Wakko's Wish
Encyclopedia
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish, usually referred to as Wakko's Wish is a 1999 American direct-to-video animated tragicomedy
film based on the Warner Bros.
1993-98 animated series, Animaniacs
, and also the swan song to the series. The film relocates all the Animaniacs characters to a quasi-medieval fairy tale
world and portrays their race to find the wishing star that will grant them a wish
. While the film was released during the Christmas
season, the holiday is not a factor in its plot, though the events do take place during winter.
Wakko's Wish was first released on VHS
on December 21, 1999. It contained 10 original songs and starred Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell and Tress MacNeille reprising their roles as Animaniacs characters Yakko, Wakko, and Dot
.
, at the time of its merger with Warner Communications
), led by King Salazar, the Pushy, takes over Warnerstock, and makes all its people poor and miserable due to overtaxing.
Three orphans, Yakko, Wakko and Dot Warner, are particularly troubled, as Dot needs an operation. So Wakko decides to find work in another town to pay for it. But after he gets his pay (a ha'penny), Plotz takes it away from him, lying that it's for taxes.
Wakko, saddened about Dot's illness and finding no other choice, tries wishing upon a star. A fairy (who calls himself a "desire fulfillment facilitator" or "Pip") falls from the star he picks and explains that Wakko had just chosen the only wishing star in the sky. The star itself [which Rita and Runt witness] falls shortly after in the mountains and the fairy tells Wakko that whoever touches the star first gets one wish.
The following morning, the siblings tell the whole town about the star in their excitement, which makes them all rush towards the glow in the mountains, each wanting their own wish granted. King Salazar finds out about the star, orders Taxman Plotz to stop the Warners from reaching the star alive, and orders his troops to head to the star first and secure it.
Plotz doesn't manage to stop the Warners from reaching the star at the same time as all the other townsfolk. However, the King's army has already built a military base around the star, and a small ice palace to the side of it, and the townspeople (including Plotz) are all captured and locked up so that the King may have his wish. The Warners hint that the wishing process is not as simple as the king thinks in a desperate bluff. The King captures the Warners and tortures them with Animaniacs antagonists. The Warners tell the King that any wish he makes could have an ironic twist and demonstrate this to his annoyance. He orders the Warners executed, but Dot uses her charms to save them. The Warners escape.
As the King is about to make his wish (for the Warners to leave him alone), the Warners show up, and he tries shooting them himself with a cannon. He misses, but Dot seems mortally wounded by the force of the explosion created when the cannonball hits the ground. Wakko seizes his chance to head to the star, and Yakko drops behind, trying to convince Dot that she can make it. Yakko then tells Dot the story of how Dot was born one last time. Dot then seemingly dies, causing the people of Acme Falls to cry in sorrow, along with some of the royal army, who become furious with King Salazar for his cruel nature. As everyone turns on the King, Wakko reaches the star. Dot reveals that she had been acting and was not actually injured (the two were buying time for Wakko), while Wakko wishes for two ha'pennies.
Wakko uses the first of these to buy food and "season tickets for the Lakers
." The second one pays for Dot's operation, which is revealed to be a plastic surgery to give her a beauty mark
. Wakko's first ha'penny, however, returns prosperity to the town as the butcher, the baker, and the grocer start spending the money they've just earned, and the people from whom they make purchases in turn do the same
.
The Hospital finds Yakko, Wakko, and Dot's birth certificates, and reveals they were indeed the heirs to the throne. Their parents (seen for first and only time in a portrait) were the king and queen of Warnerstock. They then boot Salazar out of their palace (literally) where he is attacked by his own dogs. The movie ends showing how the Warners use their new-found royal authorities to grant the citizens of Acme Falls their wishes. Before the credits, everyone spins the Wheel of Morality. The moral of the story is "Just cheer up and never ever give up hope".
