There are very few really great cartoon shows of the last twenty years. Growing up in the 80s and 90s most cartoons were created with the intention of selling a boatload of toys. These shows tended to treat kids like mind-numbed robots who were had to be reminded not to run with scissors. While many of these shows have quite a bit of nostalgia for many, they really weren't all that entertaining.

Contrast that with Animaniacs. Animaniacs was for me, along with Tiny Toon Adventures was perhaps the most revolutionary cartoon series of my childhood. Watching it as a child I laughed at the sheer craziness of everything. The difference with watching them now however, is that there is a whole new lineup of jokes that I never understood as a child including references to the Jackie Gleason show and Gilbert & Sullivan musicals.

Animaniacs is definitely up there with my favorite cartoon shows and I have been enjoying these sets and introducing them to my brother who never watched them on their original broadcasts.

Of note, this disc also contains the rather controversial cartoon "Moon Over Minerva" which was reportedly edited for TV broadcast, although according to Wikipedia it is presented here uncut. This means no more airbrushed cleavage and no innuendos edited out.

The extras here are limited to some trailers for other dvd sets and some interviews with the writers and producers. This is quite fascinating although I definitely felt it was way too short and much more could have been said. That said, I don't know of another series in my collection, save for perhaps some of the Disney Treasures sets, that I would recommend more.

Labels: Cartoons, Comedy