Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain

Infobox Television
show_name = Pinky, Elmyra, and the Brain


format = Animated series
runtime = 0:11 (0:22 in "Teleport A Friend")
creator = Tom Ruegger
starring = Maurice LaMarche
Rob Paulsen
Cree Summer
country = USA
network = The WB
first_aired = September 19, 1998
last_aired = April 10, 1999
num_episodes = 13
list_episodes = List of Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain episodes
imdb_id = 0170996
tv_com_id = 2426
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"Steven Spielberg Presents Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain", or "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain" for short, is the retooling of the American spin-off animated television series "Pinky and the Brain", with the title characters being joined by Elmyra from their other show "Tiny Toon Adventures". Executive Produced by Steven Spielberg, the series was produced by Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Animation, and aired from 1998 to 1999 on The WB Television Network, running for 13 episodes. This was the last animated television series produced by Amblin Entertainment until 2007's "The Land Before Time", which is based on "The Land Before Time" films.

Premise

The story of the series starts with Pinky and The Brain's home, Acme Labs, gone (due to the Brain blowing it up in an experiment):

:"The situation's changed/For Pinky and the Brain/No laboratory, alone in the rain,/And someone's looking 'round for where they might be found ..../It's stinky for Pinky and the Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain,/Brain, Brain, Brain, Brain ..."

Pinky and The Brain end up in a pet store, where Elmyra Duff purchases a turtle which is accidentally carrying Pinky and The Brain in its shell:

:"Trapped inside a store,/A girl ran in the door./She bought a discount turtle,/but ended up with more."

Pinky and the Brain go through new methods of trying to take over the world, sometimes with the useless help of Elmyra.

Controversy

The decision to put Pinky and the Brain with Elmyra was controversial from the beginning. Warner Bros. network executives had wanted Pinky and the Brain to be part of a sitcom "more like The Simpsons".cite web|url=http://wba.toonzone.net/archives/98.html|title=Warner Bros. Animation Chronology: 1998| last =O'Dell| first = Ron| work =The Warner Bros. Animation Archive|publisher=Toon Zone|accessdate=2007-06-16] In a press release, Warner called the move "a fresh approach to popular favorites [Pinky and The Brain] ."cite web | url =http://www.timewarner.com/corp/newsroom/pr/0,20812,666956,00.html| title =Kids' WB! Unveils All-New Saturday Morning with Returning Favorites and Exciting New Series from Steven Spielberg and The Jim Henson Company for 1998-99 Season
accessdate = 2007-06-16| author =Unknown | last = | first = |date=January 12, 1998 | year = 1998| month = January | work =TimeWarner.com Newsroom | publisher =TimeWarner | language = English| quote =an animated comedy from Steven Spielberg which takes a fresh approach to popular favorites as Pinky and The Brain move from ACME Labs to America's suburbs when they are adopted by the extremely excitable Elmyra] The idea, however, was panned by animation fansFact|date=June 2007 and even the producers of the series.cite web| url=http://www.platypuscomix.net/kidzone/fuzzyheads.html| title=Platypus Comix article on "Pinky, Elmyra, and the Brain"| last =| first = |date= | work =Platypus Comix|accessdate=2006-06-16] Writer and producer Peter Hastings had even left Warner Bros. for Disney over the decision.

Dissatisfaction shown in work

Dissatisfaction with Warner Bros. decision to change "Pinky and the Brain" even showed up in the actual cartoons of "Pinky and the Brain" and "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain". On "Pinky and the Brain", the last script Peter Hastings wrote before leaving Warner Bros. was the cartoon, "You'll Never Eat Food Pellets In This Town Again," in which the demise of Pinky and the Brain are caused by network decisions to change the show.

"Pinky Elmyra & the Brain" had also shown dissatisfaction towards Warner Bros.; the theme song for the series had said: "Now Pinky and the Brain, share a new domain, it's what the network wants, why bother to complain?" A clip during the theme showed Pinky and The Brain getting kicked out of the Warner Bros. office during that line. Furthermore, a spoken line by The Brain towards the end of the theme adds "I deeply resent this."

Nominations and awards

During its short run "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain" received critical acclaim, winning major animation awards. The series won an Annie Award, in 1999, for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production." Both Rob Paulsen for his voicing of Pinky, and Cree Summer for her voicing of Elmyra, were nominated in the category, with Paulsen winning the award.cite web | title = 27th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners | publisher = Annie Award Database| url = http://annieawards.com/27thannieawardwinners.htm |accessdate = 2007-06-16] That same year "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain" was nominated for another Annie Award, "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Directing in an Animated Television Production," as well as being nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award, "Outstanding Children's Animated Program."cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0170996/awards|title=Awards for "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain"| author=Unnamed author |publisher=IMDB.com |accessdate=2007-06-16] The series also won a Daytime Emmy Award, in 2000, for "Outstanding Children's Animated Program."

Media information

Broadcast history

The series initial run was from 1998 until 1999; the series ended up being very unsuccessful with only 5 episodes being shown before the series was cancelled. The rest of the episodes were chopped up into segments as part of "The Cat&Birdy Warneroonie PinkyBrainy Big Cartoonie Show" along with segments from other Warner Brothers cartoons.cite web | url =http://news.toonzone.net/1999/feb/| title = Toon Zone News Archives: January 1999| accessdate = 2007-06-16| author =Unknown author | last = | first = |date=January 11, 1999 | year = 1999| month = February | work =Toon Zone News| publisher = Toon Zone | language = English| quote=] The show's part in the Big Cartoonie Show lasted from 1999 until 2000.

Episode lengths

Many "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain" episodes had been split into two parts and aired at different times.citeweb|url=http://www.toonzone.net/shows/episodes/peatb.html|title="Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain" episodes|work=Toon Zone|accessdate=2007-06-16] The split sections of these episodes were only 10 to 11 minutes long, versus the standard 22 minutes for most animated cartoon series.

Home video

Unlike the original "Pinky and the Brain" series, this series has not been released on either VHS or DVD as of 2008.

Toys

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's offered a collection of four "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain" toys with meals.

ee also

* Elmyra Duff
* Pinky and the Brain
* List of Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain episodes

References

External links

* [http://www.platypuscomix.net/kidzone/fuzzyheads.html Article on Pinky, Elmyra & The Brain]
* [http://www.tv.com/pinky-elmyra-and-the-brain/show/2426/summary.html Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain on TV.com]
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