Each and every week, your hosts revisit an episode of the series in the order in which they first premiered. They discuss their favorite jokes, gags, and discuss all the cultural references they can find! Today's special episode features more discussion of the upcoming reboot of Animaniacs, specifically the news that Wellesley Wild from Family Guy fame will be the new showrunner and executive producer. Afterwards, Nathan and Joey review issue #3 of the Animaniacs comic book.

Wellesley Wild Announced as Animaniacs Showrunner

Wellesley Wild was recently announced as the new showrunner for the upcoming Animaniacs reboot. This news created an uproar among Animaniacs fans that wanted to see the creator, Tom Ruegger, return to the series. Joey, Nathan, and Kelly share some of the reactions from the Animanicast's Facebook feed, Twitter feed, as well as a couple emails.

One of our listeners, Malik, thinks that the writing team might end up consisting of all new writers from SNL or other franchises seen as cutting edge. This leads Joey to wonder if, much like the recently rebooted Ducktales, the voice cast of the rebooted show will consist of new actors from SNL or similar shows. The recent Ducktales reboot and upcoming Ninja Turtles show has done it. At this point, anything seems possible. Especially since the voice cast has not been announced yet!

Kelly points out that the decisions made so far do not seem to make sense from a creative or financial level. Animaniacs was successful in part because people like Tom Ruegger put their heart and soul into the original show. The decisions so far have alienated many fans and left others confused and often upset. She concludes by saying that Animaniacs without Tom Ruegger would be like the Muppets without Jim Henson. The Muppets just haven't felt the same after Henson passed away. Not having Tom involved in at least a consultant role seems like a bad mistake. If the executives want the show to feel like the original in any way, it would make sense for Tom and his original writers to have an active role in this reboot.

While it is extremely disappointing that Tom Ruegger has not yet been confirmed to be involved in the upcoming series there  is still some time! There are a few things that Animaniacs fans can do if they would like to see him and the original writing staff involved. The key is to do these things now. If fans wait much longer, it may be too late!

• Stay active and speak out on social media in a positive and proactive way. Let Warner Bros. and Amblin know that you are concerned about the decisions that have been announced.
• Sign the #WriteAnimaniacsRight petition over at Change.org. The link can be found HERE.
• Write a positive and professional business letter to Steven Spielberg.
• You can get tips on how to write a business letter HERE

Correspondence to Steven Spielberg can be mailed to

100 Universal City Plaza Bldg. 5121 Universal City, CA 91608

Animaniacs Comic #3

Afterwards, Joey and Nathan review and discuss issue #3 of the Animaniacs comic book. Stories include, "Rewriting History," " Coco Anyone?" and  "Guitars and Cadillacs." It's a pretty good issue, Nathan and Joey particularly like a couple of panels.

What Do You Think?

Are you excited about the return of Animaniacs? Anxious? Excited? Let us know your thoughts by sending an email to animanicast@retrozap.com. You can write up your thoughts or send us a voice message via mp3 or other sound file. Who knows? You might hear your thoughts on an upcoming episode!

Different Ways to Support Our Show

If you'd like to support out show there's lots of ways to do it! First of all, you could go onto Apple Podcasts and leave us a five-star positive review.

Also, don't forget to tell a friend about the show! Your retweets and post shares help others find us.

You could also purchase some hand prepared decals from Joey at Decals.Animanicast.com

Interested in getting some Animanicast MERCHANDISE? It's in stock now at TeePublic! Get yours at Teepublic.Animanicast.com