''Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation'' is a 1992 American

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

from

Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. (abbreviated as WBA) is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Group, a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation divis ...

and

Amblin Entertainment Amblin' Entertainment, Inc., formerly named Amblin Productions, is an American film production company founded by director and producer Steven Spielberg, and film producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall in 1980. Its headquarters are lo ...

, originally intended for theatrical exhibition. Featuring the regular characters from the

Fox Kids Fox Kids (originally known as Fox Children's Network and later as the Fox Kids Network; stylized in all caps) was an American children's programming block and branding for a slate of international children's television channels. Originally a j ...

animated television program ''

Tiny Toon Adventures ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' is an American animated television series created by Tom Ruegger and produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It originally aired from September 14, 1990 to December 6, 1992, airing in syndication before eventually settling a ...

'', the plot follows their summer vacation from school, mainly focused on Babs and Buster going downriver, Plucky and Hamton going to a world-famous

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

, and Fifi in search of her favorite movie star.

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

served as

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

, with writing by

Paul Dini Paul McClaran Dini (; born August 7, 1957) is an American writer, animator, and comic book artist. He has served as a producer and writer for several Warner Bros. Animation/DC Comics animated series, most notably ''Batman: The Animated Series' ...

, Nicholas Hollander,

Tom Ruegger Tom Ruegger () is an American animator and songwriter. Ruegger is known for his association with Disney Television Animation and Warner Bros. Animation. He also created ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', ''Animaniacs'', '' Pinky and the Brain'', and '' H ...

and

Sherri Stoner Sherri Lynn Stoner (born July 16, 1959) is an American actress, animation executive, and writer. She also voiced Slappy Squirrel in the children's television series ''Animaniacs'' and for one short segment in its revival. Biography She has wor ...

. Japanese animation studio

Tokyo Movie Shinsha , formerly known as the is a Japanese animation studio owned by Sega Corporation. TMS is one of the oldest and most renowned animation studios in Japan, known for its numerous anime franchises such as ''Detective Conan'', ''Lupin the Third'' ...

(now known as TMS Entertainment) produced the animation. ''How I Spent My Vacation'' was released on both

VHS VHS (Video Home System) is a discontinued standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes, introduced in 1976 by JVC. It was the dominant home video format throughout the tape media period of the 1980s and 1990s. Ma ...

and LaserDisc formats on Wednesday, March 11, 1992. It was the first feature-length animated film to be released

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

in the United States. The film was later aired on television as four separate ''

'' episodes. The events of the film take place between the second and third seasons of ''Tiny Toon Adventures''. It was one of the highest-selling videos in the United States, listing on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' magazine's 40 "Top Video Sales" for 16 weeks as of July 1992. Points of praise by critics included the humor and celebrity caricatures, while criticism included the segmented plot. Themes include parodies of pop culture and summer vacations.

Plot

The ''

'' characters excitedly prepare for their summer vacations after their term at Acme Looniversity ends. Babs and Buster Bunny have a water pistol fight, which eventually escalates into flooding Acme Acres. The bunnies, along with Byron Basset float from flooded Acme Acres down to the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

, where they continuously try to avoid getting eaten by the river's residents.

Plucky Duck The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on ''Looney Tunes'' characters from earlier films and sh ...

joins Hamton J. Pig and Hamton's family as they drive to the amusement park HappyWorldLand. The trip turns out to be very long and painful for Plucky, who becomes annoyed with the family's habits and is almost killed by an escaped convict that the Pigs mistake for a hitchhiker. Upon arrival at HappyWorldLand, the family rides the tour monorail around the park and then decide to head home, much to Plucky's dismay. Meanwhile,

Elmyra Duff The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on ''Looney Tunes'' characters from earlier films and sh ...

, upset after losing her cat Furrball, visits a nature park with her family, where she terrorizes the wild animals with her adoration.

Fifi La Fume The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on ''Looney Tunes'' characters from earlier films and sh ...

, lovestruck by teen heartthrob Johnny Pew, becomes his put-upon "assistant", unaware that he is uninterested in her. Fowlmouth and

Shirley the Loon The ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' animated television series features an extensive cast of characters. The show's central characters are mostly various forms of anthropomorphic animals, based on ''Looney Tunes'' characters from earlier films and sh ...

see ''Skunknophobia'', and Fifi and Johnny attend the same film. Fowlmouth disrupts throughout and is thrown out of the theater. Fifi, enraged when Johnny takes her photograph of him and signs it for a Bimbette, physically ejects Johnny from the theater, causing him to end up with Elmyra and mistakenly becomes her new "kitty". After realizing that they are the main course at a dinner theater on a showboat, Babs and Buster escape, with Bryon's help. They are sought after by the hungry animals from their journey, but are rescued by a possum named Banjo, whom Buster had befriended earlier. The convict returns and tries to kill them; Buster, Babs, Bryon and Banjo try to escape using a mine cart and the convict falls off a cliff. The quartet fall down a "

plot hole In fiction, a plot hole, plothole, or plot error is an inconsistency in a storyline that goes against the flow of logic established by the story's plot. Plot holes are usually created unintentionally, often as a result of editing or the writers ...

