Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain

Last updated
Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain
Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain (logo).png
Also known asSteven Spielberg Presents Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain
Genre Animated sitcom
Science fiction
Comedy-drama
Created by Tom Ruegger
Developed by Rusty Mills
Starring Rob Paulsen
Cree Summer
Maurice LaMarche
Composers Richard Stone
Harvey R. Cohen
Steve Bernstein
Julie Bernstein
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producer Steven Spielberg
Running time11 minutes
(22 minutes in "Teleport a Friend")
Production companies Warner Bros. Animation [lower-alpha 1]
Amblin Television
Original release
Network Kids' WB
ReleaseSeptember 19, 1998 (1998-09-19) –
April 10, 1999 (1999-04-10)
Related
Tiny Toon Adventures
Pinky and the Brain
The Plucky Duck Show
Animaniacs
Animaniacs (2020 TV 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. [1] Serving as a spin-off and crossover to the two series, the series was executive produced by Steven Spielberg and produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Amblin Television. 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.

Contents

Premise

The series starts with ACME Labs destroyed and subsequently converted into a Dissy Store (a parody of Disney Store), leaving Pinky (Rob Paulsen) and the Brain (Maurice LaMarche) homeless and on the run from a man named Wally Faust. Pinky and the Brain finally end up in a pet shop in Shanghai and take refuge inside a turtle; they are still inside the turtle when it is purchased by Elmyra Duff (Cree Summer) and named Mr. Shellbutt. In their new home, Pinky and the Brain continue to attempt new methods of trying to take over the world while at the same time enduring, and later accepting and adjusting to, Elmyra's affection.

New characters

Development

Warner Bros. network executives had reportedly wanted Pinky and the Brain to be part of a sitcom "more like The Simpsons ". [2] In a press release, Warner Bros. stated that the new series was "a fresh approach to popular favorites as Pinky & The Brain move from ACME Labs to America's suburbs when they are adopted by the extremely excitable Elmyra". [3] The idea was reportedly met with resistance from the producers of the series. [4]

The apparent dissatisfaction with Warner Bros.' decision to change Pinky and the Brain showed up in episodes. The last script that producer Peter Hastings wrote before leaving Warner Bros. for Disney Television Animation was the episode "You'll Never Eat Food Pellets in This Town Again!", in which the demise of Pinky and the Brain is caused by network decisions to change the show. [4]

The theme song for Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain included the lyric: "So Pinky and the Brain share a new domain. It's what the network wants, why bother to complain?" The lyric is accompanied by a shot in which Pinky and the Brain get kicked out of the Warner Bros. office. In addition, a spoken line by the Brain towards the end of the theme song states: "I deeply resent this". [4]

Nominations and awards

Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain won an Annie Award in 1999, for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production." Both Rob Paulsen for his voicing of Pinky and Cree Summer for her voicing of Elmyra were nominated in the category, with Paulsen winning the award. [5] That same year Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain was nominated for another Annie Award, "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production." [5]

Also in 1999, Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award, for "Outstanding Children's Animated Program", which it lost to PBS Kids show Arthur . The next year in 2000, the show was nominated again for the award and won. [6]

Voices

Additional voices

Media information

Broadcast history

The series's initial run was from 1998 to 1999 with a total of six episodes. The rest of the episodes were split up into segments as part of The Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie Show along with segments from other Warner Bros. cartoons. [7] The show's inclusion in The Big Cartoonie Show lasted from January to September 1999. In the United Kingdom, the series was fully broadcast on CITV during 2001.

On January 4, 2018, Hulu acquired the streaming rights to Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain along with Pinky and the Brain , Animaniacs , and Tiny Toon Adventures . [8] The series was removed in 2023.

Episode lengths

Many Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain episodes had been split into two parts and aired at different times. [9] The split sections of these episodes were 10 to 11 minutes long, versus the standard 22 minutes for most animated cartoon series.

Home video

A two-disc complete series DVD set of the show was released by Warner Home Video on January 28, 2014. [10]

Toys

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's offered a collection of four Pinky, Elmyra and Brain toys with their kids' meals.

