“Pinky and the Brain” Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking?

Pinky and the Brain, Volume One
Warner Bros. Animation
Not Rated
471 minutes
Available Now

There’s something so poetically unjust in the fact that The Brain can never get one of his megalomaniacal schemes of world domination to work. He tries so hard, thinks up overly-elaborate plans, and still, like Wile E. Coyote, can never catch that proverbial Road Runner. Whom can we blame for his failings? His plans? His ego? Pinky? Perhaps it’s a little of each, or all of one. But no matter how he fails the fact remains: Pinky and the Brain is a funny cartoon.

A spin-off of Animaniacs, this smartly titled series, Pinky and the Brain, takes the normally five to seven minute segments of these two mice and delivers a clever and entertaining half-hour of animated TV. It’s cleverly written, the voice acting superb, and the characters are a fresh and engaging as ever.

Here’s the premise of the series: Each episode finds lab mouse, Brain, attempting to create a plan that will enable him to take over the world. His cage-mate, Pinky, assists him in his plots, which usually hinders rather than helps matters.

Much like Freakazoid, Pinky and the Brain delivers humor on both the adult and kid levels. There’s plenty of slapstick and sight gags to go around, but there are also a myriad pop-culture, science, and grown-up related references that parents can enjoy as well.

Like the comedy teams of Abbott and Costello or Laurel and Hardy, Pinky and the Brain relies on the tried and true formula of the straight man and the goofball to achieve comic excellence.

The four-disc DVD set contains 22 episodes from the series, and includes a featurette with the creators and voice talent discussing the creation and production of the show.

Pinky and the Brain gets an A+! It’s still as funny today as it was over a decade ago. NARF!