

Some of the gags even feel eerily prescient. The writers tend to devote most of their attention to our vapid, social media-obsessed culture, and that really hasn't changed in the last decade or so. But from there, it's pretty much business as usual - the Warners escape their tower and wreak havoc, rinse and repeat.ĭespite the long production lead time, most of the show's satire manages to hit the mark. The series even opens with a pitch-perfect parody of the original Jurassic Park, complete with Sam Neill as Alan Grant. The original series was never shy about lampooning contemporary pop culture and political figures, and the revival is much the same. What exactly they've been up to all this time is never really addressed, but the premiere does revolve heavily around the trio getting acquainted with the bizarre landscape of 2018 (the characters break the fourth wall to remind us that was when the scripts were being written). If anything, the series premiere plays that fact to its advantage as it reintroduces the Warner siblings. If not, you'll likely still have a good time. If you loved Animaniacs back in the '90s, the new series is basically a nostalgic time machine. But all you really need to know is this: Hulu's revival series brings back original producer Steven Spielberg, songwriter Randy Rogel and most of the classic voice cast. The return of Animaniacs was basically inevitable, though the fact that the Warner brothers and sister are making their return on the Disney-owned Hulu rather than WarnerMedia's own HBO Max is a testament to just how convoluted the streaming wars have become. Because the series doesn't have much in the way of an ongoing plot or continuity, we figured it's safe to render judgment on the new series based on those episodes.Īt this point, it's easier to count the number of classic animated series that haven't been revived and/or rebooted in the streaming era.


Hulu made five of the initial 13 episodes available to critics ahead of release. Note: this is a spoiler-free review of Animaniacs Season 1, which premieres on Hulu on Friday, November 20.
