- For their various episodes in both the original Animaniacs and the 2020 reboot, see Yakko, Wakko, and Dot#List of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Cartoons.
Within the Animaniacs franchise; Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner have had an infamous career in animation. These range from zany cartoon shorts at Warner Bros., WWII propaganda cartoons[1], loan-out crossovers to other studios[2], and the occasional educational PSA.[3]. Many of these cartoons are regarded as dubious in quality, being far too zany for audiences to comprehend. Some of these have been seen in full episodes, while many others were alluded to or only seen in snippets.
History
The actual founding Warner Brothers. reacting to a nonsensical Warners cartoon.
The Warner siblings' career is said to have begun circa 1929-1930 at Termite Terrace.[note 1] In most scenarios, the Warners were drawn by animator Lon Borax following orders from director Weed Memlo to add some spice to a rather dull Buddy cartoon[4] [5]. Upon their creation, Borax was driven insane and ended up retiring. In another scenario, the Warners were discovered at Schwab's Pharmacy by a WB talent scout.[6]
The Warners' cartoons get locked away in a vault.
After becoming stars in the Buddy cartoons, WB CEO Thaddeus Plotz ordered solo cartoons for the siblings, with Memlo remaining director. With Swifty LaBoo as their agent, the siblings rose to prominence. Their cartoon would only get zanier though, as would the siblings, who would torment the others on the studio lot. Eventually, Memlo's hatred for the siblings rose, and Plotz had to take him off the Warners' cartoons. With no other readily-available options, Plotz let Wakko direct a cartoon: Yankee Doodle Warners (1934). The cartoon consisted of the siblings performing "Yankee Doodle Dandy" with their armpits. The cartoon was very poorly-received, and proved to be the end of their WB cartoon career. With no cartoons left to make, the siblings would continue to run amok. Upon pantsing Jimmy Cagney, the siblings were captured and imprisoned inside the Water Tower, and their cartoons were locked away in the studio vault. Despite this, the tower needed to be fumigated for termites, so the Warners would be freed for a little while.
A look inside the Warner Archival Vault.
Additionally, the Warners would continue to make the occasional cartoon following the end of their shorts, such as Warners Take the Homefront (1942), a WWII propaganda film in support of war bonds.[1] Much later throughout the 1960's and 70's, the Warners were loaned-out to other cartoon studios for guest appearances, as they were the only remaining cartoon stars on the lot following Termite Terrace's closure in 1962.[2] Plotz would use much of the money from these loan-outs to fund films starring "Taboo." The Warners would eventually tear-up their loan-out contract and return to the tower until 1993. At some point in 1972, the siblings also starred in an educational PSA entitled Wipe Those Feet, produced by The American Council For Cleanliness.[3]
Filmography
Buddy Cartoons
Each of these cartoons come from "The Warners' 65th Anniversary Special," and are directed by Weed Memlo.
- Outback Buddy (1929)
- Postman Buddy (1930)
- Gardening Buddy (1931)
- Baker Buddy (1932)
- Busdriver Buddy (1933)
General Warners Cartoons
- Untitled Steamboat Willie parody (1929, Director unknown)[3]
- Ragamuffins (1929, directed by Barry Caldwell and Jon McClenahan)[note 2]
- Babblin' Bijou (1930, directed by Jeffrey DeGrandis)[note 2]
- Krazy Kiddos (Year unknown, directed by Weed Memlo)[6]
- Pipsqueeks (Year unknown, directed by Weed Memlo)[6]
- Nutty Newsies (Year unknown, directed by Weed Memlo)[6]
- Flies in the Ointment (1933, directed by Weed Memlo)[4]
- Kitchen Krazy (1934, directed by Weed Memlo)[4]
- Yankee Doodle Warners (1934, directed by Wakko Warner)[4]
- Warners Take the Homefront (1942, directed by Colonel Floot Tipton)[1] [3][note 3]
- Untitled The Flintstones parody (1962, director unknown)
Loan-Outs
Most of these cartoons come from "Back in Style" unless specified.
- Little Red Riding Goop (1931, directed by Charles Visser)[note 2] (Crossover with Googi Goop at Fleichman's Cartoon Studio)[7]
- Calhoun Capybara
- Uhuru, Where Are You?
- Thunderdog
- Obese Orson
- The Truffles
Other
- "Wipe Those Feet" (1972, Director Unknown, PSA produced with The American Council For Cleanliness)[3]
Trivia
General
- Due to the the rather loose continuity of Animaniacs , the exact years and specifics of the Warner's career varies. For example, the Warners are said to have been making cartoons as far back as 1929, but other cartoons list their origins as occurring in 1930. Additionally, they are said to have made solo cartoons during a period where they would exclusively made Buddy cartoons. What years they were locked-away or freed also vary. Regardless of these small errors, each cartoon is listed on this article to provide an organized list for their varied filmography.
- "Toy Shop Terror" was initially going to be presented as a Warners cartoon from the 1930's, but it was later turned into a musical color cartoon with some minimal dialogue.[8] A remnant of this initial concept can be seen in the final cartoon, where a colorized version of the throwback Warners title card is used.
Gallery
General
Title Cards
See Also
Notes
- ↑ "Newsreel of the Stars" dates the Warners' creation to 1930. Certain cartoons such as "Ragamuffins" date it to 1929.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 In-universe director(s) unknown.
- ↑ Dated as 1943 in "The Warner's Vault"
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Episode 57A: "Of Course, You Know This Means Warners"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Episode 91B: "Back in Style"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Episode 25D (Reboot): "The Warner's Vault"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Episode 65: The Warners' 65th Anniversary Special
- ↑ "Newsreel of the Stars"
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Episode 26: "Testimonial #3"
- ↑ Episode 80B: "The Girl with the Googily Goop"
- ↑ [citation needed]