Hulu brings back Animaniacs

Animaniacs originally aired in the 1990s

US streaming service Hulu has teamed up with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television and Warner Bros Animation (WBA) to revive the classic cartoon series Animaniacs.

The two-season order for the show, which will be executive produced by Spielberg, marks Hulu’s first original series for a family audience.

New episodes are set to premiere on the streaming service in 2020 and will follow the adventures of Yakko, Wakko and Dot as they wreak havoc and mayhem in the lives of everyone they meet. Pinky and the Brain will also return to make appearances in each episode.

Sam Register, president of WBA and Warner Digital Series, and Amblin Television co-presidents Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank will join Spielberg as executive producers.

The deal with WBA will also see Hulu, which is currently only available in the US and Japan, become the exclusive streaming home to the complete library of all 99 episodes of the original Animaniacs, as well as Pinky & the Brain, Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain, and the complete Tiny Toon Adventures collection.

Hulu in the US is a joint venture between Warner Bros-owner Time Warner, 21st Century Fox, Comcast and The Walt Disney Company, which is set to take a majority stake in the firm following its US$60bn deal with Fox. Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV acquired Hulu’s operations in the country in 2014.

“We cannot wait to work with Steven Spielberg and the entire Amblin and Warner Bros teams to bring more sketches, catchphrases, songs and laughs from the Animaniacs to kids and adults everywhere,” said Craig Erwich, senior VP of content at Hulu.

Erwich added that Hulu’s aim is to become the “number one streaming destination for premium animated content.”

The original Animaniacs series made its television debut in 1993 and went on to become one of the most popular animated series for children, while also garnering a large adult fan following for its pop culture references.

The new show will join Hulu’s library of kids programming that includes Teen Titans Go!, Curious George, The Powerpuff Girls, Doozers, Adventure Time, Doc McStuffins and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.