Convention - Animaniacs: A 30th Anniversary Celebration presentation

By Mulder, Anaheim, Wondercon, Convention center,, 25 march 2023

Celebrate the 30th anniversary of the iconic cartoon show Animaniacs with series creator Tom Ruegger, series writer and voice actor Paul Rugg (Freakazoid), series writer and author John P. McCann, series composers and songwriters Steve Bernstein and Julie Bernstein, and others. Relive the creation of a cartoon classic with the Animaniacs crew! Moderated by Joey Letson from The Animanicast.

Animaniacs is an American animated comedy musical television series created by Tom Ruegger for Fox Broadcasting Company's Fox Kids block in 1993, before moving to The WB in 1995, as part of its Kids' WB afternoon programming block, until the series ended on November 14, 1998. It is the second animated series produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Animation, after Tiny Toon Adventures. It initially ran a total of 99 episodes, along with a feature-length film, Wakko's Wish. Reruns later aired on Cartoon Network from 1997 to 2001, Nickelodeon from 2001 to 2003, Nicktoons from 2003 to 2005, and Discovery Family (known as The Hub Network at the time) from 2012 to 2014. Animaniacs is a variety show, with short skits featuring a large cast of characters. While the show had no set format, the majority of episodes were composed of three short mini-episodes, each starring a different set of characters, and bridging segments. Hallmarks of the series included its music, satirical social commentary, pop culture references, character catchphrases, and innuendo directed at an adult audience. A revival of the series was announced in January 2018, with a two-season order, to be produced in conjunction with Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation, with producer Steven Spielberg, songwriter Randy Rogel, and many of the main voice actors returning. It premiered on November 20, 2020, on Hulu, with a second season premiering on November 5, 2021,and a third and final season premiering on February 17, 2023.

Tom Ruegger is the 14-time Emmy winning creator/producer/writer/showrunner of many beloved animated TV series, including Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Tiny Toon Adventures, Road Rover, and Histeria! As the creator of Animaniacs, Tom served as senior producer, showrunner, story editor, writer and lyricist on the series. He developed, produced, showran and wrote Freakazoid as well, and served as executive producer and writer on Batman: The Animated Series. Tom also created and produced A Pup Named Scooby Doo for Hanna-Barbera Productions. For Disney Television Animation, he developed, produced, wrote and showran Disney’s The 7D.

Paul Rugg co-developed and was the voice of Freakazoid in Steven Spielberg Presents: Freakazoid. Paul was one of the original writers of Animaniacs and helped develop the characters of Yakko, Wakko and Dot, writing over 40 episodes. Paul also provided the voice of Mr. Director, a Jerry Lewis–esque character and frequent victim of the Warner’s antics. He’s also the voice of Ned, the 7-foot tall, blue-skinned alien who hosts the Jim Henson Company’s Earth to Ned, currently on Disney+.

You can discover our photos on our Flickr page

Synopsis : 
The Warners brothers and the sister have many adventures surrounded by other characters.

Animaniacs
Created by Tom Ruegger
Voices of Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, Tress MacNeille, John Mariano, Chick Vennera, Maurice LaMarche, Frank Welker, Bernadette Peters, Nancy Cartwright, Julie Brown, Laura Mooney, Sherri Stoner, Nathan Ruegger, Paul Rugg, Luke Ruegger, Cody Ruegger, Jim Cummings, Tom Bodett, Jeff Bennett
Theme music composer Richard Stone
Opening theme "Animaniacs Theme" performed by Rob Paulsen, Tress MacNeille, and Jess Harnell
Ending theme    "Animaniacs End Title"
Composers : Richard Stone, Steven Bernstein,Julie Bernstein, Gordon Goodwin, Carl Johnson, J. Eric Schmidt
No. of seasons  5/ No. of episodes 99 (274 segments)
Executive producer : Steven Spielberg
Producers : Tom Ruegger (senior producer), Rich Arons, Sherri Stoner, Rusty Mills, Peter Hastings
Production companies : Warner Bros. Animation, Amblin Entertainment
Original network : Fox Kids (1993–1995), Kids' WB (1995–1998)
Original release September 13, 1993 – November 14, 1998
Running time : 20–21 minutes (1–9 minutes per segment)

Photos and video : Erika Creveling and Kaitlyn Geiman Brumbaugh