The Animaniacs Weren’t Just For Kids…

With a recently launched reboot under its belt, many recently found the motivation to re-watch old Animaniacs episodes from the 90s, and those who remember watching the show as kids were likely surprised but just how much humor was intended for them as adults.

“They’ll get it at 8 or they’ll get it at 38.” said Rob Paulsen, who voiced Yakko and Pinky, in an interview with The Ringer. “The edict from the top,” he said, “was ‘don’t condescend to the audience.’”  

Take, for example, a song from the whole episode: “‘Hix makes pix, but the flick needs fix,’ means someone made a movie that bombed,” Dot and Yakko sing in a call and response. “‘The veeps in charge are now at large’ means everyone involved is gone / ‘The plot conflicts, no beautiful chix,’ so it’s coming out on video soon / ‘They’re taking their licks, ’cause the critics say nix,’ and the editors are going to try to fix it in the mix.” Nonsensical to children, perhaps, but as adults we understand a whole lot more than we did over 25 years ago.

“It was the Warner Bros. mentality,” said writer Paul Rugg. “Disney wrote specifically for kids. ... The Warner Bros. way is: If you look at a family, you know, the dad laughs when they’re watching it, and the kids look up at the dad and go, ‘Why is that funny, Dad?’ And he goes, ‘Well, you have to understand...’”

Like many nostalgic fans we’re looking forward to more Animaniacs in the future, and you can bet we’ll be paying much closer attention to the jokes this time around.

Looking for something to make you smile? Visit our online library at Flyeread for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from your favorite devices.

There’s Much to Look Forward to in Coming 2 America

Eddie Murphy's beloved 1988 comedy Coming to America was perhaps one of the defining roles of his career, and a fan favorite to this very day. No surprise, then, that fans can barely contain their excitement and anticipation for the upcoming sequel, Coming 2 America, set to be released at the end of the year.

Even Eddie Murphy is excited, and he discussed the film with Ellen DeGeneres while appearing on her show. “I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out,” he told DeGeneres. “A lot of people have this expectation, like people would say to me when they found out I was doing it, ‘Don’t f— that movie up.’ So we’ve gone above and beyond what anybody would think. I’m really, really happy with it.”

The film will also feature an Eddie Murphy trademark: Not only will he be playing the role of Prince Akeem again, but he will be reviving all of the other characters that he played in the film as well, while also adding an “old farmer” character to the mix. Murphy joked: “Every time I do a makeup movie, I always say, ‘This is the last time I’m doing this s—… and then I always wind up back in the makeup chair.”

As fans expected, starring alongside Murphy will be Arsenio Hall and James Earl Jones, and they’ll be joined by Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, and Wesley Snipes, with Craig Brewer at the helm, who worked with Murphy on Dolemite Is My Name.

Looking for some comedic content? Visit our online library at Flyeread for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from your favorite devices.

Career Defining Comedy Movies

Here are four of the comedies that were career makers for their starring comedians.

The Blues Brothers. John Belushi is one of the many hilarious comics to come up through the ranks of Saturday Night Live, and after his breakthrough performance in Animal House, Belushi, along with fellow SNL alumn Dan Aykroyd, put on a performance that was nothing short of perfect in 1980’s The Blues Brothers. One could only wonder where Belushi’s career would have gone from there had his life not been tragically cut short.

Airplane! Prior to 1980’s Airplane!, Leslie Nielsen was considered a dramatic actor, and a well respected one at that! His poker faced performance in the comedy classic sparked a new start to his career, however, and to this day he’s remembered as a funny man.

The Pink Panther. It was Peter Sellers’ role as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau in 1963’s The Pink Panther that made many call him the Charlie Chaplin of his generation. Despite a Stave Martin remake, the original film still enjoys popularity to this very day.

Groundhog Day. Some would argue that Caddyshack was the true begin of his meteoric rise, but few could forget Bill Murray’s masterful performance in 1993’s Groundhog Day, which served as a gateway to many hilarious films to follow. Thanks in no small part to its unique script, Groundhog Day offered Murray the opportunity to play to his range, with his character going from straight laced and cynical to simply off the wall.

Looking for some comedic content? Visit our online library at www.flyeread.com for a wide variety of ebooks, audiobooks, music, and more. Accessible anytime, anywhere, from all your favorite devices, and sure to have you cracking a smile!