By animation standards, 'Pinky and the Brain' has always been a personal favourite, speaking as a big fan of animation while never trying to be biased. Won't say that every episode is amazing and that it is a completely consistent show, but for me it is one of those shows where there isn't a bad episode, something that can't be said for a lot of shows, ones that start off really well and then at some point decline drastically to the extent that the show is unrecognisable.
'Pinky and the Brain' has held up brilliantly, not every childhood favourite has so this has nothing to do with nostalgia. As a young adult, actually find it even better now, due to noticing and appreciating more things and the humour being funnier and easier to understand being more familiar with any references and such. Don't fall for any ignorant misconception implying that animation is just for kids and exempt from criticism or to be shyed away from. 'Pinky and the Brain' has much for children and adults alike, young adults even are probably more likely to get the most enjoyment out of it, and there is much more to it than an animated show with two reasonably cute-looking mice.
"The Pinky and the Brain Reunion Special" is one of the best episodes from personal opinion. Another very clever and enormously entertaining one, as well as high in quality.
Animation is bright and colourful with nice attention to character and especially background detail, it's smoothly drawn too and expressive. Music is similarly blameless. The scoring is dynamic and composed in a way that is always adding to the actions, expressions and gestures and doing what good music scores in animation should do in enhancing them. The theme song is one of the catchiest in animation, have always felt that.
Everything that is great about the writing typically in 'Pinky and the Brain' is present here in "The Pinky and the Brain Reunion Special". It is zany, witty and surprisingly intelligent, with references that will delight adults especially as they are more likely to get them and get younger audiences intrigued into being more familiar with what is being referenced. "The Pinky and the Brain Reunion Special" achieves a perfect balance of never being too simplistic or too muddled, always trying while not trying too hard. Nothing feels repetitive or lazy. The story is a nice idea and is great fun and well paced, the plan is not the most original one on paper but that doesn't matter. The references are so much fun to spot, though familiarity with what is being referenced/spoofed is likely to be in order (that wasn't a problem for me), and are imaginatively done and hilarious.
Characterisation always was a major strength. Pinky and Brain were two of 'Animaniacs' best characters, Brain especially stole the show whenever he appeared and elevated already very good to great episodes to an even better level, and more than deserved their own show. For me they are even more interesting and defined here, appropriate seeing as they are the focus and lead characters here. Pinky is incredibly endearing and as ever amusing, stupid can mean obnoxious but not in the case of Pinky. Being another Brain-centric episode, also still love Brain for his deadpan personality and dark sarcasm. The relationship between the duo was always one of the show's greatest strengths, with such different personalities one worries as to whether they would gel together or clash (having seen shows that falls into this trap). But 'Pinky and the Brain' was always a masterclass of how to contrast two completely different characters and their personalities harmoniously and with substance and complexity.
Rob Paulsen and especially Maurice LaMarche do splendidly with the voice work, they have always been two of the best and deservedly prolific voice actors today and their work on 'Pinky and the Brain' is among their best. Also feel a bond between them when hearing their voice work.
Altogether, wonderful episode. 10/10
'Pinky and the Brain' has held up brilliantly, not every childhood favourite has so this has nothing to do with nostalgia. As a young adult, actually find it even better now, due to noticing and appreciating more things and the humour being funnier and easier to understand being more familiar with any references and such. Don't fall for any ignorant misconception implying that animation is just for kids and exempt from criticism or to be shyed away from. 'Pinky and the Brain' has much for children and adults alike, young adults even are probably more likely to get the most enjoyment out of it, and there is much more to it than an animated show with two reasonably cute-looking mice.
"The Pinky and the Brain Reunion Special" is one of the best episodes from personal opinion. Another very clever and enormously entertaining one, as well as high in quality.
Animation is bright and colourful with nice attention to character and especially background detail, it's smoothly drawn too and expressive. Music is similarly blameless. The scoring is dynamic and composed in a way that is always adding to the actions, expressions and gestures and doing what good music scores in animation should do in enhancing them. The theme song is one of the catchiest in animation, have always felt that.
Everything that is great about the writing typically in 'Pinky and the Brain' is present here in "The Pinky and the Brain Reunion Special". It is zany, witty and surprisingly intelligent, with references that will delight adults especially as they are more likely to get them and get younger audiences intrigued into being more familiar with what is being referenced. "The Pinky and the Brain Reunion Special" achieves a perfect balance of never being too simplistic or too muddled, always trying while not trying too hard. Nothing feels repetitive or lazy. The story is a nice idea and is great fun and well paced, the plan is not the most original one on paper but that doesn't matter. The references are so much fun to spot, though familiarity with what is being referenced/spoofed is likely to be in order (that wasn't a problem for me), and are imaginatively done and hilarious.
Characterisation always was a major strength. Pinky and Brain were two of 'Animaniacs' best characters, Brain especially stole the show whenever he appeared and elevated already very good to great episodes to an even better level, and more than deserved their own show. For me they are even more interesting and defined here, appropriate seeing as they are the focus and lead characters here. Pinky is incredibly endearing and as ever amusing, stupid can mean obnoxious but not in the case of Pinky. Being another Brain-centric episode, also still love Brain for his deadpan personality and dark sarcasm. The relationship between the duo was always one of the show's greatest strengths, with such different personalities one worries as to whether they would gel together or clash (having seen shows that falls into this trap). But 'Pinky and the Brain' was always a masterclass of how to contrast two completely different characters and their personalities harmoniously and with substance and complexity.
Rob Paulsen and especially Maurice LaMarche do splendidly with the voice work, they have always been two of the best and deservedly prolific voice actors today and their work on 'Pinky and the Brain' is among their best. Also feel a bond between them when hearing their voice work.
Altogether, wonderful episode. 10/10
