Close Menu
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Warframe

    Biggest ‘Warframe’ Announcements From PAX East 2025

    05/13/2025
    The First Descendant Season 3: Breakthrough keyart

    ‘The First Descendant’ Season 3 Looks Like A Gamechanger

    05/11/2025
    Mafia: The Old Country promotional still

    Everything We Know About ‘Mafia: The Old Country’

    05/08/2025
    Sunderfolk Phone Players

    10 ‘Sunderfolk’ Tips To Help You And Your Party Thrive

    05/02/2025
    Bob in Thunderbolts But Why Tho

    ‘Thunderbolts*’ Visualizes Depression As Only A Superhero Movie Can

    05/02/2025
  • Star Wars
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Anno
  • PAX East
But Why Tho?
Home » TV » REVIEW: ‘Animaniacs’ Season 3 Ends On A Scattershot Note

REVIEW: ‘Animaniacs’ Season 3 Ends On A Scattershot Note

Collier "CJ" JenningsBy Collier "CJ" Jennings02/13/20234 Mins ReadUpdated:03/25/2023
nimaniacs Season 3 — But Why Tho
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

Animaniacs Season 3 — But Why Tho

The Animaniacs reboot launches its third and final season this week, coming at a rather interesting time. Reboots and revivals have become even more commonplace in the world of streaming services, with varying results. Animaniacs fell on the better end of the spectrum due to some sharp writing and the involvement of the original cast. But in Animaniacs Season 3, a great deal of the satire has lost its edge, and the show suffers from it.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

The show picks up in the aftermath of Season 2‘s finale, where Warner Bros. (WB) has fallen under new management. Namely, that of the dim-witted Ralph, the security guard (Frank Welker). At her wits’ end, former WB CEO Nora Norita (Stephanie Escajeda) enlists Yakko (Rob Paulsen), Wakko (Jess Harnell), and Dot Warner (Tress MacNeille) to spread their trademark brand of chaos. All the while,  Pinky (Paulsen) and the Brain (Maurice LaMarche) pursue their goal of world domination.

Watching this latest batch of episodes, I couldn’t help but feel that something was off. And then, around the third episode, it hit me: it was the satire. In the first season of the Animaniacs revival, the humor was pretty much on par with the original series. Some pretty clever jokes also doubled as commentary on the state of media. There was even a musical number about reboots that ended with the Warner siblings accepting a massive check from Hulu! But in Season 3, most of that subtext becomes plain text. And it leads to primarily hit-and-miss jokes. Hit: a sly dig at Warner Bros. being cash-strapped in the wake of the Discovery merger. Yakko even says that the Warners subscribed to HBO Max. Miss: an episode about the pitfalls of pre-teen stardom, which feels like warmed-over Hannah Montana leftovers.

And after three seasons, I’m still struggling to get invested in the Cindy & Starblox shorts. On paper, the idea of a diminutive alien conqueror becoming the unwitting plaything of a little girl sounds good. But the execution is just…meh. It boils down to Starblox trying to escape and Cindy unwittingly foiling said escape, and there’s minimal variation on that theme. However, these shorts certainly look impressive, as they boast a messy yet charming style that feels like a child’s chalk drawings come to life.

The animation continues to be one of the best parts of the series. Various animation houses, including Titmouse and Tiger Animation, contributed to Animaniacs, and the results are gorgeous. The Warners’ bodies stretch and bend like rubber bands and get in some good visual gags. The premiere is especially good at this, stacking a multitude of homages within the space of ten to fifteen minutes. Seriously, film fans will have a blast picking them out. And as for the voice acting, everyone continues to bring their A-game. Paulsen, MacNeille, Harnell, and LaMarche slip back into their roles like comfortable coats, delivering some rapid-fire zingers. Paulsen should especially be commended as he’s pulling double duty as Pinky and Wakko and makes them sound like separate characters. Wakko also gets the best lines, including a dig at Chuck Lorre that had me howling with laughter.