", which leads them through Wackyland and back to Acme Acres. The characters return to the Looniversity for the fall semester.

Voice cast

Production

In 1990, ''Bugs Bunny'' magazine reported that Warner Bros. was planning the release of ''How I Spent My Vacation'', then referred to as a "''

'' home video". Plans began before ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' premiered on television. Warner Bros. discussed with executive producer Steven Spielberg whether the film should be released in theaters, but Spielberg insisted on a direct-to-video release. Spielberg said that they wanted to make the film a direct-to-video release because "animated features are ideally suited for the repeat viewing," a factor that he found important to the genre's appeal to those watching animated films at home. In an interview for the ''Los Angeles Times'', executive in charge of production Jean MacCurdy did not specify the budget of the film, but stated that it was far more costly than episodes of ''Tiny Toon Adventures''. According to Hal Erickson's ''Television Cartoon Shows: an Illustrated Encyclopedia'', the budget of the average ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' episode was approximately $350,000. ''How I Spent My Vacation'' was written by series regulars

, Nicholas Hollander,

and

. Ruegger also served as a producer, and Steven Spielberg as executive producer.Opening credits for ''Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation'' The film was animated by

, a Japanese studio.Closing credits for ''Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation'' The film had eight directors: Rich Aarons, Ken Boyer, Kent Butterworth, Barry Caldwell, Alfred Gimeno, Arthur Leonardi, Byron Vaughns, and Aoyama Hiroshi.

Songs

Themes

One of the main hallmarks of ''How I Spent My Vacation'' was the parody of film, popular culture and celebrities. ''Videos for Kids'' noted that the film makes fun of "California culture and youth" with the use of celebrity caricatures, such as those of

Roseanne Barr Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952), also known mononymously as Roseanne, is an American actress, comedian, writer, and producer. She began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom ''Roseanne'' (19 ...

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, and writer best known as the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson is a cultural phenomenon and w ...

Arsenio Hall Arsenio Hall (born February 12, 1956) is an American comedian, actor and talk show host. He hosted a late-night talk show, '' The Arsenio Hall Show'', from 1989 until 1994, and again from 2013 to 2014. He has appeared in ''Martial Law'', '' Comi ...

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, and auto racing team owner. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of ''Late N ...

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno ( ; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 until 200 ...

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

and

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Gardenzio "Sly" Stallone (; born July 6, 1946) is an American actor and filmmaker. In a Sylvester Stallone filmography, film career spanning more than fifty years, Stallone has received List of awards and nominations received by Syl ...

. The film makes fun of other cartoon characters, such as those of ''

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

'', ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

'', ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...

'', ''

Who Framed Roger Rabbit ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' is a 1988 American fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay written by Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman. It is loosely based on the 1981 novel ''Who Censored Roger Rabbit?'' by Gary K. Wol ...

'', ''

The Ren & Stimpy Show ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'', commonly referred to as simply ''Ren & Stimpy'', is an American animated Comedy film, comedy television series created by John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. The series follows the misadventures of Ren Höek, an emotion ...

'', ''

Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American Adult animation, adult animated Animated sitcom, sitcom created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, Stupi ...

'' and ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...

''. Babs and Buster's travels down the river are a parody of the film ''

Deliverance ''Deliverance'' is a 1972 American thriller film directed and produced by John Boorman from a screenplay by James Dickey, who adapted it from his own Deliverance (novel), 1970 novel. It follows four businessmen from Atlanta who venture into th ...

''. Jean MacCurdy said that ''How I Spent My Vacation'' makes fun of summer vacations by mocking "the boredom of summer and some of those horrible car trips" (an issue that was first explored in ''

National Lampoon's Vacation ''National Lampoon's Vacation'', sometimes referred to as simply ''Vacation'', is a 1983 American black comedy road film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, John Candy, and Chris ...

''). In the film, Hamton's family's car trip is very taxing for Plucky Duck; he is disgusted by the family and is nearly killed by an escaped lunatic that the family mistakes for a hitchhiker (he happens to be a caricature of

Jason Voorhees Jason Voorhees () is a fictional character and the antagonist of the Friday the 13th (franchise), ''Friday the 13th'' series. He first appeared in ''Friday the 13th (1980 film), Friday the 13th'' (1980) as the young son of camp-cook-turned-kil ...

). The film's fictional theme park, "HappyWorldLand", is a spoof of

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

Home media releases and broadcast

''How I Spent My Vacation'' was released

on March 11, 1992. The film was released on VHS and LaserDisc formats. MacCurdy said that the film was released at that time to take advantage of the Easter market. Because retailers had high demand for the film, Warner Bros. shipped to them nearly one million copies, which the ''Los Angeles Times'' noted as "a record for direct-to-video programs". ''How I Spent My Vacation'' was the first feature-length animated film made for the direct-to-video market released in the United States. At the time, the concept of a

animated feature was so strange to consumers that some mistakenly thought ''How I Spent My Vacation'' was a collection of ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' episodes. The film later aired on

on September 5, 1993, as four ''

'' episodes, episodes 97 through 100. Warner Home Video began to release the ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' series on DVD, in volumes, on July 29, 2008. The company released ''How I Spent My Vacation'' for the first time on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...

on August 21, 2012.

