A Pinky and the Brain Christmas

Last updated
A Pinky and the Brain Christmas
Pinky and the Brain Christmas VHS.jpg
VHS cover
Created by Tom Ruegger
Based on Pinky and the Brain by Tom Ruegger
Written byPeter Hastings
Directed by Rusty Mills
Starring
Theme music composerRichard Stone
ComposerRichard Stone
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producer Steven Spielberg
ProducersTom Ruegger
Peter Hastings
Rusty Mills
Running time22 minutes
Production companies
Original release
Network The WB
ReleaseDecember 13, 1995 (1995-12-13)

A Pinky and the Brain Christmas is a 1995 animated television special based on the Pinky and the Brain TV series. It is directed by Rusty Mills and features the voices of Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche. It is about the eponymous genetically modified mice, who are bent on world domination, attempting to deceive Santa Claus into delivering hypnotic devices as presents during Christmas.

Contents

Although released on DVD with season 1 of the series, A Pinky and the Brain Christmas was originally aired December 13, 1995 on The WB as a prime time special. It won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

Plot

On Christmas Eve in Acme Labs, Pinky happily decorates the lab for Christmas and writes his Christmas list to Santa Claus, whom he believes in with great faith, while Brain is developing a new hypnotic doll called Noodle Noggin. After successfully testing the doll on Pinky, Brain calculates that by manufacturing and distributing 1 billion Noodle Noggins, the world's population can be hypnotized into accepting Brain as ruler. When Brain spots on an advertisement for jobs at Santa's workshop, he realizes the elves would be ideal to make the dolls, and Santa can deliver them. The mice set off by plane, hiding in a dummy while a female pilot unwittingly flies them to the North Pole, while Pinky continuers to write his list.

Pinky and the Brain disguise themselves as elves and are assigned to the mail room by the surly head elf, Schotzie. The Brain subversively adds a Noodle Noggin to each Christmas list, causing the elves to scramble through their archives looking for the schematics. Eventually, Schotzie realizes Pinky and the Brain are not real elves, and the mice are captured by the workshop staff. The elves discover the Noodle Noggin schematics in the possession of the mice, with Schotzie demanding to know if the mice are spies for the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, or Herschel the Hanukkah Goblin. The Brain and Pinky then escape and disguise themselves as two reindeer to get a ride back to their home at Acme Labs. The two see Santa approaching his sleigh, but Brain restrains Pinky from giving Santa his Christmas list.

While in flight, the two mice fall from the sleigh into the labs, unintentionally damaging Brain's hypnotic control equipment. As they rush to repair it, Pinky discovers his list was never delivered and breaks down into tears. As Pinky sobs uncontrollably, Brain angrily reads the letter and is surprised to see Pinky asked for nothing for himself, requesting that all of his gifts be delivered to the Brain instead. Brain is deeply moved, and when Pinky informs him the Noodle Noggins are working, Brain is too emotional to demand world domination. He orders everyone to have a Merry Christmas instead, and smashes the equipment in a fit of rage. On Christmas Day, Pinky and the Brain exchange gifts, an Earth-shaped keychain for the Brain and a spell checker for Pinky.

Production

The special was produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television, based on a teleplay by Peter Hastings and directed by Rusty Mills. [1] Filmmaker Steven Spielberg was credited as the special's executive producer, although author Frank Sanello expressed skepticism Spielberg personally worked on the special each day. [2]

In one scene in the workshop, Pinky reads they are invited to a party at the home of Donner the reindeer, which Brain dismisses with reference to the historical Donner Party. While the cannibalism joke would likely not be understood by younger viewers, voice actor Maurice LaMarche explained that producer Tom Ruegger had once told him, "I want this to be a show, and Steven wants this to be a show, that adults and kids can enjoy together and doesn't talk down to one group or pander to the other". [3]

Broadcast and release

After Pinky and the Brain was spun off from Animaniacs , the series was aired on The WB on Sunday evenings. A Pinky and the Brain Christmas marked the prime time debut, airing on The WB on the night of Wednesday, December 13, 1995 as a special. [4]

A Pinky and the Brain Christmas was later included in the DVD Pinky and the Brain Vol. 1, released by Warner Home Video. [1] The episode was also streamed on Amazon.com in 2016. [5]

Reception

Caryn James, writing for The New York Times , said "The special will give adults only a hint of the series' usual satire". James called the special "endearing", though she felt the series had already produced funnier episodes. [4] The special won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program in 1996, [6] and an Annie Award for Best Individual Achievement in Storyboarding. [1]

In 2005, authors Kevin Cuddihy and Phillip Metcalfe named it second in their Christmas-themed list of "Not-so-Classic Cartoons", declaring it "well worth the effort to see it". [7] In 2009, Entertainment Weekly named the special among "15 New(ish) Christmas Classics", calling it "very touching". [8] In 2016, Mary Grace Garis of Bustle wrote that the Emmy win was surprising, crediting it to "Pinky's sweet, simple heart". [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Tiny Toon Adventures</i> American animated television series

Tiny Toon Adventures is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger that was broadcast from September 14, 1990, to December 6, 1992. It was the first animated series produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Animation. The show follows the adventures of a group of young cartoon characters who attend Acme Looniversity to become the next generation of characters from the Looney Tunes series.

