Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain

Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain is the retooling of the American animated television series Pinky and the Brain (itself being a spin-off from Animaniacs), with the title characters being joined by Elmyra Duff from Tiny Toon Adventures.[1] The show was executive produced by Steven Spielberg and the series was produced by Amblin Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Animation, and aired from 1998 to 1999 on Kids' WB, running for 13 episodes. It was Spielberg's last collaborative effort with Warner Bros. Animation until the 2020 Animaniacs revival.

Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain
Also known asSteven Spielberg Presents Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain
GenreComedy
Crossover fiction
Created byTom Ruegger
StarringMaurice LaMarche
Rob Paulsen
Cree Summer
ComposersRichard Stone
Harvey R. Cohen
Steve Bernstein
Julie Bernstein
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes13 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerSteven Spielberg
Running time11 minutes
(22 minutes in "Teleport a Friend")
Production companiesWarner Bros. Animation[lower-alpha 1]
Amblin Entertainment
DistributorWarner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original networkKids' WB
Picture formatSD: 4:3 (broadcast/DVD release)
HD: 16:9 (streaming)
Original releaseSeptember 19, 1998 (1998-09-19) –
April 10, 1999 (1999-04-10)
Chronology
Preceded byTiny Toon Adventures
Pinky and the Brain
Related showsThe Plucky Duck Show
Animaniacs
Freakazoid!

Premise

The series starts with ACME Labs destroyed (which would then be converted into a Dissy store), leaving Pinky (Rob Paulsen) and Brain (Maurice LaMarche) homeless and on the run from a man named Wally Faust. Pinky and the Brain finally end up in a pet store and take refuge inside a turtle; they are still inside the turtle when it is purchased by Elmyra (Cree Summer) and named Mr. Shellbutt. In their new home, Pinky and the Brain continue to attempt new methods of trying to take over the world while at the same time enduring Elmyra's affection.

New characters

Development

Warner Bros. network executives had reportedly wanted Pinky and the Brain to be part of a sitcom "more like The Simpsons".[2] In a press release, Warner Bros. stated that the new series was "a fresh approach to popular favorites as Pinky & The Brain move from ACME Labs to America's suburbs when they are adopted by the extremely excitable Elmyra."[3] The idea was reportedly met with resistance from the producers of the series.[4]

The apparent dissatisfaction with Warner Bros.' decision to change Pinky and the Brain showed up in episodes. The last script that producer Peter Hastings wrote before leaving Warner Bros. for Disney was the episode "You'll Never Eat Food Pellets in This Town Again!", in which the demise of Pinky and the Brain is caused by network decisions to change the show.[4]

The theme song for Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain included the lyric: "Now Pinky and the Brain share a new domain. It's what the network wants, why bother to complain?". An image during the theme showed Pinky and the Brain getting kicked out of the Warner Bros. office during the song lyric. In addition, a spoken line by the Brain towards the end of the theme song states: "I deeply resent this."[4]

Nominations and awards

Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain won an Annie Award in 1999, for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production." Both Rob Paulsen for his voicing of Pinky and Cree Summer for her voicing of Elmyra were nominated in the category, with Paulsen winning the award.[5] That same year Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain was nominated for another Annie Award, "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production,"[5] as well as winning a Daytime Emmy Award in 2000, for "Outstanding Children's Animated Program."[6]

Voices

Additional voices

Media information
Screen shot from the opening title sequence. From left to right: Pinky, the Brain, and Elmyra.

Broadcast history

The series's initial run was from 1998 to 1999 with a total of six episodes. The rest of the episodes were split up into segments as part of The Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie Show along with segments from other Warner Brothers cartoons.[7] The show's inclusion in The Big Cartoonie Show lasted from January to September 1999. In the United Kingdom, the series was fully broadcast on CITV during 2001.

On January 4, 2018, Hulu acquired the streaming rights to Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain along with Pinky and the Brain, Animaniacs, and Tiny Toon Adventures.[8]

Episode lengths

Many Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain episodes had been split into two parts and aired at different times.[9] The split sections of these episodes were 10 to 11 minutes long, versus the standard 22 minutes for most animated cartoon series.

Home video

A two-disc complete series DVD set of the show was released by Warner Home Video on January 28, 2014 (2014-01-28).[10]

Toys

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's offered a collection of four Pinky, Elmyra and Brain toys with their kids' meals.

