"Elephant Issues" stands out when it comes to talking about 'Tiny Toon Adventures'. Not because of it being an out of this world great episode, it's a long way from that. It is because it's the most controversial episode of the show, due to the dark content of the "One Beer" segment which is very heavy tonally by 'Tiny Toons Adventures' standards. There are few other episodes of the show too that dared tackle the issues that "Elephant Issues" does.
Which was admirable, illiteracy, bullying and alcohol are brave issues to tackle anywhere. Let alone animation for a family and young adult friendly audience, so the effort is valiant and appreciated. Unfortunately, the execution doesn't quite come together, it and "Elephant Issues" as an episode were rather strange tonally and could have handled the issues with more tact and subtlety. For me, this is one of the lesser outings of a terrific show and a rare oddity for it.
There are definitely good things here. Despite being the most controversial segment of the episode and even of the show, to me "One Beer" was the best of the three. It was daring, it hit hard, it was imaginatively animated, had a few amusing moments and the character writing and interaction are classic 'Tiny Toon Adventures'. It is an odd segment and very different to what you expect for the show and from the rest of the episode, but it was the one that interested me the most and was the most inspired.
Furthermore, the animation is vibrantly coloured and beautifully rich in detail, not just the backgrounds but also the expressions and reactions of the characters which are wonderfully loony. The music is dynamic and characterful as always and the theme song has always brought a smile to my face. Something that was the case when a child and still is now. The voice acting is very good and all do so well with delivering material that is not really worthy of them and have no problems with most of the regular characters.
However, too much works against it. On the whole, the wackiness is nearly completely missing and there is very little that is amusing let alone funny. Pace-wise, much of "Elephant Issues" is bland, especially "Why Dizzy Can't Read" and the wraparound is also not that engaging. While the episode is well intentioned, as said the handling of the issues covered was flawed. "Why Dizzy Can't Read" is especially laid on too thick and borderline patronising, with more sensitivity being needed and if Dizzy had a stronger personality and the conflict more urgency it would have been easier to relate to him.
Also didn't think very much about "C.L.I.D.E and Prejudice", that sounded very fun and inventive on paper but the segment is executed in a very ordinary manner and at times mean-spirited, especially the treatment of the robot (the best thing about the segment). It tries so hard to tackle the issues of bullying and prejudice, important to address at any age, but in the process forgets to be funny. The dialogue is usually sharper and wackier, it was also rather forced and simplistic in "Why Dizzy Can't Read" and the tone came over as somewhat muddled. Again despite being the best segment, "One Beer" doesn't gel with the other two.
In conclusion, watchable but the show has done much better before and even since. Appreciated what the episode tried to do but it doesn't entirely come together. 5/10