Although Wakko’s Wish had been rated highly amongst children and adults in test screenings,
Warner Bros. decided to release it direct-to-video
rather than spending money on marketing a wide release
. Wakko's Wish was released only on VHS
on December 21, 1999 by Warner Home Video
While Warner Bros. began to release the Animaniacs series in volumes on July 25, 2006, a recent discussion at the Home Theater Forum with Warner Home Video representatives revealed that Warner has "no plans" for more Animaniacs releases on DVD
. On August 25, 2008, Wakko's Wish was released for rental or purchase on iTunes, and more recently has become available on Netflix
. Wakko's Wish has aired on stations such as Cartoon Network
and more recently, Cinemax
.
Critical reviews for Wakko's Wish were generally mixed. Many comments of the film focused on the introduction of a serious tone to a series known for its off-the wall humor. Brett Rogers of AOL Hometown gave the film a positive review, saying that "[t]here’s a lot about this movie that will please die-hard Animaniacs fans," noting the appearances of almost all the main characters and antagonists of the original series. Rogers pointed that the pathos not usually seen in the series may leave some Animaniacs fans distant from the film, but that the serious tone is "backed up with superb voice acting," by Paulsen and Harnell. Other reviews were not so positive. MaryAnn Johanson of FlickFilosopher wrote that "[i]mposing the kind of story and characters necessary to fill a 90-minute movie upon the Animaniacs constrains their lunacy," and that doing so left the characters boring, so much so that "older kids and adult fans of the Warners et al will be sorely disappointed."
Michael Stewart of Entertainment Weekly
found that the lack of the typical Animaniacs humor was positive, saying that the film "avoids the forced wackiness that plagues the television series," while "deliver[ing] some laughs for both kids and adults." However, he noted a similar criticism to Johanson, saying that placing the entire Animaniacs cast into the film felt uncomfortable, and that the "[w]arm sentiments" of the film aren't the "specialty" of Animaniacs. He rated the film a "C+" overall.
Michael Dequina of TheMovieReport.com gave one of the most positive reviews of the film. Praising the film's "smart, satiric in-jokes for the adults and broader slapstick for the young ones," Dequina said that the film was "one glorious example" of a family film that would appeal to the whole family, and rated the film with three and a half out of four stars.
In 2000, Wakko's Wish was nominated for four Annie Awards: One for "Outstanding Achievement in An Animated Home Video Production", one for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production" (Richard Stone, Steve Bernstein, Julie Bernstein Gordon L. Goodwin & Timothy Kelly), one for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting By a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production" (Tress MacNeille), and one for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting By a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production" (Maurice LaMarche).
Since its release, Wakko's Wish has been rated as one of the "Top 60 Animated Features Never Theatrically Released in the United States" by the Animated Movie Guide.
Tragicomedy
Tragicomedy is fictional work that blends aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy. In English literature, from Shakespeare's time to the nineteenth century, tragicomedy referred to a serious play with either a happy ending or enough jokes throughout the play to lighten the mood.-Classical...
film based on the Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
1993-98 animated series, Animaniacs
Animaniacs
Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs, usually referred to as simply Animaniacs, is an American animated series, distributed by Warner Bros. Television and produced by Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. The cartoon was the second animated series produced by the collaboration of Steven...
, and also the swan song to the series. The film relocates all the Animaniacs characters to a quasi-medieval fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
world and portrays their race to find the wishing star that will grant them a wish
Wish
A wish is a hope or desire for something. Fictionally, wishes can be used as plot devices. In folklore, opportunities for "making a wish" or for wishes to "come true" or "be granted" are themes that are sometimes used.-In literature:...
. While the film was released during the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
season, the holiday is not a factor in its plot, though the events do take place during winter.
Wakko's Wish was first released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
on December 21, 1999. It contained 10 original songs and starred Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell and Tress MacNeille reprising their roles as Animaniacs characters Yakko, Wakko, and Dot
Yakko, Wakko, and Dot
Yakko, Wakko and Dot Warner, also known as "The Warner Brothers " or "The Warner Siblings", or just simply "The Warners", are the three titular cartoon characters featured on the animated series Animaniacs. The trio of red-nosed Warner siblings were considered to be the stars of the ensemble of...
.
Plot
In the town of Acme Falls within the kingdom of Warnerstock, all the Animaniacs characters live happily together. However, upon the death of the king, Sir William the Good, Warnerstock enters a state of civil war. Taking advantage of the situation, the neighboring fictional kingdom of Ticktockia (a parody of Time Inc.Time Inc.
