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Tiny Toon Adventures

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Tiny Toon Adventures
Image:Tinytoons.jpg

Babs and Buster Bunny in the Tiny Toons logo

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Genre Animated series
Running time 30 minutes per episode
Creator(s) Steven Spielberg
Tom Ruegger
Starring Charlie Adler
John Kassir
Tress MacNeille
Gail Matthius
Kath Soucie
Don Messick
Joe Alaskey
Maurice LaMarche
Frank Welker
Rob Paulsen
Danny Cooksey
Cree Summer
Candi Milo
Cindy McGee
Country of origin USA
Original channel Syndication (1990-1991) Fox Network (1992-1993)
Original run September 14, 1990–May 2, 1993
No. of episodes 99

Steven Spielberg Presents Tiny Toon Adventures (a.k.a. Tiny Toon Adventures or simply Tiny Toons) was an American animated television series created by the Warner Bros. Animation studio. It was the result of the first collaboration between Steven Spielberg and the newly reborn Warner Bros. Animation studio. The first season aired in 1990, the second season was aired in 1991, and the third and final season was aired in 1993.

The idea for the show was that of Terry Semel, then president of Warner Bros. In the mid-1980s, he saw how successful and popular younger versions of famous characters like Ultraman Kids, Muppet Babies and Flintstones Kids were, and thought of doing a kids version of Looney Tunes. Originally, the characters were going to be the offspring of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies gang or Bugs Bunny and co. themselves as children (an idea which perhaps ended up becoming Baby Looney Tunes). [citation needed] It wasn't until Steven Spielberg and his production company Amblin Entertainment (makers of movies like Gremlins and Who Framed Roger Rabbit) got involved that characters became spiritual, not literal, descendents of Warner's famous cartoon stars and that the kid characters would be the protegés of the Golden Age WB animated cartoon film stars. Early on, the characters were intended to be used in its theatrical feature-length film, but in December of 1988, it was officially decided that the Tiny Toons would instead be used in its television series.

The animation studio was reinstated by Warner Bros. following the success of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which featured appearances by many of the classic Warner Bros. cartoon stars including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and many others. The Warner Bros. animation studio, led by Jean MacCurdy and Tom Ruegger, worked with Steven Spielberg to produce a new generation of cartoon stars for the 1990s, influenced by the classic Warner Bros. cartoons of old, which Spielberg had long considered a major influence on his own career. [citation needed]

Contents


Buster Bunny in the Tiny Toons logo.

[edit] Characters

The series premiered in 1990, and was well-received. [citation needed] It revolved around a group of young cartoon characters training at Acme Looniversity to be the next generation of Looney Tunes characters. As a result most of the characters were designed to resemble younger versions of classic Warner Bros.' most popular cartoon stars.

Major characters include:

Image:Bookworm.jpg

The original inspiration for two of the characters was somewhat obscure compared to the others: Li'l Sneezer was a revival of Sniffles the mouse, and Gogo Dodo was based on the original Dodo from Porky in Wackyland, a theatrical Looney Tunes release directed by Bob Clampett in 1938. In fact, the latter became the only visible Acme Looniversity alumnus to be an offspring of a classic Looney Tunes character.

Other minor characters based on classic characters were:

  • Barky Marky, a dog based on Marc Antony from several Chuck Jones-directed short subjects.
  • Concord Condor, modeled after Beaky Buzzard.
  • Fowlmouth, modeled after Foghorn Leghorn. His high-pitched voice and permanently angry temperament are also reminiscent of Foghorn's sometime-foe, Henery Hawk.
  • Marcia the Martian, the niece of Marvin the Martian, appeared in a single episode, lampooning the original Duck Dodgers cartoons. While Daffy Duck (as Duck Dodgers) and Marvin attempt to convince Marcia and Plucky to take part in their age-old feud, the protegés decide it's more fun to play with each other.
  • Witch Sandy, a witch who was based on Witch Hazel, she had a one-time appearance on the show in a parody of Hansel and Gretel. She lived in a house made out of carrot cake and drew the attention of Buster and Babs. She tried to use the two in a recipe like Hazel, turning Babs into a real rabbit and summoning her cutlery to try and kill Buster. But she got turned into a goldfish. Sandy wears a cute disguise but she is actually as ugly as Hazel.
  • There was an unnamed sheepdog puppy who was based on Sam Sheepdog. He appeared very briefly in a few episodes.

