August 24, 1995
To the Animania IV Gang:
It was a pleasure meeting all of you during your trip to the studio. It's actually quite humbling to come face to face with people who really appreciate what we do here, and the effort all of you made to visit us is not taken lightly. Getting together with such devoted `Animaniacs' viewers was a genuine thrill.
Currently, we're putting the finishing touches on the shows set to premiere on September 9th on the WB. At this moment (August 24th), Jean MacCurdy is strongly considering running two brand new episodes of `Animaniacs' on that first Saturday, one at 8:00 a.m. (followed by The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries) and one at 9:00 a.m. (followed by the debut of Pinky and the Brain). Then, starting on Saturday, September 16th, Animaniacs repeats will air at 8:00 a.m., and the new Animaniacs episodes will air at 9:00 a.m. Jean's thinking here is to start the KIDS' WB off with a bang, rather than a repeat.
Pinky and the Brain, of course, will air a new episode on the morning of September 9th, and a second new episode on its primetime debut, Sunday night, September 10th, at 7:00 p.m.
Finally, I'd like to revise a comment I made during the 'Animania IV' trip. In answer to a question from Jay Maynard, I indicated that my kids weren't too enthusiastic about their voice work on 'Animaniacs.' The fact is, all three boys are thrilled to be involved, but they do grumble a bit the night before recording sessions when we go over the script. They love the sessions, but they're not wild about the preparation and rehearsal. It's work. Fun work, but work nonetheless. And during these read-throughs, they critique the script! In fact, a few months ago, after reading a script that was set to record the next day, Nathan, the voice of Skippy Squirrel, handed it back to me and said he didn't want to do it. 'Why not?' I asked incredulously. 'Skippy would never say that' he stated, pointing to a line of dialogue that he found offensive. While Nate hasn't loved every script featuring Skippy, he's been happy to try some new attitudes and bits of schtick with the role this season. Luke, whose voice reappears as 'The Flame' this coming season, hopes to voice a comic role some time, like his older brother. As for Cody, he'll reappear as the little blue bird this season, and he's doing a voice on 'Real Monsters' in the fall.
So, in general, all three kids are pleased to be a part of the series, and feel very lucky to have had the opportunity and the experience.
I hope you all enjoy our first week of shows. There are many more to follow. Oh, and please tune in `Freakazoid!' as well. I'll be interested in hearing your reactions!
All the best,
Tom Ruegger
