Mossage in a Bottle/Back in Style/Bones in the Body is the 91st episode of the original Animaniacs, and is the first episode of the show's fifth and final season. It originally premiered on September 8, 1997.
Theme Song
Last line
Yakko, Wakko and Dot: "Public Domain-y..."
Trivia
- This is the final variable verse in the original series to feature new animation. The final new one in Episode 98 (97 in some listings), features a new lyric over re-used animation from the "Citizen Kane-y" verse.
- This joke parodies how the 1946 Christmas It's a Wonderful Life was once public domain, which resulted in near-inescapable reruns of it across various channels.
Moosage in a Bottle
Animation by Wang Film Production
Plot
The Warners are lost at sea and find a message in a bottle. The message is from an entertainment lawyer. Yakko and Dot are glad that the next cartoon isn't stolen.
Crew
- Story by Llyn Hunter and Enrique May
- Written by Paul Rugg
- Directed by Charles Visser and Liz Holzman
Trivia
- Wakko suggested that the bottle was "fan mail from some friendly flounder", which is reference from The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends.
Back in Style
Animation by Akom Film Production
Plot
In a documentary style sequence taking place in the 1960s, Warner Bros. closes its animation department, Termite Terrace, and gave their Looney Tunes stars their walking papers. With no more cartoons to make, Yakko, Wakko and Dot were sealed in the Water Tower for keeps. Mr. Plotz would bet the studio's future on a high budget, live-action movie called Young Blood Squawk, starring Tab Boo. The movie is negatively received because of the actor and causes a riot at a theater. The movie would eventually bomb, leaving Warner Bros.' profits dangerously low and in the need of quick cash. To keep the studio afloat, Plotz loans out the Warner trio - their only remaining cartoon stars - to a pair of producers working in the field of television animation.
The Warners first star in Who Who Hooey, where Calhourn Capybara searches to steal school lunch boxes, but instead is pestered by the Warners; who steal his opportunities to eat food. Next, the trio star in Boo-Hooroo, Where Are You?, where the Warners scare Boo-Hooroo and play cheesy rock songs. Boo-Hooroo would end up in the vet for 16 weeks, and the producers return the Warners back to the studio for their chaotic behavior. The studio takes another drastic turn following the Warners' disastrous debut on television, but when Plotz find out the Warners were dropped by their producers, he loans out the trio to a superhero show called Thunderdog, which was sinking in ratings. The Warners change up the show by assisting Simon Sam Simmon, the show's villain instead of the show's protagonist Thunderdog, leaving Thunderdog with flattened legs after the show. The trio was then loaned out to a show called Obese Orson, which stars a morbidly obese boy called Orson and his friends who preach prosocial values and don't have fun; when the Warners find out about it, they bring in fun by rapidly kissing all the characters, who can't move because of their limited animation.
Warner Bros. eventually regains their profits, but does not inform the Warner trio about this, continuing to loan them out for more cartoon gigs, including one starring a band. Yakko, Wakko and Dot find out about Warner Bros. regaining fortune, and storm back to the studio demanding not to be loaned out again. Plotz then explains that he intends to use the studio's renewed profits to produce a follow-up movie called Shamboo. Realizing this is the same actor that starred in the box-office flop Young Blood Squawk, the Warner trio destroy their loan-out contract and return to the Water Tower. They kick out Shamboo from their home and demand to not be called again until they can have their own network. Yakko assures they'll be good for about 20 years.
Crew
- Written by Tom Minton
- Directed by Liz Holzman
Songs
Trivia
- The main plot of this episode is loosely based off when Warner Bros. loaned out several of their Looney Tunes stars (with the notable exceptions of Bugs Bunny, the Road Runner, and Speedy Gonzales) to Filmation in 1972 for the "ABC Saturday Superstar Movie" installment Daffy Duck and Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies. This explains why Filmation got the worst of the parodies in this episode, with Phlegmation's Obese Orson (a parody of Filmation's Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids cartoon show.)
- This episode is also similar to an episode of Ralph Bakshi's Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures entitled "Don't Touch That Dial," which also involves a main character getting stuck in different limited animation TV cartoons, including a Scooby-Doo parody. Tom Minton, who wrote "Back in Style," was also a co-writer on "Don't Touch That Dial".
- When Bugs and Daffy leave the studio, Bugs says that there is a flavored drink commercial waiting for them. The Looney Tunes characters did, in fact, star in several ads for flavored drinks like Kool-Aid and Tang after the Warner Bros. animation department closed. Daffy then says, "Wait up, Tex!" This is a reference to director Tex Avery, who returned to Warner Bros. briefly to direct those ads.