<i>Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas</i> 1992 Christmas TV Special

Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas is a Christmas television special, featuring characters from the animated series Inspector Gadget. The special was produced by DIC Animation City, and aired on NBC on December 4, 1992. The special serves as a series finale for the original TV series.

<i>Olive, the Other Reindeer</i> American 3D computer-animated Christmas film

Olive, the Other Reindeer is a 1999 American animated Christmas comedy musical film written by Steve Young, based on the 1997 children's book by Vivian Walsh and J. Otto Seibold, and directed by Academy Award-nominated animator Steve Moore. The feature was produced by Matt Groening's The Curiosity Company and animated by DNA Productions. Drew Barrymore voices the title character, and she is credited as an executive producer on the special.

<i>Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer</i> (TV special) 1964 Christmas TV special

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a 1964 stop motion Christmas animated television special produced by Videocraft International, Ltd. It first aired December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the United States and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour. The special was based on the 1949 Johnny Marks song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" which was itself based on the poem of the same name written in 1939 by Marks's brother-in-law, Robert L. May. NBC will air the special annually starting in 2024, having previously done so until 1971. From 1972 to 2023, the special aired on CBS, which unveiled a high-definition, digitally remastered version of the program in 2005, re-scanned frame-by-frame from the original 35 mm film elements.

<i>Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain</i> American animated television series

Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain is an American animated sitcom featuring characters from the television series Tiny Toon Adventures and Pinky and the Brain, both created by Tom Ruegger. Serving as a spin-off and crossover to the two series, the series was executive produced by Steven Spielberg and produced by Warner Bros. Television Animation and Amblin Entertainment. It aired from 1998 to 1999 on Kids' WB, running for 13 episodes. This show would be Spielberg's final collaborative effort with Warner Bros. Animation until the 2020 revival of Animaniacs.

<i>Santa vs. the Snowman 3D</i> American TV special

Santa vs. the Snowman is a 1997 American animated Christmas comedy television special created by Steve Oedekerk and produced by O Entertainment. It originally aired on ABC on December 12, 1997, following The Online Adventures of Ozzie the Elf.

The Secret World of Santa Claus is a Canadian French children's animated television show. It is syndicated to several countries worldwide, including Teletoon in Canada, and Super RTL in Germany, and is generally seen every December during the holiday season. On December 25, 1999, Christmas Day, The Secret World of Santa Claus marathon took place from 6:00am to 7:00pm. As of 2013, it has been released on 2 DVDs from Cinedigm in the US.

<i>Santas Workshop</i> (film) 1932 Disney short film

Santa's Workshop is a Disney short film directed by Wilfred Jackson, first released on December 10, 1932 in the Silly Symphonies series. The film features Santa Claus and his elves preparing for Christmas in Santa's workshop. A sequel, The Night Before Christmas, partially based on the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas", was made the year after, portraying Santa leaving the toys in a house with nine children.

<i>A Flintstone Christmas</i> 1977 animated Christmas special

A Flintstone Christmas is a 1977 animated Christmas television special featuring characters from The Flintstones franchise. It was produced by Hanna-Barbera and is the second Christmas-themed animated work in the franchise, after the 1964 episode "Christmas Flintstone." Both feature the character Fred Flintstone taking on the role of Santa Claus. The special first aired on NBC on December 7, 1977.

<i>Pinky and the Brain</i> American animated television series

Pinky and the Brain is an American animated sitcom created by Tom Ruegger for the Kids' WB programming block of The WB. It was the first animated television series to be presented in Dolby Surround and a collaboration of Steven Spielberg with his production company Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television Animation. The characters first appeared in 1993 as a recurring segment on the animated television series Animaniacs. It was later spun off as a series due to its popularity, with 65 episodes produced. The characters later appeared in the series Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain, and later returned to their roots as an Animaniacs segment in the 2020 revival of that series.

<i>Animaniacs</i> American animated television series

Animaniacs is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, until the series ended on November 14, 1998. It is the second animated series produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television Animation, after Tiny Toon Adventures. It initially ran a total of 99 episodes, along with a feature-length film, Wakko's Wish. Reruns later aired on Cartoon Network from 1997 to 2001, Nickelodeon from 2001 to 2005, Nicktoons from 2002 to 2005, and Discovery Family from 2012 to 2014.

"Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation" is a special Christmas-themed episode of the animated television series Phineas and Ferb. The episode was originally broadcast on Disney XD on December 6, 2009. The special's narrative, set prior to the events of the series, follows protagonists Phineas and Ferb decorating their city for the arrival of Santa Claus. But when the evil mad scientist Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz uses a machine to ruin the holiday, Phineas and Ferb must find a way to fix it and save Christmas. The episode serves as the 37th broadcast episode of the second season, as well as the 84th broadcast episode overall.

