Critical reaction The first season of the show received positive reviews from critics who praised the voice acting, musical score and animation. On
Rotten Tomatoes, the first season has an approval rating of 81% based on 37 reviews, with an average rating of 7.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Charming and chaotic, if slightly too caustic,
Animaniacs is a delightful revitalization of a beloved series that's fun enough to make up for any early fumbles." Some critics felt that the revival of the series lacked the same charm that the original show had, which was attributed to the lack of any of the original production staff on the new show, as well as the influence of more recent animated shows like
Family Guy on the show's approach.
Alan Sepinwall of
Rolling Stone said that while the revival maintains the humor for the Pinky and the Brain shorts, the shorts with the Warners were not as well done as the original series. Sepinwall said, "Where their powers of exasperation once made them unstoppable, now they're the ones who seem impotent and irritated by the people and culture around them.", a factor he attributes to the lack of the original producers' involvement with the revival.
Variety Caroline Framke said that the series focused too much on trying to lampoon current and political events, a measure exacerbated by the fact that the forward-looking writing approach was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, instead of simply parodying the entertainment industry in general, and left the show "more of a sour aftertaste that keeps it from being as effervescent as it once was, and could be."
The A.V. Club Danette Chavez gave the first season a C+, stating that "when
Animaniacs remembers to have fun, it makes for lively, occasionally impressive, viewing" but felt that the balance between satire and silliness was off, with many of the parodies that targeted modern issues lacking subtlety. Beth Elderkin of
Gizmodo said that the revival did not have the same "biting" satire as the original, with some jokes having to be explained to some degree to the audience, and that the show felt that it held on to trying to be a product of the 90s, and thus did not have a clear target of what audience it was trying to please.
Paste Joseph Staniclar spoke more highly of the show's take on political and contemporary topics, saying that while it may rely too heavily on modern references, "it's refreshing to see the show's satire actually take political stances instead of falling into the crowd-pleasing 'both sides'-isms many modern comedies now take." Ethan Anderton of
Slashfilm also stated that the new show heavily references political commentary, but, as with the original series, praised that the show equally targeted aspects across partisan lines, and that "no one is safe from the buffoonery and mockery of
Animaniacs." Jesse Schedeen, writing for
IGN, gave the first season an 8 out of 10, writing, "Animaniacs is a mostly witty and faithful update to an old favorite. Despite the march of time and a flashier coat of paint, the new series plays remarkably similar to its predecessor. Yakko, Wakko, and Dot's misadventures are still a hoot, and the Pinky and the Brain segments help add just enough variety to keep each episode humming along. Some fans may lament the loss of so many classic supporting characters, but the emphasis on the big guns has its clear benefits.
Animaniacs is a concentrated blast of cartoon nostalgia that any Fox Kids or Kids' WB veteran would do well to check out."
The Verges Joshua Rivera stated that the show's approach to satire of the entertainment industry, political topics, and modern culture done in the same style as the original show did not hold up well, considering newer animated shows like
Family Guy,
BoJack Horseman and
Rick and Morty that had more innovative ways to present such satire. Kate Cox of
Ars Technica said that with some of the repetition of humor between episodes and the lack of cast variety, the show does not lend well to binge viewing typical of streaming services, but otherwise still has the original show's trademark comedy and that "it has the seeds of a great show in it".
Tom Ruegger, the creator of the original series who was not brought back for the reboot, was also disappointed with the final product, stating in an interview with
Rolling Stone that he found it "morally, ethically and professionally wrong", while at the same time, criticizing certain aspects of the reboot, most notably Warner Bros. not bringing back the original team and the absence of the other characters, stating about the former that the revival should not have used the title of
Animaniacs, as he explains that it was an umbrella title for all of the characters, not only the Warners and Pinky and the Brain. Reception of the second season of the show was far more positive, currently having on Rotten Tomatoes a
rare 100% "Fresh" rating out of six reviews with an average rating of 7.5/10; the second season was considered an improvement over the first season by various critics and fans, while more mixed reviews felt that most of segments should've been released as part of the previous season, something that was attributed to the fact that both seasons were produced simultaneously.
Johnny Depp controversy The show's first episode has attracted controversy for a background joke in the first episode. During the "Reboot It" song sequence, two posters are shown referencing the nursery rhyme and Internet meme "
Johny Johny Yes Papa",
Johnny 2: Telling Lies and
Johnny: The Beginning, the former of which features
Johnny Depp in the title role. The series had aired a few weeks after
Depp lost in his lawsuit against
The Sun related to publications of allegations of abusive treatment of his ex-wife
Amber Heard, which led to Warner Bros. asking Depp to resign from the
Fantastic Beasts franchise and replacing him with
Mads Mikkelsen. People voiced their outrage on social media about the unfortunate juxtaposition of Depp's image and the "Telling Lies" subtitle, calling it an unfair jab at the allegations, leading to petitions and social media campaigns to boycott
Animaniacs. According to Paulsen, the series had been animated before the legal battle among Depp, Heard, and
The Sun had begun, and that the reference was only poking fun at the nursery rhyme.
Awards and nominations == Notes ==