Arnold the pit bull was modeled after Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Minor original characters included a family of fleas who lived on Furrball, a trio of singing girl roaches (modelled after and voiced by The Roches), Byron Basset, and the two Ralphs. One was a fat security guard who later migrated to Animaniacs, while the other was a slobbish Ralph Bakshi caricature.

Most of the series's original characters attended Acme Looniversity, a high school/university in the fictional city of Acme Acres (where most of the Tiny Toons and Looney Tunes characters lived in this series), whose faculty primarily consisted of the mainstays of the classic Warner cartoons. In the series' internal continuity, the university was founded to teach cartoon characters how to become funny, with graduates receiving a "Diploma of Lunacy", giving them the opportunity to become full-time cartoon characters. Bugs Bunny taught the Outsmarting Antagonists class, Daffy Duck taught Puns and Catchphrases, Yosemite Sam taught both Firearms and Anvilology (the study of falling anvils for comic effect, later referenced in the "Anvilania" episode of Animaniacs), and Elmer Fudd taught Booby Traps. The principal of the Acme Looniversity was a giant floating head like the one in The Wizard of Oz, voiced by Noel Blanc (son of Mel Blanc); the principal was later revealed to be Bugs Bunny in disguise. Wile E. Coyote was the dean.

Guest stars included Henny Youngman, as a chicken version of himself; Edie McClurg, as Hamton's mother; Julie Brown as Julie Bruin; and the Roches as cockroach versions of themselves.

The series and the show's characters were developed by series producer and head writer Tom Ruegger, division leader Jean MacCurdy, story editors Wayne Kaatz, Paul Dini, and Sherri Stoner. Among the first writers on the series: Jim Reardon, Tom Minton, Eddie Fitzgerald, and others; designs by Alfred Gimeno Ken Boyer Dan Haskett, Karen Haskett, and many other artists and directors.

[edit] Reputation and legacy

Image:TTA meets YWD.jpg

The show had an edginess that made it quite unlike many other cartoons of the day. [citation needed] It often contained "gross out" humor dealing with bodily functions as well as political and entertainment satire. Caricature versions of celebrities made frequent appearances, though were almost always voiced by imitators, and often appeared under parody names ("Tom Snooze" instead of Tom Cruise, "Michael Molten-Lava"/Michael Bolton, etc). The show also parodied other TV shows and cartoons of the day, including the Simpsons. A reccurring parody was that of the Immature Radioactive Samurai Slugs, which poked fun at the popular cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Critics of the series considered the Tiny Toons characters to be little more than knock-offs of the original Termite Terrace creations, [1]

In order to have 65 episodes made for the first season, Warner and Amblin had to have several different animation houses each do their share of episodes (a process that Warner and Disney and other studios have done before and since with their TV cartoon series). The many animation studios to work on Tiny Toons were Tokyo Movie Shinsha, Wang Film Productions, AKOM, Freelance Animators New Zealand, Encore Cartoons, StarToons, and Kennedy Cartoons. Kennedy Cartoons quit while working on the 37th episode of production (which was the first episode, The Looney Beginning).[2]

A major controversy [citation needed] of Tiny Toons , was that it used scripts more dominantly than storyboards. The classic cartoons from Warner, Disney, and so on from Hollywood's Golden Age of Animation used storyboards only. [citation needed]