<i>Animaniacs: Ten Pin Alley</i> 1998 video game

Animaniacs: Ten Pin Alley is a bowling video game released for the PlayStation in 1998. It is based on the 1996 video game Ten Pin Alley and, in turn, the animated television series of the same name, on the same system. A Nintendo 64 version was planned, but was cancelled because of the limitations of the N64 texture cache.

Russell P. "Rusty" Mills was an American animator, director and producer. A Primetime Emmy winner, Mills was best known for his work with Warner Bros. Animation, including Animaniacs, Tiny Toon Adventures, and Pinky and the Brain. Mills was a five time Emmy winner, receiving one Primetime Emmy and four Daytime Emmy awards.

<i>How Murray Saved Christmas</i> 2014 American TV series or program

How Murray Saved Christmas is a 2014 animated musical television special, directed by Peter Avanzino and written by Mike Reiss. The story, narrated in verse, is based on Reiss's 2000 picture book of the same name. Voice actors included Jerry Stiller, Sean Hayes, Kevin Michael Richardson, Jason Alexander, John Ratzenberger, and Dennis Haysbert.

The Trolls and the Christmas Express is a 1981 animated Christmas television special produced by the Canadian-based Atkinson Film-Arts. It was originally broadcast on HBO on December 9, 1981.

<i>Mariah Careys Magical Christmas Special</i> 2020 television special

Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special is a Christmas special starring Mariah Carey that premiered on December 4, 2020, on Apple TV+. It was directed by Hamish Hamilton and Roman Coppola and executive-produced by Hamilton, Coppola, Carey, Ian Stewart, Raj Kapoor and Ashley Edens. The special centers around a holiday crisis in which the North Pole has to call Santa Claus's friend, Mariah Carey, to help.

<i>Alien Xmas</i> 2020 American stop-motion animated film

Alien Xmas is a 2020 American stop-motion animated Christmas science fiction fantasy adventure comedy television special directed by Stephen Chiodo. Based on the 2006 book of the same name by Chiodo and Jim Strain, the special features the voices of Keythe Farley, Dee Bradley Baker, Kaliayh Rhambo, Michelle Deco and Barbara Goodson. The plot for Alien Xmas centers on X, an extraterrestrial belonging to a race of thieving aliens known as Klepts, who is sent to the North Pole on a mission to eliminate Earth's gravity. Alien Xmas was executive produced by Jon Favreau and was released on Netflix on November 20, 2020.

<i>The Magic Crystal</i> (2011 film) 2011 animated Christmas film

The Magic Crystal, also released as Santa's Magic Crystal and The Elf that Rescued Christmas in the UK, is a 2011 Finnish-Belgian computer-animated Christmas film directed by Antti Haikala from a screenplay by Haikala, Bob Swain, Dan Wicksman, Nuria Wicksman and Alessandro Liggieri. The film is part of a unified multimedia concept developed by Mikael Wahlfors, which also includes Andrew Bernhardt's Special Patrol children's books, the Italian-produced animated series Red Caps, and the mobile app World Polar Heroes. The Magic Crystal was produced by the Epidem ZOT, Aranéo and Skyline Animation.

The Soulmates in The Gift of Light, also known as The Christmas Gift of Light, is a Canadian animated Christmas special produced by Soulmates Productions and distributed by Alliance Entertainment, which premiered on CBC Television on November 27, 1991. It aired for five years and sold internationally, then was released on VHS by Questar Video in 1995 as a part of Christmas Cartoon Adventures, a compilation of animated Christmas television specials.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Crump, William D. (2013). The Christmas Encyclopedia (Third ed.). McFarland & Company Publishers. p. 336.
  2. ↑ Sanello, Frank (2002). Spielberg: The Man, the Movies, the Mythology. Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 257.
  3. ↑ Burns, Ashley; Schildhause, Chloe (10 January 2016). "The Behind-The-Scenes Story Of The Rise And Fall Of 'Pinky And The Brain'". Uproxx . Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  4. 1 2 James, Caryn (13 December 1995). "Television Review; A Couple of Wacky Laboratory Mice". The New York Times . Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  5. 1 2 Garis, Mary Grace (23 November 2016). "23 Cartoon Christmas Episodes From Your Childhood & Where To Find Them". Bustle . Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  6. ↑ Franks, Don (2005). Entertainment Awards: A Music, Cinema, Theatre and Broadcasting Guide, 1928 through 2003 (Third ed.). McFarland & Company Publishers. p. 450.
  7. ↑ Cuddihy, Kevin; Metcalfe, Phillip (2005). Christmas's Most Wanted: The Top 10 Book of Kris Kringles, Merry Jingles, and Holiday Cheer. Potomac Books.
  8. ↑ EW Staff (17 December 2009). "15 New(ish) Christmas Classics". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 3 December 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.