TheLittleSongbird Review of Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain

Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain (1998–1999)

Pretty much a wretched spin off of Pinky and the Brain

[2/10 · 20 April 2010]

I love Animaniacs, I love Pinky and the Brain but I hate Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain. Sorry, I just don't like it. For me the only redeeming qualities are Pinky, Brain and the voice acting of Rob Paulson and Maurice LeMarche, merely because I find Pinky adorable and Brain funny in a deadpan sort of way. Other than that, it doesn't work, some of the earlier episodes have one or two laughs, but that is it. Personally I thought the animation was somewhat sub par here, Pinky and Brain don't look the same, and some the backgrounds are static sometimes. Secondly, the character of Elmyra is incredibly obnoxious, she was fine in Tiny Toons, but pairing her with Pinky and the Brain is like pairing a deer and a tiger, it doesn't work, plus the way she is written here makes her increasingly annoying as her role expanded throughout the show's run. Also, Cree Summer has done so much better work before, she is a great voice actress but she doesn't seem suited to the character of Elmyra at all. Even worse than Elmyra was the writing, some of it was very childish, clichéd and predictable, same with the story lines, and the music was forgettable and annoying. The show's concept didn't bode with me either, taking it out of the lab and still incorporating those iconic catchphrases that would only work if it was still in the lab, it had the same effect of Romeo and Juliet being completely updated yet the archaic language stayed the same. What I am saying is that the use of "narf" and "poit" didn't work in a new setting. Overall, I dislike this show, stick with Pinky and the Brain, which oozes with intelligence and smart writing, everything this tried to accomplish and failed. 2/10 Bethany Cox