Episodes

PartEpisodesSegmentsOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain 612September 19, 1998 (1998-09-19)December 12, 1998 (1998-12-12)
The Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie Show 713January 16, 1999 (1999-01-16)April 10, 1999 (1999-04-10)

Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1a"Patty Ann"Nelson Recinos John P. McCann September 19, 1998 (1998-09-19)
Using his mechanical human suit (now with girls' clothing on it), Brain poses as Patty Ann, Elmyra's cousin. Despite his unconvincing appearance, Elmyra's crush, Rudy Mookich, falls head over heels for him.
1b"Gee, Your Hair Spells Terrific"Nelson Recinos Tom Ruegger and Charles HowellSeptember 19, 1998 (1998-09-19)
Brain plans to clone dinosaurs from fossilized amber mosquitoes and use them in his latest plan to take over the world. To get the money to do this, he will have to somehow get Elmyra to win a spelling bee, but the only way to make that work is to help her cheat.
2a"Cute Little Alienhead"Russell CalabreseKate Donahue and Scott KreamerSeptember 26, 1998 (1998-09-26)
Using an intergalactic radio, Brain manages to flag down a passing alien in hopes of trading for advanced weapons to use in his latest plan to take over the world. Unfortunately, the alien is driven away by an annoying Elmyra, who happens to be the first human that he comes into contact with.
2b"Better Living... Through Cheese"Russell CalabreseWendell Morris and Tom SheppardSeptember 26, 1998 (1998-09-26)
Brain needs the prize money from a science fair to fund his latest plan to take over the world and builds a high-tech device for Elmyra to show off. Rudy, however, decides to get a cheap laugh and destroys the device right before it can be judged by Bob Quack the Science Hack.
3a"My Fair Brainy!"Nelson Recinos Doug Langdale October 3, 1998 (1998-10-03)
In a parody of My Fair Lady , Brain devises a plan to take over the world from outer space through Elmyra, who has entered a contest in order to become the first child aboard the Space Shuttle.
3b"The Cat Who Cried Woof!"Nelson RecinosWendell Morris and Tom SheppardOctober 3, 1998 (1998-10-03)
Brain creates a formula that makes Mr. Pussy-Wussy, Elmyra's pet cat, think that he is a dog.
4a"The Girl with Nothing Extra"Russell Calabrese and Rob DaviesGordon Bressack and Charles HowellNovember 7, 1998 (1998-11-07)
Brain tries to make Elmyra popular so that he and Pinky can work through her fame in order to take over the world.
4b"Narfily Ever After"Russell Calabrese and Rob DaviesGordon Bressack and Charles HowellNovember 7, 1998 (1998-11-07)
Brain tells Elmyra a bedtime story that closely follows the plot of Cinderella .
5a"The Icky Mouse Club"Nelson RecinosWendell Morris and Tom SheppardNovember 21, 1998 (1998-11-21)
Brain decides that he should organize the neighborhood kids into a gang, and when they grow up they will still see him as their leader.
5b"The Man from W.A.S.H.I.N.G.T.O.N."Nelson Recinos John P. McCann November 21, 1998 (1998-11-21)
Wally Faust (who is introduced in this episode and then is never seen again), an agent for a secret clandestine organization within the U.S. government, tries to steal Brain's latest invention for world domination and kill both him and Pinky, just because the two of them have almost succeeded in taking over the world more times than the organization has.
6a"Yule Be Sorry"Nelson Recinos John P. McCann December 12, 1998 (1998-12-12)
Christmas episode. After Brain gets angry at Pinky and wishes that Pinky was never his friend, he has a dream that shows him what things would really be like if they were in Acme Labs with Elmyra instead.
6b"How I Spent My Weekend"Nelson RecinosCharles Howell, Wendell Morris, and Tom SheppardDecember 12, 1998 (1998-12-12)
Elmyra narrates the story of Brain's plan to build a giant robot that will fly to France and shoot out laser beams that will turn all the cheese into stupid American tourists.

The Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie Show

Less than halfway through the series' run, Pinky, Elmyra and Brain began airing on The Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie Show , in which one episode segment was shown at a time, rather than complete episodes. [7] The exception to this airing change was episode 10, which was shown completely intact on its respective air date. [9]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
7a"At the Hop"Rob Davies John P. McCann January 16, 1999 (1999-01-16)

Elmyra wants to go to the school dance with Rudy, but Rudy actually wants to go with Patty Ann, which is actually Brain in disguise. This suits Brain just fine, because he needs to get back his cologne that makes people instantly attractive so that he can use it in his latest plan to take over the world.

Note: This cartoon introduces Vanity White.
7b"Pinky's Dream House"Rob DaviesGordon BressackJanuary 23, 1999 (1999-01-23)
When Pinky dreams of living a normal family life, Elmyra dresses up both him and Brain in doll's clothing and places them in a doll house.
8a"The Ravin!"Nelson RecinosWendell Morris and Tom SheppardJanuary 30, 1999 (1999-01-30)

Brain reads an altered version of the Edgar Allan Poe poem "The Raven".

