Hoping to garner similar success that Disney had with its half-hour animated cartoons like Gummi Bears (1985), Duck Tales (1987), and Talespin (1990), Warner Bros. and Steven Spielberg brought forth Tiny Toon Adventures.
Unlike other series of the time like Muppet Babies, The Flintstone Kids, and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Tiny Toon Adventures presented a new crop of young Looney Toons characters that were taught by their older and more seasoned veterans like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.
And thus, a new hit series for Warner Bros. was born. And from its success came Animaniacs, Freakazoid!, and Pinky & The Brain. Tiny Toons became competition for a market once dominated by Disney, and latch-key kids now had to choose between watching Duck Tales or watching Tiny Toon Adventures (of course, a simple programming of the VCR could have remedied this problem, but whatever).
While it was groundbreaking, Emmy Award-winning cartoon entertainment, it’s become harder to watch as I grow older. It seems odd considering that I still enjoy cartoons from both the past and present. But much like Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers, the voices just irritate me now.
This doesn’t mean that die-hard Tiny Toons fans should shy away, or that kids should be deprived of seeing this piece of animated history. The second half of season one delivers plenty of good-natured moralistic stories that kids can learn from, and the show is better animated and put together than most Saturday morning cartoons are today.
So, give Babs and Buster Bunny, Plucky Duck, Hampton, Dizzy Devil, and the rest a chance. And maybe you’ll relive a few of the good times from your childhood before bills, rent, and work were a factor in your life.
There are no special features. Boo!