Rita and Runt

[Luftwaffles]

When I was a kid in the 90s, my dad I made a tradition of watching the Warner Channel in the half hour I used to have before heading to school everyday. It was weird, looking back, seeing how there were no less than SIX cartoon channels going at the same time (three of them full of Animè as well, which was a weird fact around those times... specially in a nation like Argentina, which was fairly new in this "cable" business -the thing didn't start here until 1990-). For a long time, we enjoyed a lot of great sitcoms that really succeeded at putting a smile on my face before heading to the aforementioned school every day, to fill my young brain with useless facts that, no doubt were bond to be forgotten the very next afternoon.

I especially remember the fine hours of entertainment provided by both "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" and "Full House!"... man, those were the days. And the thing lasted really long, too! From 1996 to 1999 we really had our daily laugh guaranteed. But in the meantime, I remember an "incident" that really left an impression on me (despite the fact that I wasn't going to know why until several decades later). One good day "Full House!" didn't appear on the screen like it was planned, and instead, we were served with "Animaniacs!" a crazy cartoon that I knew about because of the magazines but that failed at caught my attention for years. I was late for school and I didn't catch the first part, but I remember, crystal clear, how I totally detested the cartoon that was aired as a closing segment that day.

It was a pretty nasty-looking cartoon, full of gray tones and really bad drawings. In the middle of the scene, there were a poorly drawn cat and a dog who talked like they couldn't care less about the whole thing. These two characters whose names I forgot almost immediately were roaming Poland during WW2 while trying to help a little girl be reunited with her dad at the train station, while being persecuted by the Germans as well. I remember that I thought something like "huh, is that what Animaniacs! is all about?... Yeah, I think I'll pass".

This is how I first saw them. Not the best of impressions, is it?

That little incident made me hate Animaniacs! and I didn't watch the show again for many years, favoring other cartoons of the time like "Pinky and The Brain" and a whole battalion of Cartoon Cartoons, like "The Powerpuff Girls" and "Johnny Bravo" just to name a few. I was part of the minority that totally hated Animaniacs! and didn't want to hear its name be pronounced... and I actually felt good about it. When one my friends told me that the show was over in 1999, I couldn't believe that it lasted so long (it started in 1993).

But then (and only because Google is not your friend) there was an unexpected twist.

Granted, I didn't remember anything about the show by 2014... or at least that's what I thought at the time, because I remember that I was searching about something random and I came across a picture of an animated gray cat that really triggered some -blurry- memories for me. I searched her description for a while and I came to the conclusion that it was Rita, from the "Rita N Runt" segments on Animaniacs! And I suddenly decided that it was time for a second try. I searched some of their info and I came across a wiki that actually LIED to me, saying that they only made two cartoons (they made 13): "Home On De-Nile" and "Phranken-Runt". So, I started to track them down until I found a copy of either one (online, of course).

The timing couldn't have been better, because I was just starting to learn how to speak English at the time and I was willing to take anything to help me improving in that language (specially cartoons). I watched "Home on De-Nile" and I was delighted from the experience.

Bernadette Peters' voice was a nice change of scenery from the dubbed version of the show that really made me sick back on the day. She was the perfect "Rita", and she put a lot of soul into her character.

The animation was, once again, pretty bad, but I was astounded by the story and the personalities of the main characters, with Bernadette Peters and Frank Welker giving those characters all the right feelings. I watched "Home on De-Nile" five times in a row before moving to "Phranken-Runt" and the Egyptian cartoon really served its purpose... it was the warm up for an incredible story.

I won't even try to beat around the bush here, "Phranken-Runt" is one of the best cartoons that I have ever watched. The animation is excellent and so are the scenery and the jokes. The cartoon starts off really solid, with several minutes of the main antagonist taking over the scene, leaving the viewer wondering who the main stars were (if Runt's name wasn't on the title you wouldn't have guessed who was starring this particular cartoon... these two would use that trick again in the... past). Then, at the peak of tension, the camera focuses on two shadows that are climbing a rock wall while the rain surrounds them... those are of course Rita and Runt talking about how they were kicked out from a "count's guy home" who really "hated Italian food... definitely hated garlic".

"Let's try for two / Use your Brain" is my favorite song on the entire show. You wouldn't believe how much energy was put into the number and how many tricks are those characters able to pull off while it lasts. To top it off, the song itself is delicious and it's still popping up on my mind from time to time, just to remind me of the cartoon (and it often success at making me watch it again).

I watched that cartoon until I was able to sing along with the characters (I'm... not kidding) but a part of me refused to believe that those were their only cartoons, and I could have sworn that they made at least one more... so, I consulted a different Wiki and found out that there were a lot more for me to enjoy. I went to the bases that time and watched their first cartoon: "When Rita met Runt".

