now that they are in London. They meet somebody named Paul DavidsonMak, who agrees to help them.

While trying to find out where to go, the Animaniacs run into their old rival Ralph T. Guard, in which the Animaniacs distract him while they leave Paul and Ariana to figure out the clue, while Paul gets kidnapped by one of MacWalker's henchmen. The Animaniacs defeat Ralph after they punch him all the way to the moon, in which Ralph thinks is quiet and peaceful instead of "running around all day long". Suddenly, a whale on the moon then eats Ralph before the whale gets shot by Marvin the Martian's bubble gun. Then, Jack and Mel try to look for Ariana, but then find out that she's in England help of some detective clues.

Ariana then goes to save Paul, in which she tries to go up of the London Bell Tower to defeat MacWalker's henchman with the help of her jet pack. Eventually, the jetpack explodes, with her having no choice but to climb all the way up the London Bell Tower to get Paul back. With MacWalker's henchman getting Paul out of the bag to bring him to a helicopter (which is piloted by Buttons who is trying to protect Mindy), Ariana arrives on time. The henchman "accidentally" drops Paul, in which Ariana saves him with a grappling hook, bringing them to a London food restaurant with none other then Queen Elizabeth II in there, along with Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. But then, Dot is listening to the Goodfeathers singing "Viva Los England" (an England version of "Viva Los Vegas").

In the England City Building, realizing that it's too big to find somebody to help them prove that they are good, they get help from Elmyra (again), Buster Bunny, and Mindy, who lead them to a private place. They then reveal theirselves as MacWalker, one of MacWalker's henchman, and one of the Tom and Jerry main protagonists Jerry Mouse, which isn't Jerry, who is Yosemite Sam. They then teleport them to a dark and scary prison with a sleeping Ralph as the guard again, sleeping in front facing of their cell.

With the help of Wakko's burps, they get the key inside the cell and open it, and taking out the guards and escaping there. Suddenly, they see Jack and Mel, but the Animaniacs sneak back in, with Ariana grounded, Paul taken back home, and Scratchansiff taken back to prison in New York City. At home, still being grounded, the Animaniacs bust Ariana out to prove that they are good.

While Scratchansiff is still in jail, the Animaniacs also bust him out. They then go back to the Looney Desert, where their current mission is to show the people that they're not bad. To do that, they need to make a 20-minute cartoon. To do that, they get help from the man who is the father of the Animaniacs: Tom Ruegger. Tom brings his his animation crew and makes a cartoon, which will be shown in Dolby Cinema tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, watching a trailer for the cartoon, MacWalker wants to know  HOW  they made a cartoon about the Animaniacs when they are not popular anymore. An employee says "Well, why not?" but MacWalker angrily responds with "Why then not?.."

The film premieres at the Dolby Cinema and shows the Animaniacs about how they help people instead of being zany. People loved the cartoon, and Animaniacs soon becomes popular again. MacWalker especially loved the cartoon, and no longer sent the U.S. government after them. At night in the Warner Bros. lot, Pinky and the Brain sneak into the lot's basement and find the artifact. They get spotted by an security guard, but soon get considered as artifacts too for some reason.

Ariana comes back home, but Jack and Mel see her, thinking that she's grounded. Mel saw the short film proving that the Animaniacs are good people and ungrounds her. With Jack thinking that this is unfair and she should be grounded. Meanwhile, Pinky and the Brain are about to use the artifact until it gets eaten by a rat named Bethany. Bethany then winks at both the Brain and Pinky before jumping down a hole. Angry at this, The Brain screams while Pinky is eating popcorn. Meanwhile, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are smiling for a picture, ending the film.

In a post-credits scene, Yakko explains to the viewers that they're coming back on Hulu in November 2020. He says that what he is telling them is true before turning off the camera.

Live-action cast

 * Mike Myers as Mike MacWalker, the current president of Warner Bros.
 * Anna Kendrick as Ariana Palante, a 29-year-old girl who befriends the Animaniacs.
 * Steve Zahn as Mel Palante, the father of Ariana.
 * Tom Holland as Paul DavidsonMak, a person who helps Ariana and the Animaniacs.
 * Jack Dylan Grazer as Jack, the nephew of Ariana.
 * Tom Ruegger as Himself, the father of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot.