The strongest element of the revival has always been the Pinky and the Brain segments. In fact, exploring the titular duo’s dynamic leads to one of the best segments yet in this season. Brain has built a door and asks Pinky not to open it. Pinky, naturally, opens it. What he finds is surprising—not just to him but to the audience as well. Because the segment dares to pose the question: “What if the Brain wasn’t focused on world conquest?” The answers may surprise you or leave you furious that this is the final season—or both.

Animaniacs Season 3 ends the revival on a scattershot note, as the sly humor that was the show’s driving force slowly erodes. For what it’s worth, there have been worse attempts to revive an IP. I just wish the series ended as strongly as it began.

All episodes of Animaniacs are now available to stream on Hulu.

Animaniacs Season 3
  • 7.5/10
    Rating - 7.5/10
7.5/10

TL;DR

Animaniacs Season 3 ends the revival on a scattershot note, as the sly humor that was the show’s driving force slowly erodes. For what it’s worth, there have been worse attempts to revive an IP. I just wish the series ended as strongly as it began.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘The Tale of Outcasts,’ Episode 6 – “Guiding Light”
Next Article Dead Island 2 Moving Launch Date Up
Collier "CJ" Jennings
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • X (Twitter)

Born and raised in Texas, Collier “CJ” Jennings was introduced to geekdom at an early age by his father, who showed him Ultraman and Star Trek: The Next Generation. On his thirteenth birthday, he received a copy of Giant Size X-Men #1 and dove head first into the realm of pop culture, never looking back. His hobbies include: writing screenplays and essays, watching movies and television, card games/RPG’s, and cooking. He currently resides in Seattle.

Related Posts

TWD: Dead City Season 2 Episode 3 promotional still
6.5

REVIEW: ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City’ Season 2 Episode 3 – “Why Did the Mainlanders Cross the River?”

05/19/2025
Joel in the Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6 - "The Price"
7.0

REVIEW: ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Episode 6 — “The Price”

05/19/2025
Snakes and Ladders (2025) promotional image from Netflix
2.0

REVIEW: ‘Snakes and Ladders’ Is An Unpleasant Experience

05/18/2025
Ncuti Gatwa in Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 6
9.0

REVIEW: ‘Doctor Who Season 2 Episode 6’ — “The Interstellar Song Contest”

05/17/2025
Aisha Hinds in 9-1-1 Season 8 Episode 18
5.5

RECAP: ‘9-1-1’ Season 8 Episode 18 — “Seismic Shifts”

05/17/2025
Cho Bo-ah and Lee Jae-wook in Dear Hongrang
8.0

REVIEW: ‘Dear Hongrang’ Weaves A Tangled Web

05/16/2025
TRENDING POSTS
Cho Bo-ah and Lee Jae-wook in Dear Hongrang
8.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Dear Hongrang’ Weaves A Tangled Web

By Sarah Musnicky05/16/2025Updated:05/16/2025

With its foundation set in mystery and intrigue, it’s no surprise that Dear Hongrang (Tangeum) is a complicated viewing experience.

Star Wars Series Ranked But Why Tho BWT Recommends

Ranking Every Star Wars Series On Disney+

By Adrian Ruiz05/17/2025Updated:05/17/2025

Ranking the Star Wars series on Disney+ that prove the galaxy was never just about the Skywalkers and hasn’t been for a long time.

Snakes and Ladders (2025) promotional image from Netflix
2.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘Snakes and Ladders’ Is An Unpleasant Experience

By Charles Hartford05/18/2025

Snakes and Ladders follows Dora López as she does whatever it takes to become the Headmistress of the private academy she works at.

Joel in the Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6 - "The Price"
7.0
TV

REVIEW: ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Episode 6 — “The Price”

By Will Borger05/19/2025

The Last of Us Season 2 Episode 6, “The Price,” is the best episode of the season, but that’s not saying too much.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here