DVD Review: Pinky and The Brain - Volume 3

"What do you want to do tonight, Brain?"

"The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over the world!"

And so each episode began with those fateful words. Two genetically enhanced lab mice with outlandish plots to take over the world, working from a formula that lasted the series through 65 episodes, in addition to their original incarnation on Animaniacs. The duo began their life as members of the Animaniacs ensemble cast, this is where we were first introduced to the pair's comedic antics in pursuit of their singular minded goal.

This four disk set delivers the last 22 episodes of the Steven Spielberg produced series, and I think they probably could have gone on longer. The series adhered relatively strictly to the formula established in their Animaniacs days. Each night Brain would lay out his scheme for taking over the world, while executing the plan Plinky would find some way to inadvertantly screw it up, the plan would fail, and they would return to the lab to plan for the next night. Sure, every so often they will give us a little treat, like "The Tailor and the Mice" or "Hickory Dickory Bonk," but they are the exception rather than the rule.

Even though this was the last season for the dynamic twosome, there was no degradation in quality. Each episode offered up laughs in both slapstick and verbal styles, the trademarks of the show. The Brain (voiced by Maurice LaMarche) with his Orson Welles by way of Vincent Price straight man delivery, dealing with the zany schtick of Pinky (voiced by Rob Paulsen) and is incessant punctuation words "Narf!" and "Poit!" come across as a classic comedy duo, the likes that we do not see any more.

Watching the episodes one after the other, it is easy to fall into the lyrical manner in which they play out, I never get bored or tired of seeing them. Yes, they follow a formula, but that is not a criticism, it is a formula that works so well. Any deviation from the formula and we would have been crying bloody murder, it would not have been within the confines of the character. The writing works so well, they are able to work the gags around the ever present frame. Something that is very special about the writing are the mixture of humor for kids and adults. Unlike much of what passes for after-school cartoons, Pinky and The Brain does not have an age limit. It does not matter how old you are, or from what walk of life you are, there are plenty of jokes for everyone. he animation is crisp, and it is all around a fun show.

The final episode on the set is a little gift for the fans, as it goes beyond the final episode of the series. The last inclusion was actually an Animaniacs episode, "Star Warners," a Star Wars spoof. In it, the two mice take the roles of the droids, while the Warner brothers (and the Warner sister) play versions of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia. It is a clever spoof on the eminently spoofable, and much beloved movies.

Audio/Video. Audio is delivered in two flavors, the original Dolby Digital stereo surround and a new 5.1 mix. Both sound very good, delivering those instantly recognizable voices, music, and sound effects in perfect balance. The video is the original 1.33:1 full frame ratio, and it looks very good, no defects seen by my eyes.

Extras. There is an 11 minute featurette on Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche called "It's All About the Fans." It is decent, showing how much the two love the fans and how they loved doing the show. There are also a couple of trailers for other Warner animation releases. Some more would have been nice, but the episodes are still great.

Bottomline. This is another great set from the Golden Age of afterschool animation, which includes other Warner series Animaniacs and Tiny Toons, as well as Disney output like Ducktales and Rescue Rangers. The set looks great and offers up just as much fun now as it did upon its original release in the 1990s.

Highly Recommended.