- Friz Freleng erases Bugs Bunny's head on a drawing and replaces it with that of a panther - and then rushes off to turn the drawing into a cartoon of his own, titled "The Gray Panther", leaving a frustrated Chuck Jones in the dust. This is a reference to Freleng co-creating the Pink Panther character alongside Hawley Pratt - initially for the opening credits of the 1963 Blake Edwards film of the same name, but the Panther would then star in a series of short films produced at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, which Freleng co-founded with business partner David H. DePatie.
- Treg Green's name is a reference to Treg Brown - who was perhaps best known for the development of nearly all of the sound effects used for Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies at Termite Terrace.
- Freleng speaks exactly like Yosemite Sam, which Sam is happy to point out. Many people who worked with Freleng found him to be rather similar to Yosemite Sam.
- This cartoon features parodies of Yogi Bear (Calhoun Capybara), Scooby-Doo (Uhuru, Where Are You?), Underdog (Thunderdog), Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids (Obese Orson), and The Beatles TV shows (in the parodies of the first two aforementioned shows, Hanna-Barbera sound effects are used to a moderate extent, as Yogi Bear and Scooby-Doo were originally created by the latter studio; also by that time, H-B officially became part of Time Warner, as its parent company, Ted Turner's Turner Broadcasting has merged with the latter nearly a year ago, in turn leading to its various properties becoming part of Warner Bros.). Additionally, the following year Warner Bros. Animation would assume production of new Scooby-Doo material, starting with the direct-to-video movie Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island.
- The band that parodies The Beatles sing a parody of the Beatles song, "Day Tripper" called "Night Traveler."
- The band's full name is obscured by the characters on screen.
- Despite the opening narration stating that Termite Terrace had shut down in 1962, in reality it shut down in 1963, with the final cartoons to be made by the studio being released theatrically a year later.
- Frank Welker provides his Fred Jones voice for the Scooby-Doo parody and also does his Scooby impression. Welker would later become the official voice of Scooby following Don Messick's death and Scott Innes retiring from the role.
- This segment reunites Rob Paulsen, Jim Cummings and Gail Matthius where Jim voices Mr. Bumpy, Rob voices Squishington, and Gail voices Molly in Bump in the Night.
- On the Variety newspaper "Plotz' Profits Thru Roof!" shown at the end of the Obese Orson portion, Microsoft Interactive is mentioned on the newspaper.
- This is the final original Animaniacs segement to be animated by Akom. Their overall final contribution to the franchise would later be "Brainy Jack" from the Pinky and the Brain spin-off series; which aired a few months later on November 1st.
Goofs
- When Dot kisses the green kid's nose at the end of the Obese Orson portion, her eye colors are inverted after she opens them again.
Bones in the Body
Animation by Wang
Plot
While at a campfire with Mr. Skullhead, the Warners sing their own variation of "Dem Bones."
Crew
- Music and lyrics by Randy Rogel
- Directed by Liz Holzman
Songs
Trivia
- Runt makes a cameo hanging-out nearby in the desert.
- This marks Skullhead's final appearance in the original Animaniacs series.
Production Notes
- In most outlets such as DVD, iTunes and HBO Max, the "Moosage in a Bottle" segment is listed with the proper "Moosage in a Bottle" spelling within the episode titles. This labeling even goes back as far as Kids' WB! and EIDR episode listings.[1] [2] This might also further the The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends reference, as Bullwinkle is a moose.
- Other listings sometimes list the segment as "Message in a Bottle."
Cast
| Voice Actors: | Character(s): |
| Rob Paulsen | Yakko Warner, Bristly, Hooknose Harold |
| Jess Harnell | Wakko Warner, Lew-Lew, Muttermouth, Ed Meisker III |
| Tress MacNeille | Dot Warner, Blanche Sewer |
| Frank Welker | Thaddeus Plotz, Chicken Boo, Ralph T. Guard, Runt, Narrator, Uhuru, Ted, Lem Botchitt |
| Jim Cummings | Calhoun Capybara , Simon San Simeon, Obese Orson, Yosemite Sam, Malice Ovey |
| Greg Burson | Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Friz Freleng |
| Jeff Glen Bennett | Thunderdogg, Gerald, Treg Green, Todd A-O |
| Gail Matthius | Sweet Polly Dognose, Phoebe |
Transcript
References
- ↑ Moosage In A Bottle/Back In Style/Bones In The Body - eidr. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ↑ Animaniacs Episode Listings (97-98 Season) - The WB Series Episode Titles by Aaron Greenhouse via Carnegie Mellon University. Retrieved January 23, 2024.