The Brain
| The Brain | |
|---|---|
 Are you pondering what I'm pondering? | |
| Species | Mouse |
| Gender | Male |
| Affiliation | Pinky Elmyra Duff |
| Father | Unnamed father |
| Mother | Unnamed mother |
| Marital status | Single |
| Children | One son, Romy |
| First appearance | ANMS: "The Monkey Song" (1993) |
| Played by | Maurice LaMarche |
| File:PEATB Brain.jpg Pinky, Elmrya, and the Brain | |
| File:2020 Brain.png Animaniacs | |
The Brain, or simply Brain, is the title character and antagonist/protagonist of the Pinky and the Brain segments in the Animaniacs television series, and its full-length spin-off series. He is an intelligent and calculating mouse who works alongside Pinky in plans to take over the world. He is voiced by Maurice LaMarche.
Character description
Brain is a genetically-altered mouse who lives alongside Pinky at a cage in Acme Labs. He is described as a "genius" by the theme song's lyrics, as he is highly intelligent and believes himself to be quite logical. He is usually presented as unemotional and cold, speaking in a snarky deadpan voice. Despite this, he also sports a dry, subtle sense of wit when it comes to humor.
Brain often makes incredibly complicated schemes in hopes of taking over the world, and establishing himself as its ruler. Most often, the plans Brain devises are usually related to his own inventions, politics, and cultural references. However, due to an overlooked flaw of said plans or accidents caused by the highly unstable Pinky, he often fails to secure his success in these. Despite their mishaps, Brain reassures that he is not deterred from his goal, and simply gets to work preparing for the following night's plan. Brain does not simply want to take over the world to become a dictator, but rather, he believes that the world would be able to have an effective leader due to his intellect.
Physically, Brain is a white mouse who is short in stature, especially when compared to Pinky. He has red sclera, a large head that houses his vast intellect, and a crooked tail.
Appearances
TV series
Movies
Comics
Video games
Biography
Debut Series
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Spin-Off Time
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Different Location, Same Goal
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Wishing Star
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Rebooted at the Lab
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Development
The Brain was created as a caricature of animation writer/producer Tom Minton, who worked for Tom Reugger on Tiny Toon Adventures. During the development of Animaniacs, animator Bruce Timm drew caricatures of Minton and fellow producer Eddie Fitzgerald, to which Ruegger then added mouse ears and noses to the drawing; cementing the concepts for the Brain and Pinky, respectively.[1]
While Reugger had initally based the character on Minton, the Brain was heavilly inspired by Orson Welles, which came from his actor Maurice LaMarche, a fan of Welles. LaMarche stated that when he auditioned for the character, he saw the resemblance to Welles and went with that for his vocal performance, and he was given the role on the spot.[2]
Gallery
- Main article: The Brain/Gallery
Toys and merchandise
Behind the scenes
In popular culture
- A kid dresses up as the Brain for Halloween in the Fresh Off the Boat episode "It's a Plastic Pumpkin, Louis Huang." To get back at his dad for not letting him go to Deidre's party, Evan tells his dad that the kid is dressed like Mouse Boy, only for the kid to correct him that he was Brain from Pinky and the Brain.
References
- ↑ Greiving, Tim (November 20, 2020). "'They'll Get It at 8 or at 38": How 'Animaniacs' Introduced a Generation to Comedy". The Ringer. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
- ↑ Burns, Ashley; Schildhause, Chloe (December 30, 2015). "The Rise And Fall Of 'Pinky And The Brain,' A Clever Cartoon Too Smart For Its Own Good". Uproxx. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
