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?"
Trivia[]
- This is the second time Dot has referenced the "Are you not entertained?" quote from is a Gladiator. The first time occurred in the season 2 premiere during "Rome Sweet Rome."
Yakko Amakko[]
Animation by Digital eMation
Plot[]
In a tribute to two classic shorts starring Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny, respectively, an animator uses various digital tools to torment Yakko.
Crew[]
- Written by Lucas Crandles and Timothy Nash
- Directed by Brett Varon
Songs[]
- "Yakko's World" (brief jazz rendition)
Trivia[]
- This cartoon is a take on the 1950s Looney Tunes cartoons "Duck Amuck" and "Rabbit Rampage", where both Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny dealt with an antagonistic animator.
- The former cartoon is mentioned by Yakko at the beginning of the segment.
- The idea of updating the "Duck Amuck" and "Rabbit Rampage" 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, and later in the 2018 Woody Woodpecker web series episode "The Pen Is Flightier Than the Sword" where Woody Woodpecker was picked on by Buzz Buzzard (after Woody laughted at Buzz's question about letting him win in one single cartoon), only to both of them to get picked by Chilly Willy at the end.
- 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 "ironic" 90s T-shirt that the animator is wearing is based on the famous "Three Wolf Moon" T-Shirt.
- Yakko references the Portal games, Sliders, and Time Bandits.
Goofs[]
- Yakko misidentifies the original Duck Amuck cartoons as a Looney Tunes short, but it was first released under the Merrie Melodies series. Although, after both series went to color and television, the titles were used interchangeably. Nowadays, the short is mostly re-released and rerun under the Looney Tunes branding (while maintaining the original Merrie Melodies title card in most editions).
Quotes[]
- Yakko:
- "Listen, you lazy hack, Looney Tunes very famously did this 'animator gets screwy with lovable protagonist' routine…" (pulls down the "Duck Amuck" title card) "…like a hundred years ago?"
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
Trivia[]
- The actual longest word in the English language is still being disputed. See here 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 a reference to the 2007 sitcom The Big Bang Theory. Sheldon Cooper's "bazinga" catchphrase from the series is spoofed here with a Spanish version - "Barringa!" When watching the Spanish clip, Wakko wonders if the comedy is lost-in-translation. Yakko gleefully replies "Nope!" Dot then refers to the show as a "lowbrow hack sitcom creation that further bleeds dry the already endangered American imagination." (Ouch)
- Several The Big Bang Theory stars have appeared in different Animaniacs productions including Melissa Rauch, Lauren Lapkus (both of whom appeared in the Animaniacs reboot), Brian George (who appeared in the original Animaniacs series and Pinky and the Brain), and Adam West (who appeared in the original Animaniacs).
- Nils Neidhart can be seen on the cover of Dot's romance novel.
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 (although he tried to do that by imagining himself causing havoc around every place he and Pinky visit); especially after finding a gem containing an isotope he needs for a formula in one of his plans. After a long day, Brain attempts to take the gem for his device, but quarrels with Pinky. In the ensuing chaos, the gem is lost. Brain briefly snaps at Pinky, but quickly begins to regret how he has approached the day so negatively. It turns out Pinky's birthday had already passed a month ago, but Pinky didn't want to disrupt Brain in his planning. Brain then apologizes and Pinky forgives him. Pinky then reveals the last item on his birthday list- "take over the world!" which pleases Brain. Once more, the two begin preparing for the following evening...
Crew[]
- Written by James Butler
- Directed by Katie Rice
Songs[]
Trivia[]
- 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 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).
- Caricatures of Maduro, Kim and Putin appear for the third time in this season, now as imaginary victims in one of Brain's daydreams.
- 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]
- The pigeon from "The Cutening" returns in a cameo on the ACME Labs windowsill.
- This episode confirms Pinky's birthday as March 11, which is the same day as his voice actor, Rob Paulsen's.
Gallery[]
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[]
Trivia[]
- 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 near the end of the song.
- 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 "Sign here" gag echoes a similar one from "Temporary Insanity."
Character Animation By Erika Carvalho[]
Animaniacs Season 2
International Releases[]
- Australia: November 6, 2021 (Stan)
- Canada: November 13, 2021 (Teletoon)
- Latin America: March 31, 2022 (HBO Max)
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 | The Animator |
| Chris Geere | King John |
| Jake Green | Dorko and Dweebo |
References[]