Always have loved, and always will love, animation from a very early age, with Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry being early influences, and love it even more so actually as a young adult with a wider and broader understanding of it, the different styles, studios and directors.
Will always love 'Animaniacs', but there is a marginal preference for 'Pinky and the Brain'. It has all the things that makes 'Animaniacs' such a great show while making them even better and having even more merits on its own two feet. It is extremely well made, cute at times and very funny and actually hilarious frequently as a child. It is still the same through young adult eyes, and even more so with more knowledge of animation and understanding the humour more. Same with animation in general. 'Pinky and the Brain' is like 'Animaniacs', it has something for everybody and children and adults alike will love it, it is so much more than "just another kiddie show" and should never be dismissed as such.
Never has there been a more insane episode of 'Pinky and the Brain' than "The Pinky Protocol". One would naturally worry as to whether the insanity would come over as too strange or heavy-handed or if the content, namely dealing with conspiracy theories, was too "adult". Actually there is nothing to worry about, because it is the insanity that makes the episode stand out and make it so interesting, and the whole conspiracy theorist material is done in a way that is accessible for younger audiences without being dumbed down.
Cannot criticise the animation quality. The setting is an atmospheric one, credit is due making a quite confined setting interesting which this, and the whole of 'Pinky and the Brain' for that matter, does really well. The characters designs have no stiffness, the backgrounds are very detailed and the colours are a mix of vibrant and atmospheric.
Music also doesn't disappoint, the scoring is dynamic and cleverly composed, adding to the actions, expressions and gestures and doing what good music scores in animation should do in enhancing them. The theme song is catchy.
'Pinky and the Brain' throughout its too short run was always superbly written. It is such smart writing, at its worst it's very funny, at its best it's not just hilarious but riotous. It is zany, witty, smart and intelligence, with beautifully incorporated references that will delight adults especially as they are more likely to get them, plus the whole conspiracy theorist concept is a very adult one anyway. The show always excelled in the exchanges between Pinky and Brain, many of which were masterpieces of writing, while not on the same level as the exchanges in "A Meticulous Analysis of History" as a prime example those here are hardly an exception.
While somewhat formulaic (all the stories in 'Pinky and the Brain' are, but in structure, the concept was actually very original), this is a not so common example of formulaic not being a bad thing and not mattering at all, because of the cleverness, creativity and idea variety of the writing and storytelling. A lot is packed in, but it doesn't feel too much which is always a potential trap. One worries about repetition, yet actually there is a lot of freshness and variety to stop that from happening. Some of the content here is outrageous, but endearingly so (the outrageousness and creativity of Brain's plan was part of the show's charm and intentional, as is not being surprised by the outcome), but it is from start to finish very engaging, lively in pace, clever and always structured coherently, being not too hard to understand for children and showing a good deal of maturity for adults. Am not actually a fan of conspiracy theories usually, but "The Pinky Protocol's" writing is so clever and sharply observed that it was easy to put that aside. 'Pinky and the Brain' always excelled when it came to references and spoofs, and the character of the director parodying, or based on, Oliver Stone is quite the masterstroke.
Other than the writing, especially good are the characters. Pinky and Brain were two of the best characters on 'Animaniacs', Brain stole the show whenever he appeared, and more than deserved their own show. For me in 'Pinky and the Brain' they are even more interesting and defined and one can see that here in "The Pinky Protocol". It is hard not to endear to Pinky and his inane comments and actions, he is very stupid and one can see why he frustrates Brain. But he is one of the finest examples of stupid not falling into the trap of being obnoxious, a trap often fallen into, Pinky instead is very funny and often hysterically so and simply adorable, as well as spirited. He has also never been on this level of insane before and it is just great to watch.
Brain is slightly more interesting generally in 'Pinky and the Brain', he is the infinitely smarter one of the two, a genius in fact, although also the meaner and more intricate one, a very large contrast. Somehow though he is still impossible to dislike, it is just as hard to not to fall in love with his scheme and how he goes about it, nor is it impossible not to love his deadpan personality and dark sarcasm.
One of the biggest strengths of 'Pinky and the Brain' has always been the relationship/chemistry between Pinky and Brain and that is obvious throughout "The Pinky Protocol". The two have such compelling personalities that feel real and there is more to them and their relationship under the surface than one might think. The chemistry between the two is so delightful as always, fun and sometimes antagonistic but there has always been a lot of substance. Essentially the heart of 'Pinky and the Brain', it was important for it to work and it has always been one of 'Pinky and the Brain's' greatest assets.
Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche, two of the best and deservedly most prolific voice actors around that time and in the voice acting business overall, are without complaint providing Pinky and Brain's voices. Cannot imagine any other voice actor for Brain than LaMarche. Absolutely love, always have loved and will always love, the life and depth they bring to the characters, their voices suiting the characters and their personalities as if made for them. There has always been such an obvious bond between them, a large part of the show's appeal.
Concluding, another brilliant episode and wonderfully insane. 10/10 Bethany Cox
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