Note: This episode shows what happened to Acme Labs, in which the laboratory was changed into a Dissy Store (a parody of the Disney Store).
8b"Elmyra's Music Video"UnknownUnknownFebruary 6, 1999 (1999-02-06)
In a parody of music videos and home movies, Elmyra and Pinky create their own music video that contains a YMCA parody sung over clips from past episodes.
8c"Squeeze Play"Nelson RecinosErin Ehrlich and Alex Borstein February 6, 1999 (1999-02-06)
Rudy takes Brain's latest invention, which Brain needs for his latest plan to take over the world. To get it back, Brain and Pinky will have to get past Rudy's pet snake.
9a"Wag the Mouse"Rob DaviesKen SegallFebruary 13, 1999 (1999-02-13)
Elmyra runs for class president, but she does not stand a chance against the other candidates.
9b"A Walk in the Park"Rob DaviesGordon Bressack and Charles HowellFebruary 20, 1999 (1999-02-20)
Elmyra takes a trip to a Disneyland-esque theme park and Brain makes plans to switch the looping song recording at the "It's a Small World"-esque ride with a hypnotic message so that he can take over the world. This latest plan fails because Brain puts in the wrong tape by mistake and Baloney's Greatest Hits plays instead.
10"Teleport a Friend"Nelson RecinosWendell Morris and Tom SheppardFebruary 27, 1999 (1999-02-27)
The only full-length Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain cartoon. Brain's body is fused together with Elmyra's and if Brain cannot reverse the transformation that was caused by the device that he built, then they will remain that way forever. Brain and Elmyra’s only hope is Pinky, who, unfortunately for both of them, is spending most of the episode chasing a pig.
11a"Mr. Doctor"Rob Davies John P. McCann and Mitch WatsonMarch 6, 1999 (1999-03-06)
Elmyra takes some of her pets - Brain, Pinky, the alien from "Cute Little Alienhead", and Mr. Pussy-Wussy - to the vet, who notices that her cat is acting like a dog (a reference to episode 3b, "The Cat that Cried Woof!").
11b"That's Edutainment"Nelson Recinos John P. McCann March 13, 1999 (1999-03-13)
Pinky and Brain get their own children's entertainment program.
12a"Fun, Time and Space"Rob Davies John P. McCann March 20, 1999 (1999-03-20)
Brain creates a black hole in Elmyra's bedroom, hoping to exploit the theory that black holes can transport people to other universes or send people back in time.
12b"Hooray for Meat"Rob DaviesEarl Kress, Wendell Morris, and Tom SheppardMarch 27, 1999 (1999-03-27)
Pinky, Elmyra, and Brain go to a "Meat Festival". Brain discovers a plan to take over the world using "Meats of Evil".
13a"Party Night"Nelson Recinos John P. McCann April 3, 1999 (1999-04-03)
Vanity throws a party and invites Rudy, but not Elmyra. Elmyra shows up anyway, thinking that Vanity just forgot to invite her.
13b"The Mask of Braino"Nelson RecinosEarl Kress, Charles Howell, Wendell Morris, and Tom SheppardApril 10, 1999 (1999-04-10)
Brain becomes Braino, a masked crimefighter and a parody of Zorro.

See also

Notes

    1. ↑ Animation outsourced to Rough Draft Studios and Wang Film Productions.

    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 Television 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.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Paulsen</span> American voice actor (born 1956)

    Robert Frederick Paulsen III is an American voice actor and voice director, known for his roles in numerous animated television series and films. He received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program and three Annie Awards for his role as both Yakko and Pinky in the Animaniacs franchise. His other voice roles include Hadji in The New Adventures of Jonny Quest (1986–1987) and The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (1996–1997); Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987–1996); P.J. Pete in Goof Troop (1992), A Goofy Movie (1995), and An Extremely Goofy Movie (2000); Jaq in Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002) and Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007); and Mac in The Looney Tunes Show (2011–2013) and Looney Tunes: Rabbits Run (2015).

    <i>The Plucky Duck Show</i> Television series

    The Plucky Duck Show is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation and Amblin Entertainment. It is a short-lived spin-off of Tiny Toon Adventures concentrating attention mainly on Plucky Duck himself. It premiered on September 19, 1992 and ended on December 12, with a total of 13 episodes.

    <i>Wakkos Wish</i> 1999 direct-to-video animated film

    Wakko's Wish is a 1999 American animated musical comedy-adventure fantasy direct-to-video film based on the 1993–1998 animated series Animaniacs, serving as the series finale until the 2020 reboot of the series. It relocates all of the Animaniacs characters to a quasi-19th century fairy tale world and portrays their race to find the wishing star that will grant them a wish.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Ruegger</span> American animator

    Tom Ruegger is an American animator and songwriter. Ruegger is known for his association with Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He also created Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Histeria!, and Freakazoid!.