The Hub The Hub may refer to: Places * The Hub, Bronx, an area of the South Bronx, New York, known for its convergence of subway and bus lines * The Hub (Edinburgh), former church in Edinburgh that is now home to the Edinburgh International Festival * T ...

, which aired ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', showed the film as well.

Reception

Reviews ranged from positive to mixed. Giving three out of four bones, the ''VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever'' highlighted the parodies in the film, and noted that "Parents will be sequally entertained s childrenby the level of humor and fast-paced action". Film critic

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

gave the film two and a half stars out of four, saying the film was " isodic", but praised the voice cast, songs and "funny business". ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, vi ...

'' called the film a "firecracker", citing the film's many jokes. The book ''Videos for Kids: The Essential, Indispensable Parent's Guide to Children's Movies on Video'' praised the "tongue-in-cheek humor" and celebrity caricatures but issued warning to parents, stating that the film may not be appropriate for "children too young to identify satire" because the characters in the film "are rude and combative" and may not be positive role models. ''Videos for Kids'' still concluded that the film "should provide an enjoyable viewing experience for the whole family". Dennis Hunt of the ''Los Angeles Times'' said that the format of a direct-video film was "unusual", but that some parts of the film were "hilarious", especially the scenes which make fun of

Walt Disney World The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...

. Since its release, ''How I Spent My Vacation'' has been rated as one of the "Top 20 (U.S.-Produced) Direct-to-Video Animated Films" by ''The Animated Movie Guide''. Rating the film a "C+" overall, Steve Daly of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' noted that while the film was "superior to most TV fare", he called the film a "pandering kidvid make-over" of the ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...

'' cartoons on which ''Tiny Toons'' was based, saying the characters were immature and the content was "fast without being funny". A 1992 issue of the ''

Video Watchdog ''Video Watchdog'' was a bimonthly, digest size film magazine published from 1990 to 2017 by publisher/editor Tim Lucas and his wife, art director and co-publisher Donna Lucas. Although devoted chiefly to the horror, science fiction, and fant ...

'' was particularly critical, calling the film "a mixed bag" that "sacrificed (...) a cohesive plot for an outline that allows various teams of characters to come up with four stories." The magazine also questioned the point of using characters heavily based on the classic ''Looney Tunes'' characters instead of using the classic characters themselves. The VHS release was one of the highest selling videos in the United states; on the ''Billboard'' charts, the video ranked 12th in sales in April 1992. In May 1992, ''How I Spent My Vacation'' rose to 9th in video sales. On July 18, 1992, ''How I Spent My Vacation'' had been on ''Billboard Magazine'''s 40 "Top Video Sales" for 16 weeks. On June 27, 1992, the film was ranked the 5th highest on ''Billboard'''s "Top Kid Video". On February 6, 1993, ''How I Spent My Vacation'' had been on the "Top Kid Video" list for 41 weeks. While it did not state the revenue of the film, the ''Toronto Star'' stated that the film sold so well that Warner Bros. decided to release videos of ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' episodes.

References

a. ''Billboard Magazine'' and some reviews state that the film was released in 1991. The ''Miami Herald'', ''Bowker's Complete Video Directory: 1997'', ''The Animated Movie Guide'', ''TV Guide'', ''Toonzone'''s ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' episode guide, and the ''New York Times'', state that the film was or will be released in 1992. b. The ''Miami Herald'' refers to the film as "the first full-length made-for-video animated adventure".

References

External links

* {{good article 1992 films 1992 American animated films 1992 children's films 1992 comedy films 1992 direct-to-video films 1990s American animated films 1990s English-language films 1990s children's adventure films 1990s children's animated films 1990s children's comedy films 1990s children's fantasy films 1990s teen comedy films Amblin Entertainment animated films American children's animated adventure films American children's animated comedy films American children's animated fantasy films American teen comedy films Animated films about ducks Animated films about pigs Animated films about rabbits and hares Animated films about talking animals Animated films based on animated series Animated films based on animated television series Animated films set in the Southern United States Animated teen films Bugs Bunny films Direct-to-video comedy films Direct-to-video fantasy films Elmer Fudd films Films about vacationing Films scored by Bruce Broughton Films scored by Don Davis (composer) Films scored by Mark Watters Films scored by Richard Stone (composer) Films scored by Stephen James Taylor Films scored by Steven Bramson Films with screenplays by Paul Dini Films with screenplays by Sherri Stoner Looney Tunes films How I Spent My Vacation Warner Bros. Animation films Warner Bros. direct-to-video animated films Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner films English-language fantasy films English-language adventure films