Episodes

Series overview
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast airedNetwork
Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain6September 19, 1998 (1998-09-19)December 12, 1998 (1998-12-12)Kids' WB
The Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie Show7January 16, 1999 (1999-01-16)April 10, 1999 (1999-04-10)

Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1a"Patty Ann"Nelson RecinosJohn P. McCannSeptember 19, 1998 (1998-09-19)
Using his mechanical human suit (now with girls' clothing on it), Brain poses as Patty Ann, Elmyra's cousin. Despite his unconvincing appearance, Elmyra's crush, Rudy Mookich, falls head over heels for him.
1b"Gee, Your Hair Spells Terrific"Nelson RecinosTom Ruegger and Charles HowellSeptember 19, 1998 (1998-09-19)
Brain plans to clone dinosaurs from fossilized amber mosquitoes and use them in his latest plan to take over the world. To get the money to do this, he will have to somehow get Elmyra to win a spelling bee, but the only way to make that work is to help her cheat.
2a"Cute Little Alienhead"Russell CalabreseKate Donahue and Scott KreamerSeptember 26, 1998 (1998-09-26)
Using an intergalactic radio, Brain manages to flag down a passing alien in hopes of trading for advanced weapons to use in his latest plan to take over the world. Unfortunately, the alien is driven away by an annoying Elmyra, who happens to be the first human that he comes into contact with.
2b"Better Living... Through Cheese"Russell CalabreseWendell Morris and Tom SheppardSeptember 26, 1998 (1998-09-26)
Brain needs the prize money from a science fair to fund his latest plan to take over the world and builds a high-tech device for Elmyra to show off. Rudy, however, decides to get a cheap laugh and destroys the device right before it can be judged by Bob Quack the Science Hack.
3a"My Fair Brainy!"Nelson RecinosDoug LangdaleOctober 3, 1998 (1998-10-03)
In a parody of My Fair Lady, Brain devises a plan to take over the world from outer space through Elmyra, who has entered a contest in order to become the first child aboard the Space Shuttle.
3b"The Cat That Cried Woof!"Nelson RecinosWendell Morris and Tom SheppardOctober 3, 1998 (1998-10-03)
Brain creates a formula that makes Mr. Pussy-Wussy, Elmyra's pet cat, think that he is a dog.
4a"The Girl with Nothing Extra"Russell Calabrese and Rob DaviesGordon Bressack and Charles HowellNovember 7, 1998 (1998-11-07)
Brain tries to make Elmyra popular so that he and Pinky can work through her fame in order to take over the world.
4b"Narfily Ever After"Russell Calabrese and Rob DaviesGordon Bressack and Charles HowellNovember 7, 1998 (1998-11-07)
Brain tells Elmyra a bedtime story that closely follows the plot of Cinderella.
5a"The Icky Mouse Club"Nelson RecinosWendell Morris and Tom SheppardNovember 21, 1998 (1998-11-21)
Brain decides that he should organize the neighborhood kids into a gang, and when they grow up they will still see him as their leader.
5b"The Man from W.A.S.H.I.N.G.T.O.N."Nelson RecinosJohn P. McCannNovember 21, 1998 (1998-11-21)
Wally Faust (who is introduced in this episode and then is never seen again), an agent for a secret clandestine organization within the U.S. government, tries to steal Brain's latest invention for world domination and kill both him and Pinky, just because the two of them have almost succeeded in taking over the world more times than the organization has.
6a"Yule Be Sorry"Nelson RecinosJohn P. McCannDecember 12, 1998 (1998-12-12)
Christmas episode. After Brain gets angry at Pinky and wishes that Pinky was never his friend, he has a dream that shows him what things would really be like if they were in Acme Labs with Elmyra instead.
6b"How I Spent My Weekend"Nelson RecinosCharles Howell, Wendell Morris, and Tom SheppardDecember 12, 1998 (1998-12-12)
Elmyra narrates the story of Brain's plan to build a giant robot that will fly to France and shoot out laser beams that will turn all the cheese into stupid American tourists.

The Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie Show

Less than halfway through the series' run, Pinky, Elmyra and Brain began airing on The Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie Show, in which one episode segment was shown at a time, rather than complete episodes.[11] The exception to this airing change was episode 10, which was shown completely intact on its respective air date.[9]

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
7a"At the Hop"Rob DaviesJohn P. McCannJanuary 16, 1999 (1999-01-16)

Elmyra wants to go to the school dance with Rudy, but Rudy actually wants to go with Patty Ann, which is actually Brain in disguise. This suits Brain just fine, because he needs to get back his cologne that makes people instantly attractive so that he can use it in his latest plan to take over the world.

Note: This cartoon introduces Vanity White.
7b"Pinky's Dream House"Rob DaviesGordon BressackJanuary 23, 1999 (1999-01-23)
When Pinky dreams of living a normal family life, Elmyra dresses up both him and Brain in doll's clothing and places them in a doll house.
8a"The Ravin!"Nelson RecinosErin Ehrlich and Alex BorsteinJanuary 30, 1999 (1999-01-30)

Brain reads an altered version of the Edgar Allan Poe poem "The Raven".