During production of the third season, Charlie Adler (voice of Buster Bunny) had a big fight with the producers, because Adler was outraged that he, one of the main stars of Tiny Toons, wasn't given any roles on Warner's then-in-the-works follow up to Tiny Toons: Animaniacs. The fact that bit players in Tiny Toons like Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche were given starring roles in Animaniacs infuriated Adler even further, making him leave the show. [3] Joe Alaskey (voice of Plucky Duck) also left the show, but his reasons were financial. When the money issue was resolved, Alaskey came back to the show. However, Adler left for good. As a result, in a few episodes and specials of Tiny Toons, Charlie Adler was replaced as the voice of Buster by John Kassir (voice of the Crypt Keeper on Tales from the Crypt). Alder reprises the voice of Buster.

A number of episodes of the show relied heavily on the plots of the original Warner Bros. cartoons, and they had varying degrees of success. [4] Despite this, the show attracted an adult audience as well as children, especially among college students. [citation needed] The success of Tiny Toon Adventures inspired Warner Bros. to make further investments in animation for TV, leading to the creation of Animaniacs and the Batman: The Animated Series. [citation needed]

One feature-length Tiny Toon Adventures movie was released direct-to-video in 1991, entitled Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation. [5] Its psychotic, chainsaw-wielding villain, "Mr. Hitcher", even appeared in several other shorts, including one with Plucky remembering himself as a baby. Other features released for Tiny Toon Adventures include Spring Break Special, It's a Wonderful Tiny Toons Christmas Special, and Night Ghoulery. Spring Break Special was shown on FOX during primetime on March 27, 1994. Christmas Special aired on December 6, 1992.

In 1992, The Plucky Duck Show was produced as a spin-off of Tiny Toon Adventures, concentrating attention on the daffy young star. Except for the premiere, (The Return of Batduck), the show was entirely made up of recycled Plucky-centric episodes from Tiny Toons. After only one thirteen-episode season, the show was cancelled.

In 1998, another spin-off was produced, this one starring Elmyra alongside Animaniacs stars Pinky and the Brain, and was titled Pinky, Elmyra, and the Brain. It was a significant re-tooling of Pinky and the Brain, a 1995 spin-off of Animaniacs sans Elmyra. It was also cancelled after thirteen episodes.

Warner Bros. cut back the size of its animation studio (the high cost and relatively low profit of its animated feature films of the period also had an effect on the studio), and production on further Warner Bros. animated comedy series ceased. Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures continued to rerun in syndication through the 1990s into the early-2000s. In 2005, it was removed from the NickToons Network and is not currently airing on United States television. In the United Kingdom, however, it is currently airing on Boomerang.

The series will re-run on Warner Bros. and AOL's new broadband internet channel Toontopia TV.

There is also heavy consideration for a DVD release [citation needed].

[edit] Awards

[edit] 1991

  • Daytime Emmy Awards, USA: Outstanding Animated Program (Steven Spielberg, Tom Ruegger, Ken Boyer, Art Leonardi, Art Vitello, Paul Dini, Sherri Stoner) - winner
  • Environmental Media Awards, USA: EMA Award Children's Animated – winner (for episode Whales Tales)
  • Young Artist Awards, USA: Best New Cartoon Series - winner

[edit] 1992

  • Daytime Emmy Awards, USA: Outstanding Animated Program (Steven Spielberg, Tom Ruegger, Sherri Stoner, Rich Arons, Art Leonardi) - nominated

[edit] 1993

  • Daytime Emmy Awards, USA: Outstanding Animated Program (Steven Spielberg, Tom Ruegger, Sherri Stoner, Rich Arons, Byron Vaughns, Ken Boyer, Alfred Gimeno, David West) - winner
  • Young Artist Awards, USA: Outstanding Young Voice-Over in an Animated Series or Special (Whitby Hertford) - nominated