    <i>Waynehead</i> American-Canadian animated television series

    Waynehead is an animated television series created by actor/comedian Damon Wayans and ran from 1996 to 1997 on Kids' WB, and on YTV from 1996 to 1998. It was a co-production of Warner Bros. Animation and Nelvana, with overseas animation by Hanho Heung-Up Co., Ltd., and Philippine Animation Studio, Inc., while the opening sequence was animated by TMS-Kyokuchi Corporation.

    The Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie Show, or The Big Cartoonie Show for short, is a compilation program that aired on Kids' WB from January 16, 1999 to August 31, 2000. It followed a theme similar to previous Saturday morning cartoons featuring Looney Tunes shorts.

    Tom Minton is an American animator, producer, writer, and storyboard artist. He created and wrote the "Toby Danger" episode of Freakazoid!, wrote the lyrics to the song "Brainstem" and served as the chief model for the Warner Bros. character the Brain in Pinky and the Brain. He was story editor of Ralph Bakshi's Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, a 1987 series art-directed by John Kricfalusi.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">John P. McCann</span> American screenwriter

    John P. McCann is an American-born writer, actor and producer who has mostly focused on writing/producing animation and family-friendly scripts in the past. He is best known for his work on television cartoons, for which he has received numerous awards, but he has also produced live-action screenplays and television scripts. At present McCann is also working on short stories, and a novella. His fiction tends to be either darkly humorous or horror-related.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean MacCurdy</span> American television executive

    Jean H. MacCurdy is an American television executive, best known for her role as president of Warner Bros. Animation from 1989 to 2001.

    <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 Television and Warner Bros. 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. 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 2003, Nicktoons from 2003 to 2005, and Discovery Family from 2012 to 2014.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea Romano (voice director)</span> Voice director and casting director

    Andrea Romano is an American former casting director, voice director, and voice actress whose work includes Batman: The Animated Series, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Bonkers, Freakazoid!, Pinky and the Brain, Teen Titans, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, The Boondocks, Static Shock, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, Batman Beyond, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob SquarePants and multiple Warner Bros. Animation/DC Comics direct-to-video films including: Wonder Woman and Green Lantern: First Flight. Her voice acting, as of 2010, consists of minor roles in television series, direct-to-video films, and video games.

    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.

    What's Up Doc? was a children's program which aired on the Nine Network in Australia from 31 July 1993 until 24 December 1999. It centred on the showing of Warner Bros. cartoons and hosted segments with additional original elements. It followed on from The Bugs Bunny Show, a similar program hosted by Sophie Lee, which aired from 1990 until 1992.

    <i>Animaniacs</i> (2020 TV series) 2020s American animated TV series

    Animaniacs is an American animated comedy musical television series developed by Wellesley Wild and Steven Spielberg for Hulu. A reboot of the 1993–1998 animated television series of the same name created by Tom Ruegger, the new series sees the return of the Warner siblings, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, and Pinky and the Brain.

    <i>Tiny Toons Looniversity</i> American animated television series

    Tiny Toons Looniversity is an American animated sitcom developed by Erin Gibson and Nate Cash for Cartoon Network and Max. It serves as a reboot of Tiny Toon Adventures and features older versions of the characters. Two seasons were ordered to be produced by Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation. The first season was released on September 8, 2023 on Max, followed by a televised premiere on Cartoon Network on September 9. The first half of Season 2 was released on March 8, 2024, along with a Spring Break special.

    References

    1. ↑ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 617–619. ISBN   978-1476665993.
    2. ↑ O'Dell, Ron. "Warner Bros. Animation Chronology: 1998". The Warner Bros. Animation Archive. Toon Zone. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
    3. ↑ "Kids' WB! Unveils All-New Saturday Morning with Returning Favorites and Exciting New Series from Steven Spielberg and The Jim Henson Company for 1998-99 Season". Time Warner Newsroom. Time Warner. January 12, 1998. Archived from the original on January 1, 2016. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
    4. 1 2 3 "Platypus Comix article on Pinky, Elmyra, and the Brain". Platypus Comix. Retrieved 2006-06-16.
    5. 1 2 "27th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners". Annie Award Database. Archived from the original on May 31, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
    6. ↑ Unnamed author. "Awards for "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain"". IMDB.com. Retrieved 2007-06-16.{{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
    7. 1 2 "Toon Zone News Archives: January 1999". Toon Zone News. Toon Zone. January 11, 1999. Archived from the original on October 6, 2002. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
    8. ↑ Petski, Denise (4 January 2018). "'Animaniacs' Reboot Gets Two-Season Straight-To-Series Order At Hulu". Deadline. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
    9. 1 2 "Pinky, Elmyra and Brain episodes". Toon Zone. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
    10. ↑ Pinky, Elmyra, and The Brain The Complete Series coming to DVD 2014!!!
    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.