Note: This episode shows what happened to Acme Labs, in which the laboratory was changed into a Dissy Store (a parody of the Disney Store).
8b"Elmyra's Music Video"UnknownUnknownUnaired (television)
January 28, 2014 (2014-01-28) (DVD)

In a parody of music videos and home movies, Elmyra and Pinky create their own music video that contains a song sung over clips from past episodes.

Note: The following episode was produced as a part of episode 8, but was never aired with the rest of the episode in the United States on either Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain or The Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie Show. It was first made available for viewing on the DVD release of the series, and can also be viewed on ITunes and Hulu with the rest of episode 8.
8c"Squeeze Play"Nelson RecinosWendell Morris and Tom SheppardFebruary 6, 1999 (1999-02-06)
Rudy takes Brain's latest invention, which Brain needs for his latest plan to take over the world. To get it back, Brain and Pinky will have to get past Rudy's pet snake.
9a"Wag the Mouse"Rob DaviesKen SegallFebruary 13, 1999 (1999-02-13)
Elmyra runs for class president, but she does not stand a chance against the other candidates.
9b"A Walk in the Park"Rob DaviesGordon Bressack and Charles HowellFebruary 20, 1999 (1999-02-20)
Elmyra takes a trip to a Disneyland-esque theme park and Brain makes plans to switch the looping song recording at the "It's a Small World"-esque ride with a hypnotic message so that he can take over the world. This latest plan fails because Brain puts in the wrong tape by mistake and Baloney's Greatest Hits plays instead.
10"Teleport a Friend"Nelson RecinosWendell Morris and Tom SheppardFebruary 27, 1999 (1999-02-27)
The only full-length Pinky, Elmyra and Brain cartoon. Brain's body is fused together with Elmyra's and if Brain cannot reverse the transformation that was caused by the device that he built, then they will remain that way forever. Brain and Elmyra’s only hope is Pinky, who, unfortunately for both of them, is spending most of the episode chasing a pig.
11a"Mr. Doctor"Rob DaviesJohn P. McCann and Mitch WatsonMarch 6, 1999 (1999-03-06)
Elmyra takes some of her pets - Brain, Pinky, the alien from "Cute Little Alienhead", and Mr. Pussy-Wussy - to the vet, who notices that her cat is acting like a dog (a reference to episode 3b, "The Cat That Cried Woof").
11b"That's Edutainment"Nelson RecinosJohn P. McCannMarch 13, 1999 (1999-03-13)
Pinky and Brain get their own children's entertainment program.
12a"Fun, Time, and Space"Rob DaviesJohn P. McCannMarch 20, 1999 (1999-03-20)
Brain creates a black hole in Elmyra's bedroom, hoping to exploit the theory that black holes can transport people to other universes or send people back in time.
12b"Hooray for Meat"Rob DaviesEarl Kress, Wendell Morris, and Tom SheppardMarch 27, 1999 (1999-03-27)
Pinky, Elmyra, and Brain go to a "Meat Festival". Brain discovers a plan to take over the world using "Meats of Evil".
13a"Party Night"Nelson RecinosJohn P. McCannApril 3, 1999 (1999-04-03)
Vanity throws a party and invites Rudy, but not Elmyra. Elmyra shows up anyway, thinking that Vanity just forgot to invite her.
13b"The Mask of Braino"Nelson RecinosEarl Kress, Charles Howell, Wendell Morris, and Tom SheppardApril 10, 1999 (1999-04-10)
Brain becomes Braino, a masked crimefighter and a parody of Zorro.

See also

Notes
    1. Animation outsourced to Rough Draft Studios and Wang Film Productions.

    References
    1. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 617–619. ISBN 978-1476665993.
    2. O'Dell, Ron. "Warner Bros. Animation Chronology: 1998". The Warner Bros. Animation Archive. Toon Zone. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
    3. http://www.timewarner.com/newsroom/press-releases/1998/01/12/kids-wb-unveils-all-new-saturday-morning-with-returning-favorites
    4. "Platypus Comix article on Pinky, Elmyra, and the Brain". Platypus Comix. Retrieved 2006-06-16.
    5. "27th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners". Annie Award Database. Archived from the original on May 31, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
    6. Unnamed author. "Awards for "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain"". IMDB.com. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
    7. Unknown author (January 11, 1999). "Toon Zone News Archives: January 1999". Toon Zone News. Toon Zone. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
    8. Petski, Denise (4 January 2018). "'Animaniacs' Reboot Gets Two-Season Straight-To-Series Order At Hulu". Deadline. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
    9. "Pinky, Elmyra and Brain episodes". Toon Zone. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
    10. Pinky, Elmyra, and The Brain The Complete Series coming to DVD 2014!!!
    11. "Toon Zone News Archives: January 1999". Toon Zone News. Toon Zone. January 11, 1999. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
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