Time Inc. is a subsidiary of the media conglomerate Time Warner, the company formed by the 1990 merger of the original Time Inc. and Warner Communications. It publishes 130 magazines, most notably its namesake, Time...
, at the time of its merger with Warner Communications
Warner Communications
Warner Communications or Warner Communications, Inc. was established in 1971 when Kinney National Company spun off its non-entertainment assets, due to a financial scandal over its parking operations and changed its name....
), led by King Salazar, the Pushy, takes over Warnerstock, and makes all its people poor and miserable due to overtaxing.
Three orphans, Yakko, Wakko and Dot Warner, are particularly troubled, as Dot needs an operation. So Wakko decides to find work in another town to pay for it. But after he gets his pay (a ha'penny), Plotz takes it away from him, lying that it's for taxes.
Wakko, saddened about Dot's illness and finding no other choice, tries wishing upon a star. A fairy (who calls himself a "desire fulfillment facilitator" or "Pip") falls from the star he picks and explains that Wakko had just chosen the only wishing star in the sky. The star itself [which Rita and Runt witness] falls shortly after in the mountains and the fairy tells Wakko that whoever touches the star first gets one wish.
The following morning, the siblings tell the whole town about the star in their excitement, which makes them all rush towards the glow in the mountains, each wanting their own wish granted. King Salazar finds out about the star, orders Taxman Plotz to stop the Warners from reaching the star alive, and orders his troops to head to the star first and secure it.
Plotz doesn't manage to stop the Warners from reaching the star at the same time as all the other townsfolk. However, the King's army has already built a military base around the star, and a small ice palace to the side of it, and the townspeople (including Plotz) are all captured and locked up so that the King may have his wish. The Warners hint that the wishing process is not as simple as the king thinks in a desperate bluff. The King captures the Warners and tortures them with Animaniacs antagonists. The Warners tell the King that any wish he makes could have an ironic twist and demonstrate this to his annoyance. He orders the Warners executed, but Dot uses her charms to save them. The Warners escape.
As the King is about to make his wish (for the Warners to leave him alone), the Warners show up, and he tries shooting them himself with a cannon. He misses, but Dot seems mortally wounded by the force of the explosion created when the cannonball hits the ground. Wakko seizes his chance to head to the star, and Yakko drops behind, trying to convince Dot that she can make it. Yakko then tells Dot the story of how Dot was born one last time. Dot then seemingly dies, causing the people of Acme Falls to cry in sorrow, along with some of the royal army, who become furious with King Salazar for his cruel nature. As everyone turns on the King, Wakko reaches the star. Dot reveals that she had been acting and was not actually injured (the two were buying time for Wakko), while Wakko wishes for two ha'pennies.
Wakko uses the first of these to buy food and "season tickets for the Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
." The second one pays for Dot's operation, which is revealed to be a plastic surgery to give her a beauty mark
Beauty mark
A beauty mark or beauty spot is a euphemism for a type of dark facial mole, so named because such birthmarks are sometimes considered an attractive feature. Medically, such "beauty marks" are generally melanocytic nevus, more specifically the compound variant...
. Wakko's first ha'penny, however, returns prosperity to the town as the butcher, the baker, and the grocer start spending the money they've just earned, and the people from whom they make purchases in turn do the same
Circular flow of income
In economics, the terms circular flow of income or circular flow refer to a simple economic model which describes the reciprocal circulation of income between producers and consumers...
.
The Hospital finds Yakko, Wakko, and Dot's birth certificates, and reveals they were indeed the heirs to the throne. Their parents (seen for first and only time in a portrait) were the king and queen of Warnerstock. They then boot Salazar out of their palace (literally) where he is attacked by his own dogs. The movie ends showing how the Warners use their new-found royal authorities to grant the citizens of Acme Falls their wishes. Before the credits, everyone spins the Wheel of Morality. The moral of the story is "Just cheer up and never ever give up hope".