Voice cast

 * Rob Paulsen as Yakko Warner, the oldest sibling of the Warner brothers and sister.
 * Paulsen also voices Pinky, the sidekick of The Brain.
 * Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, Tress MacNeille, and Maurice LaMarche.jpg, Tress MacNeille, Rob Paulsen, and Maurice LaMarche reprised their roles as Yakko, Wakko, Dot, and Pinky and the Brain.]]Paulsen also voices Dr. Otto Scratchansiff, a mad scientist who frees the Animaniacs from the Warner Tower.
 * Jess Harnell as Wakko Warner, the eldst sibling of the Warner brothers and sister.
 * Tress MacNeille as Dot Warner, the youngest sibling of the Warner brothers and sister.
 * Maurice LaMarche as The Brain, a mouse who wants to takeover the world.
 * Emma Stone as Hello Nurse, a nurse at the Warner Bros. studio who appear at the end of the film.
 * Cree Summer as Elmyra Duff, a braindead 5-year-old.
 * John Kassir as Buster Bunny, a kid bunny.
 * Frank Welker as Buttons, the dog of Mindy's mother and the protector of Mindy.
 * Welker also voices Thaddeus Plotz, the former chairman of Warner Bros.
 * Welker also voices Ralph T. Guard, the guard of the Warner Bros. studio lot.
 * Nancy Cartwright as Mindy, the child of Buttons whom she is always protected by.
 * Jay Gragnani as Skippy Squirrel, the nephew of Slappy.
 * Sherri Stoner as Slappy Squirrel, the aunt of Skippy.
 * John Mariano, Dee Bradley Baker, and Maurice LaMarche as the Goodfeathers, a group of birds who sing sometimes.
 * Baker replaces Chick Vennera from the original series, in which Vennera died on July 7, 2021.


 * Jeff Bergman as Foghorn Leghorn, a car engineer who fixes Ariana's car after it breaks down.
 * Bergman also voices Bugs Bunny, a waiter at the bar of Looney Desert.
 * Bergman also voices Daffy Duck, a waiter at the bar of Looney Desert.
 * Bergman also voices Sylvester Cat, a black cat who always fails to eat Tweety.
 * Bergman also voices Pepe Le Pew, a skunk.
 * Bergman also voices Elmer Fudd, a hunter who always hunts for Bugs and Daffy.
 * Bergman also voices Bosko, a forgotten Looney Tunes character from the 1930s.
 * Bob Bergen as Porky Pig, a pig who always stutters.
 * Eric Bauza as Tweety Bird, a yellow bird in which Sylvester always fails to eat.
 * Javon Walton as Sylvester Junior, the son of Sylvester.
 * Paul Julian (archival recordings) as the Roadrunner, a fast animal who always outsmarts Wile E. Coyote.
 * Candi Milo as Granny, the owner of Sylvester and Tweety.

Wile E. Coyote appears in the film, but does not have any lines.

Development
In 2006, plans for an live-action / CGI Animaniacs film was in development since 2001. However, Warner Bros. had canceled the film because of the box-office failure of Looney Tunes: Back in Action, which though received positive reviews. Wakko's Wish however did not receive a box-office failure due to being a direct-to-video film. Series creator Tom Ruegger had always thought of the idea for an feature-length Animaniacs film, but Sam Register denied it. According to Steven Spielberg, the original director was supposed to be Joe Dante who directed Looney Tunes: Back in Action along with Gremlins and it's sequel Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

In 2007, it was officially announced that the sequel was canceled, due to Dante declining to direct the project. A reboot was announced in 2010, but was later abandoned. A canceled Marvin the Martian film's reason of cancellation was also because of the box-office failure of Looney Tunes: Back in Action. The Marvin the Martian film was set to be directed by Alex Zamm and would've starred Mike Myers as the title character.

Starting from 2014, many rumors have been spreading that an new Animaniacs film was in development. Then in 2015, new studio Warner Animation Group announced on Twitter that a live-action / animated hybrid comedy film starring The Warner Brothers was in development with David Soren as the director in his first live-action feature film. Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone signed on as animation directors but left the project due to unknown / personal reasons. Though quitting the project, Brandt and Cervone received full credit as storyboard artists while Eric Goldberg replaced them as the animation director.

