Hell-OOOO Nurse!

So I just watched the latest Nostalgia Chick video which was about the 'Smurfette Principle'. I'm not gonna go much into detail, let's just say that it's another very well made video about very interesting subject (women in media, basically).
But what I really took away from the clip (probably not her intention tho) was a craving for one of the greatest animated cartoons ever created: The Animaniacs.

 

 With Yakko, Wakko and Warner-Sister Dot!

It's one of those cartoons I basically grew up with. It was whacky, all over the place and at the same time incredibly intelligent. It was actually partly way to clever for kids to understand, so if you watched this show as a child, there will be many jokes (even kinda naughty ones!) that you most definitely will have missed. The Nostalgia Critic already went into detail about those naughty moments, check out his hilarious video.

What I want to talk about is the intelligence of the cartoon and the sheer effort put into the show itself. Have a look at this song straight out of the cartoon:

'Modern food technology has the answer!'

Yakko starts listing ingredients of modern sweets and candy bars, revealing that basically everything they eat is filled with chemical 'enhancements' and sugar. But, being the little rascals they are, the Animaniacs really don't mind and - representing the modern society children for a moment - state that they love eating sweets and will stuff them inside their bellies until their 'insides start to rot'. Subtle.

In my opinion a show needs a good amount of balls to denunciate its main audience like that - and of course the whole food industry that nourishes those children and their families.

Now, regarding the aforementioned efforts, check out the music itself: The rhymes are superb, the musical score (as was usual for the Looney Toons and Steven Spielberg) is absolutely brilliant, and as much as you need to get used to the voices, you can't blame them for not knowing how to sing. To me, listening to those songs is not only a very informative experience, but also very pleasant and a feast for the ears.

Another example for the wit of the songs is this little ode to Christmas in which the Animaniacs end every verse in a different word combination that resembles the french Noël. Seriously, what kid is supposed to get that except the ones who just happen to grow up bi-lingual?

One last video - The ultimate Animaniacs Classic: The Nations Of The World!


'... GERMANY, now in one piece!'

Epic.


Other great Animaniacs songs:
- The US-Presidents
- The Senses ('The sense of SMELL's the way to tell that you need to change your socks.')
- The Intro (pure nostalgia, makes me dance every time)