Wakko's Wish
A direct-to-video film serving as the Animaniacs series finale.
[1] · via Wikipedia: Wakko's Wish · Fair use
The 1999 direct-to-video musical *Wakko's Wish* (also released as *Animaniacs: Wakko's Wish* and originally titled *Wakko's Wakko Wish*) closes out the original run of the *Animaniacs* television series, which aired from 1993 to 1998, before the show was revived in 2020. In this animated fantasy comedy-adventure, the entire cast is transported to a fairy-tale world that resembles the 19th century, where they compete to be the first to reach a magical wishing star.
The story unfolds in Acme Falls, a town in the kingdom of Warnerstock. After the beloved King William the Good dies, civil war breaks out, and the neighboring kingdom of Ticktockia, ruled by King Salazar the Pushy, seizes control. Heavy taxes leave everyone poor and miserable, including the Warner siblings—Yakko, Wakko, and Dot—who are especially desperate because Dot needs an operation. Wakko takes a job in another town, but Taxman Plotz confiscates his single ha'penny for taxes. Heartbroken, Wakko wishes upon a star, only to learn from a falling fairy that it is the only wishing star in the sky. The star itself crashes in the mountains, and whoever touches it gets one wish. The Warners spread the news, and the entire town races toward the glow. King Salazar orders Plotz and Ralph to stop the Warners and sends his troops to secure the star.
Plotz fails, and the Warners arrive at the same time as the other townsfolk, only to find the king’s army has built a base and an ice palace around the star. Everyone is captured. The Warners bluff that the wishing process has ironic twists, which they demonstrate to the king’s annoyance. After being tortured, they are sentenced to execution, but Dot’s “cuteness” saves them. When the king tries to shoot them with a cannon, the cannonball explodes nearby, and Dot appears mortally wounded. She asks Yakko to tell her the story of her birth one last time, then seems to die. The townspeople and even some royal soldiers weep. The Captain of the Guard angrily denounces King Salazar, and the crowd turns against him. Dot then reveals she was faking, buying time for Wakko to reach the star. He wishes for two ha’pennies, delighting everyone. Back in town, he uses the second ha’penny to buy food and Lakers season tickets, while the first pays for Dot’s operation—a plastic surgery to give her a beauty mark.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Liz Holzman · Rusty Mills · Tom Ruegger
- Screenplay
- Tom Ruegger · Nick DuBois · Earl Kress · Kevin Hopps · Charles M. Howell IV · Randy Rogel
- Story
- Tom Ruegger
- Based On
- Animaniacs · Tom Ruegger
- Narrator
- Tom Bodett
- Music
- Richard Stone · Steven Bernstein · Julie Bernstein · Gordon Goodwin · Tim Kelly
- Editing
- John Carnochan · Tim Hill
- Studio
- Warner Bros. Animation · Amblin Entertainment
- Distributor
- Warner Home Video
- Released
- 21 December 1999
- Runtime
- 80 minutes
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
In the town of Acme Falls within the kingdom of Warnerstock, all the people live happily together until the death of King William the Good leads to civil war. The neighboring kingdom of Ticktockia, led by King Salazar the Pushy, takes over and overtaxes the populace. Three siblings—Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner—are particularly broke, as Dot needs an operation. Wakko finds work but Taxman Plotz takes his pay for taxes. Saddened, Wakko wishes upon a star; a fairy falls and explains that he has chosen the only wishing star in the sky. The star falls in the mountains, and whoever touches it gets one wish. The Warners tell the town, and all rush toward the glow. King Salazar orders Plotz and Ralph to stop the Warners and sends troops to secure the star. The army builds a base around the star and captures the townspeople. The Warners bluff about ironic twists to wishes, are tortured, and eventually escape. Dot appears mortally wounded by a cannonball, causing sorrow, but she reveals she was acting to buy time for Wakko. Wakko reaches the star and wishes for two ha'pennies. The first ha'penny pays for Dot's operation (a beauty mark) and returns prosperity to the town as the money circulates. The Warners' birth certificates reveal they are heirs to William the Good; they boot Salazar out and grant citizens' wishes, except the mime's. The film ends with the Warners spinning the Wheel of Morality one last time, which specifies the moral: 'Just cheer up and never ever give up hope.'
Reader's Guide
Wakko's Wish is significant as the direct-to-video finale of the original Animaniacs series, released on VHS on December 21, 1999. It was the first Animaniacs production to use digital ink and paint and the first direct-to-video film by Warner Bros. Animation to do so. Test screenings showed highly positive reactions: 97% of kids and parents gave it a 'highly positive' review, and 98% of children rated it good, very good, or excellent. Critical reception was generally positive, with praise for animation, character appearances, and music, though some critics noted that the serious tone differed from the series' usual humor. The film was nominated for four Annie Awards in 2000, including Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Home Video Production and three individual achievement categories. It was released on DVD on October 7, 2014, nearly 15 years after its initial release, and has aired on cable networks including Cartoon Network, Cinemax, Boomerang, and The Hub (now Discovery Family).
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