Cartoons like this haven’t existed in the world for a long time. But here they are.
At New York Comic-Con 2020 today, Hulu premiered the first full clip from its upcoming reboot of Animaniacs, the classic ‘90s cartoon that blended classic cartoon slapstick with a diet of pop culture so deep and so vast that it would cause children across America to realise, years later, that they kind of already knew who Orson Welles was. With the original cast members reprising their roles and fan favourites like Pinky and the Brain returning alongside the Warner Siblings, it’s looking like a fantastic return to form.
The first clip definitely seems like it, in the form of a cute little Jurassic Park parody including Steven Spielberg, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, and one very stoked Hulu executive. It’s precisely the sort of meta nonsense gag you’d expect from the show at its height, and, luckily for the show’s writers, Jurassic Park is somehow still a timely reference.
The rest of the panel was interesting, too, featuring the cast and crew discussing the work of re-animating and lightly re-designing the Warner Siblings, which included a lot of mocked up designs rejected by Steven Spielberg in favour of looks closer to the originals. All told, it’s an exciting time to be an Animaniacs fan. You can watch the full panel below, and Animaniacs premieres on Hulu on November 21 in the U.S. Stay tuned for news of an Australian release.