Hulu Cancels Rebooted Series

By Anna Rumer

Hulu's Animaniacs revival is coming to an end with its third and final season. Yakko, Wakko and Dot return for their last round of zany adventures on Feb. 17, 2023, the streamer announced over the weekend with a teaser trailer featuring beloved characters like Pinky and the Brain. 

"Yakko, Wakko and Dot return for an all-new season of this iconic, family-friendly series with something for everyone: pop culture parodies, musical showstoppers, takedowns of historical baddies and even some important safety tips," reads the Hulu press release of its final season. "Join the Warners and Pinky and the Brain as they wreak havoc everywhere they go, from the Warner Bros. lot to an international beauty pageant, even all the way into outer space. Keep an eye out for season one favorites Starbox and Cindy, as well as some rejected Animaniacs characters that were left on the cutting room floor."

Animaniacs, created by Tom Ruegger, first debuted on Fox in 1993, and would go on to move to The WB in 1995, with Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer. After five seasons, the original show was canceled, with the TV movie Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish, serving as the series finale. 

In 2020, the show was rebooted with some help from Spielberg, which voice actor Rob Paulsen told Comicbook.com was vital to bringing the show back. "Anytime you have the king of Hollywood going to bat for you? I mean, come on!" Paulsen, who voices Pinky and Yakko told the outlet ahead of the Season 2 release. While there were "so many well-meaning fans" pushing for a revival year after year, Paulsen said it ultimately came down to having the right backers at the right time. 

"But when the right guy – namely Mr. Spielberg – says, 'Yeah, I think we've got to do this,' Sam Register made it happen, the Warner Bros. animation chief, and obviously Hulu. And moreover, Mr. Spielberg was so integral to the process," Paulsen continued. "He went to every pitch. This wasn't just like, 'Yeah, let's make a cartoon.' He went to every pitch, made sure the folks at Hulu, Netflix, Apple, and Amazon, knew that Steven Spielberg was on board, and here we are." Animaniacs Season 3 premieres on Hulu Feb. 17, 2023.

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