Voice cast
- Rob PaulsenRob PaulsenRobert Fredrick "Rob" Paulsen III , sometimes credited as Rob Paulson, is an American voice actor, best known as the voice behind Raphael from the 1987 cartoon of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Yakko Warner and Dr...
as Yakko Warner, PinkyPinky and the BrainPinky and the Brain is an American animated television series.The characters Pinky and the Brain first appeared in 1993 as a recurring segment on the show Animaniacs...
and Dr. Otto Scratchansniff - Jess HarnellJess HarnellJess Q. Harnell is an American voice actor and singer, best known for voicing Wakko Warner on Animaniacs. Harnell has been the announcer for America's Funniest Home Videos since 1998.-Life and acting career:...
as Wakko Warner - Tress MacNeilleTress MacNeilleTress MacNeille is an American voice actress best known for providing various voices on the animated series The Simpsons, Futurama, Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Disney's House of Mouse, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Rugrats, All Grown Up!, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and Dave the...
as Dot Warner, Marita Hippo, Hello Nurse and Mindy's Mother - Maurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarcheMaurice LaMarche is an Emmy Award winning Canadian-American voice actor and former stand up comedian. He is best known for his voicework in Futurama as Kif Kroker, as Egon Spengler in The Real Ghostbusters, Verminous Skumm and Duke Nukem in Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Big Bob Pataki in Hey...
as BrainPinky and the BrainPinky and the Brain is an American animated television series.The characters Pinky and the Brain first appeared in 1993 as a recurring segment on the show Animaniacs...
and Squit - Sherri StonerSherri StonerSherri Stoner is an American actress and writer. She was born July 16, 1965, in Santa Monica, California.She has worked extensively in animation. She was a writer and producer for such 1990s animated shows as Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs. She is probably best known for Animaniacs, for which...
as Slappy Squirrel - Nathan RueggerNathan RueggerNathan Ruegger is a screenwriter, the son of writer/producer/director Tom Ruegger, and the voice of certain characters in his father's cartoon shows. The first was in Tiny Toon Adventures when he played the baby version of Plucky Duck, famous for his catchphrase "Water go down the hooooooooole!"...
as Skippy Squirrel - Nancy CartwrightNancy CartwrightNancy Campbell Cartwright is an American film and television actress, comedian and voice artist. She is best known for her long-running role as Bart Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons...
as Mindy - Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
as Buttons, Ralph, Baron von Plotz, Runt and Flavio Hippo - Chick Vennera as Pesto
- John MarianoJohn MarianoJohn Mariano is an Emmy Award winning American actor whose worked in film, television, animation and nightclubs. He is known for playing tough guys with a comic edge. His ability of physical comedy has been compared to Jerry Lewis and Buster Keaton. Keaton's late wife Eleanor was quoted as saying;...
as Bobby - Bernadette PetersBernadette PetersBernadette Peters is an American actress, singer and children's book author from Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Over the course of a career that has spanned five decades, she has starred in musical theatre, films and television, as well as performing in solo concerts and recordings...
as Rita - Paxton WhiteheadPaxton WhiteheadPaxton Whitehead is a British actor who made his professional debut in 1956. Whitehead is best known to American movie audiences as Professor Phillip Barbay in the 1986 comedy film Back to School.-Early years:...
as King Salazar - Ben SteinBen SteinBenjamin Jeremy "Ben" Stein is an American actor, writer, lawyer, and commentator on political and economic issues. He attained early success as a speechwriter for American presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford...
as Desire Fulfillment Facilitator (aka, "Pip") - Jeff BennettJeff BennettJeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name...
as Baloney, and the Captain of the Guard - Paul RuggPaul Rugg-Biography:Rugg has worked extensively in the field of animation. His list of credits include writing for, co-producing, and playing the voices of several cartoon characters, first being credited as "Mr. Director" from Animaniacs...
as Mr. Director - Julie BrownJulie BrownJulie Ann Brown is an American actress, comedienne, screen/television writer, singer-songwriter, television director. Brown is perhaps best known for her work in the 1980s, where she often played a quintessential valley girl character...