Madagascar trioligy co-director Thomas McGrath served as one of the actors for the film, as an inmate who frees Dr. Otto Scratchansiff from prison. In 2017, Soren said that "the film will have a bit of the plot from Looney Tunes: Back in Action, but different as it has various characters from Animaniacs, reviving Tom Ruegger's classic 1990s television series with several fourth wall breaks."

Animation
As mentioned above, Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone were set to be the animation directors for the film, working on Space Jam, The Looney Tunes Show, and various other Warner Bros. projects. But they signed off of the project in August 2016. Eric Goldberg, who is best known for his work with both Warner Bros. and Disney, replaced both of them as the animation director. Brandt and Cervone received full credit as storyboard artists.

The film has a legacy, best known for having animation similar to Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Soren revealed in a interview in 2020 that most of the animators from both of the movies animated the characters, and including animators from the 1993 TV series, even Tom Ruegger himself. The movement for the characters were animated for 17 frames per two seconds, which the animation was checked by the original television series' writer Sherri Stoner, who also voiced Slappy Squirrel, the aunt of Skippy Squirrel.

Stoner also provided the story for the film.

Casting
In 2017, the casting for the film began. Originally, Chloé Grace Moretz and Scarlett Johannson were considered the role for Ariana. Casting director Russell Scott hired Anna Kendrick after seeing her talented acting in previous films such as Trolls. On their Twitter accounts, Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille announced that they would be reprising their roles, again doing so in the 2020 revival series on Hulu. And then, Jack Dylan Grazer plays the role of Ariana's nephew Jack, which the character is named after him.

Grazer would later star in Luca. Tom Ruegger starred as himself, as the Animaniacs' father. His son Nathan Ruegger did not reprise his role as Skippy Squirrel due to aging, so he was replaced by Jay Gragnani. Various Looney Tunes & Merrie Melodies characters make cameos in the Looney Desert, in which they are voiced by their respective actors, Bob Bergen, Candi Milo, Jeff Bergman, and Eric Bauza including Paul Julian as the Road Runner (archive recordings).

Filming
Cinematography was done by John Schwartzman, who previously worked on Jurassic World. According to Schwartzman, principal photography went from four months; May 10 to September 27, 2018 and took place in Florida and England (where Betty White played Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth appeared in the film at an England restaurant, but did not say any lines).

The shot for when Ariana was saving Paul from falling off of the England Bell Tower was used with a CGI greenscreen background based off of the Looney Tunes: Back in Action scene where Damian Drake Jr. (Brendan Fraser) who saves Kate Houghton (Jenna Elfman) from falling off of the Effiel Tower, except the film was not filmed anywhere in Paris, France. In addition, the scene where Ariana, Scratchansiff, and the Animaniacs sneak onto a plane was filmed in an actual airport and the scene where they disguise theirselves as servants was filmed in a private Airplane.

Writing
Ruegger, Steven Spielberg, and Tim Story provided the screenplay for the film. Writing in the film took three weeks to finish. According to Sherri Stoner who provided the story, she said that "We wanted the script to be like Looney Tunes: Back in Action, but a little bit different, including the Looney Tunes characters along with cameos."

The film was originally going to have an version where Paul never existed and Ariana gave up and stopped the car while being chased by the cops and Jack and Mel. This version was removed to get the film up to it's promised 102 minutes length.

Ruegger, Spielberg, and Story thought of the idea of featuring William Hanna and Joseph Barbera's popular Metro Goldwyn Mayer characters Tom Cat and Jerry Mouse, who star in the cartoon franchise, Tom and Jerry, which was developed into four eras including the Hanna-Barbera era, the Gene Deitch era, the Chuck Jones era, and the Filmation era. Before putting the characters into the film, David Soren had asked permission from Turner Entertainment Co. who owned the characters in 1986 and used them for Boomerang's The Tom and Jerry Show.

Though Turner Entertainment Co. gave them the full permission to add both characters, only Jerry was added when in England. Jerry was voiced by Frank Welker, who voiced Buttons, Thaddeus Plotz, and Ralph T. Guard after previously voicing Jerry in Tom and Jerry Kids and Tom and Jerry: The Magic Ring. Tom appeared in an deleted scene, being voiced by Jeff Bergman who voiced Bugs Bunny, Foghorn Leghorn, and various other characters in the film.