[edit] Voice actors and their characters

Voice Actor: Characters Voiced:
Charles Adler Buster Bunny / Roderick Rat / other various voices (1990-1992)
John Kassir Buster Bunny (1992-1995)
Tress MacNeille Babs Bunny / Rhubella Rat / other various voices
Gail Matthius Shirley the Loon
Kath Soucie Fifi La Fume / Li'l Sneezer
Don Messick Hamton J. Pig
Joe Alaskey Plucky Duck / Dr. Gene Splicer
Maurice LaMarche Dizzy Devil (1991)
Frank Welker Gogo Dodo / Furrball / Calamity Coyote / Little Beeper / other various voices
Rob Paulsen Fowlmouth / Arnold Dog / Concord Condor / other various voices
Danny Cooksey Montana Max
Cree Summer Elmyra Duff / Mary Melody
Candi Milo Sweetie Pie
Cindy McGee Mary Melody (certain episodes)

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Tiny Toon Adventures episodes

[edit] The video games

Main article: List of Tiny Toon Adventures video games

Since Tiny Toon Adventures debuted, there has been a multitude of video games created based on the series. Many companies have held the development and publishing rights for the games, including Konami (during the 90s), Atari, NewKidCo, Conspiracy Games, Warthog, Terraglyph Interactive Studios, and Treasure.

[edit] Edits

As the show entered its initial run in syndication, several episodes were 'time compressed' to allow for more commercial room than the initial Fox airings; subsequently, the show was trimmed even more when aired on Nickelodeon in the late 1990s to the present. The most visibly edited shows are the "music video" episodes. [citation needed]

[edit] Trivia

  • At the end of the credits, in various episodes, different characters would appear in the Warner Brothers logo to close the show:
    • Byron Basset would appear and simply go, "Woof!"
    • Gogo Dodo would appear and say, "It's been surreal!"
    • Elmyra Duff would appear and say, "Let the show begin!"
    • Buster Bunny would appear and say, "And that's a wrap!"
    • Plucky Duck would appear and say, "Parting is such sweet sorrow!"
    • Fifi Le Fume would appear and say, "Au revoir, mon petite potato de couch!" as she flirtatiously waved her tail at the audience.
    • Babs and Buster Bunny would appear; Buster would say, "Say good night, Babs," to which Babs would respond "Good night, Babs!" (an homage to The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show). Other times they would appear and say in unison, "Alooooooo-ha!"
  • The episode "Elephant Issues" (which was made to teach kids lessons about peer pressure) was banned from Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, because of the episode's final short, "One Beer," which included Buster, Plucky, and Hamton drinking beer. Although the short was to teach kids about the dangers of drinking, it delivered the wrong message to the show's intended predominantly children's audience, due to the object lesson being delivered in such a exaggeratedly heavy-handed way that it was downright sarcastic.
  • Wackyland, the bizarre world that Gogo Dodo comes from, wasn't created for this show; it actually first appeared in the Looney Tunes short named "Porky in Wackyland," which also featured a dodo that is the father of Gogo Dodo.
  • The nonsensical word "narf" which was made famous by Pinky on Animaniacs made its first appearance in the secret message in the credits of the episode "You Asked for It". The message: "Guy Who Says "Narf" - Eddie Fitzgerald"
  • In one episode, instead of the typical Amblin Entertainment logo, which normally features Elliot and E.T. (from the movie E.T.) riding and then freezing in front of the moon, they comically bump into it, and fall off.
  • There is a parody of this show on a Homestar Runner cartoon. In the Strong Bad E-Mail "theme song", when Strong Bad is explaining the end credits, the announcer is annoncing Cheat Commandos, saying "they're tiny, they're toony, they're ALL a little looney, it's the Cheat Commandos!"
  • In one episode, when on a rigged game show, one question is changed from "Who was the first President?" to "Who was the first President of Namibia?" Buster, looking this up, claims that "Namibia doesn't even have a president", leading to his realization that the game is rigged. However, Namibia had just elected a President in 1990.

[edit] See also

[edit] Airing History

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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