Yakko Amakko/The Longest Word/Happy Narfday/Magna Cartoon[1] is the 20th episode in the Animaniacs reboot and the 7th episode in its 2nd Season.
Synopsis
Yakko goes head-to-head with an animator. The Warners fight over who knows the longest word. Brain is forced to celebrate Pinky’s birthday. The Warners sing a song about the Magna Carta.[2]
Theme Song
Variable Verse
Dot: "Are you not entertain-ey-ed?"
Yakko Amakko
Animation by Digital eMation
Plot
In a tribute to a classic Daffy Duck short, an animator uses various digital tools to torment Yakko.
Crew
- Written by Lucas Crandles and Timothy Nash
- Directed by Brett Varon
Songs
Quotes
- Yakko: Like a hundred years ago?
Notes
- This cartoon is a take on the 1953 Looney Tunes cartoon "Duck Amuck", which starred Daffy Duck as he dealt with an animator.
- The cartoon itself is mentioned by Yakko at the beginning of the segment.
- Yakko misidentifies the original short as a Looney Tunes short, but it was released in the Merrie Melodies series. Although, after both series went to color, the titles were used interchangeably.
- The idea of updating the "Duck Amuck" concept using digital tools is not new. It was first implemented in the New Looney Tunes episode "One Carroter in Search of an Artist", in which the redesigned Bugs Bunny was picked on by the unseen screwball Daffy.
- The cartoon itself is mentioned by Yakko at the beginning of the segment.
- In a scene where Yakko is erased and redrawn, Yakko briefly appears in his original series design, specifically as he was animated by eMation's fellow Korean studios Akom Film Production and Varga Studio, Ltd.. He also imitates a stock art pose from the series (Varga was especially known for following the model sheets very literally).
- This is the first Warners segment in the reboot series to not feature Wakko and Dot, although the animator briefly gives Yakko their voices.
- While using Wakko's voice, Yakko does his imitation of Ringo Starr, a reference to the original inspiration for the Wakko voice from 1993-1994.
- This marks the first official appearance of Pepé Le Pew in any Warner Bros. media after a controversy in March of 2021, which followed news of his removal from Space Jam: A New Legacy and other future projects.
- Nancy Cartwright returns to Animaniacs as the voice of the animator. In the original Animaniacs, she provided the voice of Mindy.
- This is the second time Nils Niedhart appears where he isn't sent to Hell.
- In the scene where Yakko turns into the art style of Vincent Van Gogh, he wants the animator to cut her ear off, which is a reference to the fact Vincent Van Gogh cut his own ear off.
- This fact was also mentioned in "The Warners Are Present".
The Longest Word
Animation by Saerom Animation
Plot
The Warners bicker over who knows the longest word in the English language.
Crew
- Written by Kathleen Chen and Brian Polk
- Directed by Katie Rice
Notes
- The actual longest word in the English language is still being disputed. See Longest words in English for more information.
- The title card appears to take inspiration from Looney Tunes logos.
- When Dot starts up her video to show Yakko and Wakko during class, she described it as "a show where four nerds discuss the big bang theory." This is likely a reference to the 2007 sitcom The Big Bang Theory.
Other Title Cards
Happy Narfday
Animation by Tiger Animation
Plot
The Brain is forced to celebrate Pinky's birthday and has to avoid any activities related to world domination. Brain struggles to keep control during the day; especially after finding a gem containing an isotope he needs for a formula in one of his plans. After a long day, Brain begins to regret how he has approached the day so negatively and has a deep conversation with Pinky.
Crew
- Written by James Butler
- Directed by Katie Rice
Songs
Notes
- The name is a pun on "Happy Birthday".
- Most episode listings on cable guides and digital outlets show this cartoon's title with an exclamation point, despite the title card lacking one.
- The pigeon from "The Cutening" returns in a cameo on the ACME Labs windowsill.
- The bucket on the beach that appears at the start of Brain's rendition of "Narf Day" has a similar emblem to the ones found on bumpers and springs in the Sonic the Hedgehog series.
- In deleted storyboards by Lisa Vandenberg; Brain was going to kiss Pinky near the end of the cartoon. In a now deleted post from Lisa's Tumblr blog "Geezerflakes"; it is stated that the scene had to be removed from the finished episode as the mandates dictated that "Brain wouldn't outright give Pinky affection at this point in the show" unless he thought Pinky wouldn’t notice.[3]
- This episode confirms Pinky's birthday as March 11, which is the same day as his voice actor, Rob Paulsen's.
- Caricatures of Maduro, Kim and Putin appear for the third time in this season, now as imaginary victims of Brain's secret scheme.
- The Warner Brothers (and the Warner Sister!) make a quick cameo on the ferris wheel.
- In the aquarium scene, one of the fish swimming in the tank is Mr. Limpet from the Don Knott film The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964).
Deleted Storyboards By Lisa Vandenberg
Other Storyboards
Magna Cartoon
Animation by Titmouse, Inc.
Plot
The Warners sing about the Magna Carta to a confused King John.
Crew
- Written by Lucas Crandles and Timothy Nash
- Directed by Katie Rice
Songs
Notes
- This cartoon makes light of how eleventh-century figures such as King John struggle to understand the Warners' futuristic culture and media references such as the United Nations.
- The world Magna Carta means "Great Charter" in Latin.
- The beginning title crawl is a parody of the Game of Thrones title crawl.
- Yakko calls for George Lucas to speed-up the cartoon's title crawls. George Lucas of course, created Star Wars, a series known for lengthy title crawls.
- After the song ends, Yakko is getting ready to sing a song about the Battle of Hastings. This is a callback to the song sang in "Rug of War", "William the Conqueror".
- "Yakko's World" is referenced once again when Yakko sings "Every corner of the Earth!" as he dances in his jester outfit over a period appropriate world map.
- The "Sign here" gag echoes a similar one from "Temporary Insanity".
Character Animation By Erika Carvalho
Animaniacs Season 2
Cast
| Voice Actors: | Character(s): |
|---|---|
| Rob Paulsen | Yakko Warner, Pinky, Dr. Scratchansniff |
| Jess Harnell | Wakko Warner |
| Tress MacNeille | Dot Warner |
| Maurice LaMarche | The Brain |
| Frank Welker | Ralph T. Guard |
| Stephanie Escajeda | Nora Rita Norita |
| Fred Tatasciore | Nils Niedhart |
| Eric Bauza | Pepe Le Pew, Nora Rita Norita (Daffy Duck voice) |
| Nancy Cartwright | Animator |
| Chris Geere | King John |
| Jake Green | Dorko and Dweebo |
References
