Today, we’re wrapping up our week-long celebration of the 70th anniversary of The Maltese Falcon with a little irreverence. And where better to turn for irreverence than the Animaniacs?
God, how I adored this cartoon in my callow and misspent youth. But it’s watching the show as an adult that really brings the greatest pleasure, because you can truly appreciate how witty it was. In any given episode, you could find a veritable feast of obvious and not-so-obvious pop culture references, delivered in the cleverest of ways. After all, it’s not many kids’ shows that will parody The Seventh Seal, Les Misérables, Bambi, or Raging Bull, let alone all in the same season.
So here for your viewing pleasure: the Animaniacs’ take on The Maltese Falcon, called “This Pun for Hire.” Enjoy!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s series of posts on one of our favorite “true classics!” A million thanks for tuning in. 🙂
True Classics 
Hey Brandie, thanks for sharing! I used to watch Animaniacs a lot as a kid, but then I didn’t know about this movie references 🙂
Animaniacs is one of my favorite cartoons of all time! I will still randomly break into the “Are we there yet?” song on long car trips.
“Are we there yet?
I’m tired.
I’m hungry.
How far?
My nose is snotty,
need to move my body,
gotta use the potty,
better stop the car!”
Yeah, I’m a dork. 🙂
By gad, I like a blog that reminds me of the brilliance of Animaniacs.
By the way, I forgot the “brava”! I really enjoyed the series. Well done.
Thank you very much!
I remember Animaniacs – I used to watch it all the time when I was a little kid! 🙂 Of course, like Clara, none of the movie references made any sense to me then.Thanks for sharing! 🙂
I honestly think those of us who grew up in the 80s and 90s had the BEST cartoons. It was a golden age, really.
Didn’t know of Animaniacs (am of a different generation – is that a passable excuse?)… however, very clever…loved the spoof and all the movie & movie industry references…the stuff that Dreamworks is made of, indeed…
Lady Eve, you should definitely watch their take on The Seventh Seal. I vaguely remembered it from when I was a kid, and then after I saw the movie, I looked it up and watched it again. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard!
Here’s a link to the cartoon: http://www.trilulilu.ro/razvy89ro/a294d125cc31ee