Honestly, that cartoon really sets the mood for the rest of their adventures and I can totally see why so many people despised the duo since the beginning. I mean, we have this stormy night going on this depressing-looking city and we are immediately thrown to a pond when we get to met our first star: a street cat named Rita, whose former owner is abandoning her because she couldn't stand her "independent" attitude (and yes, this is stated). A few scenes later, a rich man enters the pound and you can totally see that he's having trouble with the big dog that is at the end of his leash. The dog is happily running around the cages while the guy explains that the animal "wouldn't learn anything" and that he already spent enough money trying to domesticate it. Rita and Runt are put in contiguous cages but they can't really see each other from there. Anyway, they start talking about stuff and I gotta say that I absolutely love Runt's first line on the show: "My name is Runt, but my master calls me stupid. What a nice guy!" And that's how you nail a character since the beginning, that statement right there is Runt on a nutshell. He is so incapable of seeing evil or to feel offended for anything that he is just lovely and you really want to see him being treated nicely.

Rita, on the other hand, is just Rita. The cat has seen so much bad stuff happening to her that she really doesn't care anymore and is totally willing to tell her companion why "humans stink". She even has the nerve to tell the big, goofy dog that they are about to face "the big sleep" (and yes, they are just about to get killed on the cartoon). Things got really out of hand when a rich lady decided to adopt a chihuahua instead of either Rita -who was doing her best to appeal the lady- or Runt -who was just imitating her-. At that precise moment, she sings "Humans" her first song on the show:

They eventually make it out of the pound alive and Rita discovers that her sweet partner was a dog (and is really scared about it) while Runt just thinks that Rita is yet another dog and refuses to attack her (like he would normally do). They then decide that they should "pal together" for a while, until either of them find a nice, happy home... and when that happens "I don't know you and you don't know me, deal?".

I personally believe that most of the Rita and Runt cartoons were just the writers being rebel about the censorship that was so strongly limiting what they could and couldn't put on TV around those years. And while my opinion remains, I think that they did a really good job creating these characters... problem is, after the aforementioned "Phranken-Runt", they really seemed to stop caring about the duo. From that point onward, their cartoons felt weaker and weaker and the visuals didn't do them any favors, because these two were always being handled to the cheaper animation studios and they ended up starring some of the worst shorts on the show's history.

Their parody of "Belle" at the end of "Witch one" is a specially bittersweet moment. Not only the song is beautiful, but is also the last time we were going to see those guys headlining another cartoon... and it is also the last time we were going to hear Rita sing on the show until Wakko's Wish, in 1999. They really got a lot of attention on the movie, but for more than six years, they were incredibly neglected by the show itself... so much that this aired at some point:

Moving on.

When Season 1 came to an end, so did their careers. The Rita and Runt cartoons stopped after "Witch One" (episode 62) and the duo was used exclusively for cameos during the rest of the show's long life. It's been said that that was because Bernadette Peters' (Rita's voice actress) salary was proving to be too expensive for the show to handle. And I'm having troubles believing that, because the show introduced at least one more segment when they cancelled their cartoons and you can't really expect us to believe that that was cheaper than hiring a good voice actress. But I guess that the duo was never too popular among the viewers and that can kill any character, not only them.

Now, just for the sake of nostalgia, here are some of their songs from "Les Miseranimals", one of their best cartoons:

• Do you Hear the Poodles Bark / Dig Down

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33U3rdWk_TY

• Lovely Ladies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdNvrMTufFE

• Not in my Gay Paree

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD_K7TfSHiE

[Gonff the Mousethief]

Oh! This was always one of my favorite Animaniacs segments! I loved how Rits always tried to protect poor Runt, and vice versa. My favorite was Pinky and the Brain, with this one second.

[Luftwaffles]

Oh! This was always one of my favorite Animaniacs segments! I loved how Rits always tried to protect poor Runt, and vice versa. My favorite was Pinky and the Brain, with this one second.

I loved Pinky and the Brain as well (although I was always more of a Slappy fan... her cartoons were crazier). Do you have a favorite Rita and Runt cartoon?

Also, I'm surprised that you even know anything about them, most people don't even know that they were part of the show.

[Skyblade]

This cartoon looks cool; I want to check it out. And sweet story, too.

[Luftwaffles]

This cartoon looks cool; I want to check it out. And sweet story, too.

Thank you and you should totally check it out.

They will put a smile in your face like no one else is capable of.

[Lutra]

Wow, what an amazing post.  Sorry to say I never cared for Animaniacs so I never really watched this show.  I do like Pinky and the Brain, but they had their own spinoff show, so the stories were longer.

I might give the show a chance when I get a moment to check it out.  Steven Speilberg's cartoon work is an acquired taste...just doesn't always sit well with me.

[Banya]

That was a neat post, Sierra.  I appreciate the story behind the show, and it's clear how passionate you are about it.  Reminds me of the Slam Dunk article you wrote and shared.

[Luftwaffles]

Thank you both! I'm really glad you liked it.

@Banya: Yeah, I used the same template to create this post. I should totally post that one as well, but I don't know if I will be able to... I should ask that.

[Angelbunny]

I loved Rita and Runt way back then.

[Cornflower MM]

*Claps enthusiastically* This is a wonderfully written piece of art, Sierra!I really enjoyed reading it.

[Luftwaffles]

Thank you very much, Corn; your amazing comment and the fact that you enjoyed my work truly means a lot to me !