Writer Tim Story wanted the film to take place in Scotland while Steven Spielberg wanted the film to take place in Mexico with Speedy Gonzales making a cameo as an restaurant owner (a role he previously had in The Looney Tunes Show) while Ruegger wanted the film to take place in Florida and London, England. To solve this, Soren drawed straws and eventually went with Ruegger's idea of the film taking place in Florida and London, England.

Music
On July 6, 2018, Soren confirmed that composer Oliver Knussen was open to compose the film. However, Knussen died two days later on July 8. A week later, Knussen was replaced by Mark Mothersbaugh. In January 2020, the film's soundtrack titled Animaniacs: The All New Original Motion Picture Soundtrack released on the WaterTower Music website.

Release
Originally scheduled for an release on December 13, 2018, the film was delayed for unknown readond. In January 2019, director David Soren confirmed that the film would be releasing on October 20 of the same year, in which did release in Dolby Cinema. Before that, it was also set for a release in February 2020.

Marketing
To promote the film, several McDonalds Happy Meal toys were made including Yakko, Wakko, and Dot and Ariana, including other characters such as Pinky and the Brain. In December 2018 at the San Diego Comic-Con Panel, Soren showed a teaser trailer for the film, including brandnnew merchandising available at WalMart for two months.

Home media
The home media collection of  Animaniacs  released on December 2 of the same year the film released. It included deleted scenes, production videos, and trivia facts.

Yakko Teaches You How to Stay Healthy
Yakko Teaches You How to Stay Healthy is an American animated teaching short film starring Yakko Warner. The short follows Yakko teaching the viewers how to stay healthy while the COVID-19 is spreading around the world. It was included in the home media for Animaniacs (2019 film) and released in May of 2020 and stars Rob Paulsen as the title character, Yakko Warner while Dot, Wakko, Hello Nurse, and The Brain make cameos in the short film.

Plot
In this short film, Yakko Warner will teach you how to keep yourself healthy while you are cooped up at home and have nothing to do, other then taking a shower and stuff.

Commercials
Main article: List of Animaniacs (2019 film) commericals

Several commercials were made for the film, including companies and food restaurants such as McDonalds, Mazda, and WalMart. Like in the film, Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, and Tress MacNeille reprised their roles as Yakko, Wakko, and Dot.

Trailers
Main article: List of Animaniacs (2019 film) trailers

Box office
Unlike Looney Tunes: Back in Action, the film was a smash hit at the box office and remained the "Top #1 Film of 2019" until it went down to #3 after Child's Play and Spies in Disguise took it's place, with the film earning a $100,000,000 in United States, $50,000,00 in Mexico, and $300,000 internationally. Despite losing it's place, it is known as one of List of highest grossing films of all time.

Critical response
The film had earned a 7.2/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. Film critic and screenwriter Michael Atkinson called it one of his favorite films of 2019, saying that it deserves "all of the attention it gets." Kim Newman of the Empire magazine said that he could never imagine a single person who hates the film along with Ty Burr.

Armond White gave the film a 10.8/10 on IMDb, saying that the film is better then the 2019 Banana Splits horror movie. Critic Leonard Maltin said that deceased film critic Roger Ebert would've loved this film. Doug Walker of theYouTube web-series Nostalgia Critic says that "surprisingly, this isn't a trash cash-grab like other films from the 2010s!", with other critics praising the direction of David Soren.

Sequel
Main article: Animaniacs 2

In a interview with Inside Edition in January 2020, Soren confirmed that he was in talks with Warner Animation Group to direct a sequel to the film. Though taking three years to finish production on the first film, the sequel had a troubled production history. Tim Story, one of the screenwriters for the film, did not return due to needing to work on his film Tom & Jerry, in which Story directed.

Steven Spielberg did not also return due to needing to work on Jurassic World: Dominion. Tom Ruegger was one of the only writers for the film. To assist Ruegger, Soren hired Minions screenwriter Brian Lynch to help Ruegger with the script. Lynch said "it was an amazing experience helping the man who created one of the most awesome 90s kids cartoons write the script of this film, also based on his show. It was truly amazing."