Jurassic Lark/Suspended Animation Part 1/Of Mice and Memes/Suspended Animation Part 2 is the first episode of the Animaniacs reboot, and first episode of the show's first season.
The episode originally debuted on a Twitter livestream (in the US only) on November 19, 2020. The episode would later regularly debut on Hulu along with the other episodes on November 20, 2020.
In the wilderness, a crew is in the search of a potentially extinct cartoon species. The crew spots the Warner Brothers: Yakko, Wakko and their sister Dot, emerging from the wilderness. While the crew witnesses the trio return, Steven Spielberg explains that he brought back the Warners, as well as Pinky and the Brain.
As the doctor faints to hearing of the group's return, the Warner trio bounce away to the Warner Bros. Studio Lot as the camera zooms into Burbank, California; followed by the beginning of a familiar theme song.
Crew
Written by Lucas Crandles and Timothy Nash
Directed by Scott O'Brien
Trivia
This is:
the first segment and cold open in the Animaniacs reboot.
This is the first time the Animaniacs theme song sequence appears in the reboot series.
This episode features a unique transition from "Jurassic Lark", where the camera pans from the final shot to the Warner Bros. Water Tower.
The shot of the Water Tower opening is different compared to the one used in the rest of the series: the background only depicts the clouds instead of the studio ground and scenery.
The shot of the Water Tower opening is the first official Animaniacs reboot footage to be officially released, featured in the video "Celebrating Animaniacs 27th Anniversary", which was published September 13, 2020.
Different variations of this verse were planned with the Warners showing "no shame" praising Hulu.[3]
Returning to the Warner Bros. Studio lot, Yakko, Wakko and Dot arrive at the water tower. Once in, they discover that it’s been guarded by a security system with lasers to catch the Warners. However, this proves ineffective, and doesn't catch them at all. After leaving the tower, they go see Ralph T. Guard, and when he discovers them, he chases after them. The Warners capture him instead and go see the CEO, who turns out to be new female CEO Nora Rita Norita rather than Mr. Plotz. Norita already knows about them from the internet however. The Warners are puzzled by the tablet and the CEO says it contains “all human knowledge”. Yakko thinks it’s something to eat, and proceeds to do just that. The info downloads to Yakko, and the Warners sing a song about what they’ve missed over the past 22 years ("The Catch-Up Song").
The song sequence is the first segment to be animated by Titmouse, Inc.
Comparison between the screenshots (top; leak, bottom; final episode)
A screenshot from this episode was infamously leaked to the internet from this episode’s scoring session back in January 2020, nearly 11 months before the show's premiere.
Warner Bros. movies that were released since the original series ended, such as Harry Potter, Wonder Woman, Batman (series trilogy), Black Panther, Iron Man and the Lord of the Rings are all referenced.
Before Ralph's drone smashes Ralph into the Nora Rita Norita's Office, a poster of "Wrecked Ralph" can be seen, which is a parody of Disney's 2012 film Wreck-It Ralph.
Nora briefly shows the Warners a tablet containing a Wikipedia-styled "Wika-Maniacs" website.
Yakko says "Quantum mechanics... Quinoa wraps... Queen Bey... We've missed so much!". This is a reference to Beyoncé, a R&B musician.
Nearly a week after this episode debuted, an Animaniacs reboot commercial would air during the 2020 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
This is one of the only Warner episodes in Season 1 where multiple animation studios contribute to the same segment. Most of the episode was animated by Snipple, while Titmouse did "Catch Up." This also happened in the later episode "WhoDonut."
Footage from the scene of the Warners returning to the tower is later used in episode 4 of the documentary mini-series 100 Years of Warner Bros.: "Wizarding World & the Big Bang."
Goofs
One of the other panels showcases a Japanese virtual toy Tamagotchi as one of the things the Warners missed in the past 22 years. This is incorrect, since the Tamagotchi craze occured as the original series was still airing new episodes. Then again, it could be referring to newer incarnations of Tamagotchi that released after Animaniacs ended.
