Animaniacs Revival Set for Hulu in 2020, Steven Spielberg Returning as Executive Producer

Hulu, Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation officially announced a deal to create a brand-new TV series for the classic cartoon franchise, Animaniacs, with new episode set to debut on Hulu in 2020. Executive producer Steven Spielberg returns to collaborate for the show.

The show is described as a “brand-new version of the iconic family friendly cartoon franchise.” It’s been given a two-season straight-to-series order. Spielberg returns as executive producer, and Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Digital Series, and Amblin Television Co-Presidents Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank will serve as executive producers. This will be the first Hulu Original show made for families.

New episodes of Animaniacs will debut on Hulu’s premium streaming service later in 2020. The show followed the exploits of the Warner brothers Yakko and Wakko, and the Warner sister, Dot, as they get into mayhem and mischief after they have been unlocked from the Warner Bros. water tower. Longtime fan-favorite characters such as Pinky and the Brain will also return to make appearances in each episode.

Additionally, the new deal will feature the return of a group of those classic 1990s cartoon shows’ existing libraries to Hulu. Hulu will now be the exclusive streaming home to the original Animaniacs series, along with the Pinky and the Brain spinoff, and the complete Tiny Toon Adventures collection. Starting today, Hulu subscribers will be able to relive their favorite moments from each of those classic shows.

Speaking on the news, renowned filmmaker Steven Spielberg said: “I am so pleased and proud that Animaniacs will have a home at Hulu. Together with Warner Bros., we look to bring new audiences and longtime fans into this wild world of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. I am also excited that the full library of Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures episodes are included in the deal.”

WB Animation’s Sam Register added: “Yakko, Wakko and Dot have been waiting impatiently inside the water tower, and now their hilarious brand of animated chaos will be unleashed — again! We’re incredibly excited to be partnering with Amblin and Hulu for new episodes of Animaniacs, filled with endless laughs — and ongoing plots for world domination by Pinky and the Brain. Parents who grew up with the cartoon now have new episodes to share with their own families.”

Hulu SVP of Conent Craig Erwich stated on the news: “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. Now one of the most beloved, inventive and funny animated franchises in history, Animaniacs and its cast of witty characters can live on, on Hulu. This marks yet another big move for us as we continue our efforts to be the #1 streaming destination for premium animated content.”

Animaniacs is produced by Amblin TV in association with Warner Bros. Animation. You can check out some new official artwork shared by Warner Bros. Animation and Hulu for today’s announcement down below.

The information did not detail plans for the voice-over cast. Many of the voice-over actors for the original characters in Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain, specifically Rob Paulsen (Yakko/Pinky), Jess Harnell (Wakko), Dot (Tress MacNeille), and Brain (Maurice LaMarche) are still active in animation today. So there’s hypothetically no reason they wouldn’t return, unless the executive producers opt to recast the roles. Andrea Romano, the original casting and voice-over director for the shows is semi-retired, but she’s still been working fairly regularly on animated projects, including Voltron on Netflix and Niko and the Sword of Light for Amazon. Hopefully, Warner Bros. Animation will bring back the original voice-over cast to reprise their roles along with Andrea Romano to direct.