Steven Spielberg, Warner Bros To Revive ‘Animaniacs’ As Hulu’s First Original Series For Families

The 90s were filled with great animated series, but few of those shows, if any, surpassed Animaniacs. The variety show, which followed the misadventures of siblings Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, ran for five seasons between 1993 and 1998, and it since been fondly remembered for its energetic skits, its devilish nods to adult viewers, and its earworm of a theme song.

Now, Animaniacs is coming back. Its original producers — Steven Spielberg‘s Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros — have reunited for a rebooted version of the show that is slated to premiere on Hulu in 2020.

Hulu’s deal with Amblin and Warner Bros is a straight-to-series agreement that will bring at least two new seasons of Animaniacs to subscribers. As part of the pact, Hulu has also become the exclusive streaming home for the original version of Animanics, which spanned 99 episodes.

“I am so pleased and proud that Animaniacs will have a home at Hulu,” said Steven Spielberg in a press release. “Together with Warner Bros., we look to bring new audiences and longtime fans into this wild world of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. I am also excited that the full library of Animaniacs and Tiny Toon Adventures episodes are included in the deal.”

By calling upon 90s nostalgia, Hulu is employing a strategy favored by one of its main competitors, Netflix. The leading SVOD platform has revived classic shows like Full House and The Magic School Bus as part of its approach to original programming.

Hulu is defining Animaniacs as its first original series for families, though it offers ample children’s programming thanks to its library of licensed content.