Gallery
"Wika-Maniacs" documented right here on the Animaniacs Wiki. The mind boggles…
Of Mice and Memes
Animation by Snipple
Plot
In 1998, Pinky is watching a television show about the stupidest animals ever. Brain realizes that people really love watching shows similar like that. Brain works on an evil plan that takes 22 years, and he finally finishes around the age of the phone. Brain explains to Pinky that people post videos of funny animals and it becomes extremely viral. Brain says that he will post a funny video of himself with a mind control filter allowing him to take over the world. Brain dresses up as a baby, and makes a video of him. His video doesn’t get viral at all, and decides to give up. Pinky then accidentally knocks Brain into a globe, and posts a video of him stuck in it with a mind control filter. Brain becomes famous, and is set to go on a talk show with Seth Meyers. Brain is knocked off the show for a meme called “Business Pig”, which became popular because Pinky re-shared a video of Business Pig with a mind control filter. Pinky and Brain leave to ACME Labs where Brain decides to prepare for his next scheme to take over the world.
This is the first overall solo Pinky and the Brain cartoon to air since their spin-off wrapped up in 1998, and the first one to air under the Animaniacs title since "The Brain’s Apprentice."
The 22-year montage of Brain inventing the mobile internet is a parody of the opening titles of the 1979 TV series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and uses the same music.
In addition, the 22-year montage begins when the much-maligned series Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain was supposed to have taken place, showing the mice remaining in the gradually updating ACME Labs rather than having to leave it (with Pinky also undergoing therapy).
The title is a parody of the John Steinbeck novel Of Mice and Men.
The show Pinky is watching in the beginning is a parody of the show The Planet's Funniest Animals.
InstaGratification is a parody of the social media platform, Instagram.
The official Animaniacs Instagram account has also posted some references to this specific cartoon.
Seth Meyers says that he wants to get Brain on his show before "one of the Jimmys", referring to rival talk-show hosts Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon.
Pinky yells in terror "There’s a human you?" after Brain mentions the "human brain." This line echoes a similar line Pinky said in the spin-off series episode "Brainwashed Part 1: Brain Brain Go Away", where he believed Hillary Clinton's statement about the "human brain" was about Brain himself.
Script of the scrapped ending from the 27th Anniversary Behind the Scenes video.
The ending to this cartoon was originally much different when the script was briefly shown in the 27th Anniversary Behind the Scenes video. Brain would’ve gone viral again after an incident in a landfill with other viral animal stars and become embarrassed.
This is the only Pinky and the Brain sketch in the reboot's first season that includes the ending chorus from the Pinky and the Brain theme song, unlike when it was almost always featured in the original Animaniacs, as well as in their own spin-off show. Most of the other reboot episodes only include an instrumental (the length of which varies in each installment), nothing, or another song entirely. The only other cartoon in the reboot to feature the full ending chorus so far is season 2's "Plight of Hand."
Pinky and the Brain help ring in the Animaniacs reboot with the first barely-disguised adult joke:
Brain: The internet is the most powerful information sharing tool ever devised! And do you know what most humans use it for?
Pinky: I do, but I don't think I can say it!]]
(Brain grabs his nose.)
Brain:(annoyed) Surprisingly no, Pinky.
Quotes
Brain: Pinky, to take over the world, we must give the people what they truly want!
Pinky: [taking off the bathrobe] Alright, Brain, I'll do it. But only if it's tasteful and makes sense for my character.
Suspended Animation Part Two
Animation by Snipple
Plot
While walking around the studio lot, the Warners come across two workers who are carrying a model of the Starship Enterprise. They explain that Star Trek had been rebooted in the time the Warners were away, which inspires the Warners to discuss the power of reboots. They notice some posters for rebooted shows plastered around the lot, and then Yakko launches into a song that takes stabs at Hollywood's penchant for rebooting shows ("Reboot It"). Afterwards, Yakko does a monologue about the reasoning for reboots, and the other Warners seem to join Yakko's cause... until a Hulu exec presents them with a massive check for selling out to them!
At the end of "Reboot It", when Yakko, Wakko and Dot stand on top of the empty billboard with their creation, Wakko's hair tuft is miscolored and connected to his face skin.