as Minerva Mink - Tom BodettTom BodettThomas Edward "Tom" Bodett is an American author, voice actor and radio host. He is also the current spokesman for the hotel chain Motel 6, whose commercials end with the phrase, "I'm Tom Bodett for Motel 6, and we'll leave the light on for ya."-Career:...
as the Narrator
Production and release
Wakko's Wish featured 10 original songs, with lyrics written by Tom Ruegger and Randy Rogel, and songs composed by Animaniacs composer, Richard Stone. The compositions Stone wrote for the film were some of the last he wrote for Warner Bros. Animation prior to his death.Although Wakko’s Wish had been rated highly amongst children and adults in test screenings,
Warner Bros. decided to release it direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
rather than spending money on marketing a wide release
Wide release
Wide release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing nationally . Specifically, a movie is considered to be in wide release when it is on 600 screens or more in the United States and Canada.In the US, films holding an NC-17 rating almost never have a...
. Wakko's Wish was released only on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
on December 21, 1999 by Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video
Warner Home Video is the home video unit of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., itself part of Time Warner. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Video . The company launched in the United States with twenty films on VHS and Betamax videocassettes in late 1979...
While Warner Bros. began to release the Animaniacs series in volumes on July 25, 2006, a recent discussion at the Home Theater Forum with Warner Home Video representatives revealed that Warner has "no plans" for more Animaniacs releases on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. On August 25, 2008, Wakko's Wish was released for rental or purchase on iTunes, and more recently has become available on Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
. Wakko's Wish has aired on stations such as Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
and more recently, Cinemax
Cinemax
Cinemax, sometimes abbreviated as simply "Max", is a collection of premium television networks that broadcasts primarily feature films, along with softcore erotica, original action series, documentaries and special behind-the-scenes features. Cinemax is operated by Home Box Office, Inc., a...
.
Reception
Test screenings of Wakko's Wish on children and parents revealed very positive reactions to the film. In February 1999, ToonZone reported that "97% of kids and parents gave it a review of 'highly positive'", and that "98% of children [screened] gave [the film] a rating of good, very good, or excellent".Critical reviews for Wakko's Wish were generally mixed. Many comments of the film focused on the introduction of a serious tone to a series known for its off-the wall humor. Brett Rogers of AOL Hometown gave the film a positive review, saying that "[t]here’s a lot about this movie that will please die-hard Animaniacs fans," noting the appearances of almost all the main characters and antagonists of the original series. Rogers pointed that the pathos not usually seen in the series may leave some Animaniacs fans distant from the film, but that the serious tone is "backed up with superb voice acting," by Paulsen and Harnell. Other reviews were not so positive. MaryAnn Johanson of FlickFilosopher wrote that "[i]mposing the kind of story and characters necessary to fill a 90-minute movie upon the Animaniacs constrains their lunacy," and that doing so left the characters boring, so much so that "older kids and adult fans of the Warners et al will be sorely disappointed."
Michael Stewart of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
found that the lack of the typical Animaniacs humor was positive, saying that the film "avoids the forced wackiness that plagues the television series," while "deliver[ing] some laughs for both kids and adults." However, he noted a similar criticism to Johanson, saying that placing the entire Animaniacs cast into the film felt uncomfortable, and that the "[w]arm sentiments" of the film aren't the "specialty" of Animaniacs. He rated the film a "C+" overall.
Michael Dequina of TheMovieReport.com gave one of the most positive reviews of the film. Praising the film's "smart, satiric in-jokes for the adults and broader slapstick for the young ones," Dequina said that the film was "one glorious example" of a family film that would appeal to the whole family, and rated the film with three and a half out of four stars.
In 2000, Wakko's Wish was nominated for four Annie Awards: One for "Outstanding Achievement in An Animated Home Video Production", one for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature Production" (Richard Stone, Steve Bernstein, Julie Bernstein Gordon L. Goodwin & Timothy Kelly), one for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting By a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production" (Tress MacNeille), and one for "Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting By a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production" (Maurice LaMarche).
Since its release, Wakko's Wish has been rated as one of the "Top 60 Animated Features Never Theatrically Released in the United States" by the Animated Movie Guide.