Rita and Runt
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Rita and Runt were the stars of several musical segments in the animated television series Animaniacs. Rita (voiced by Bernadette Peters) is a sassy, smart, street-wise cat; Runt (voiced by Frank Welker) is a dumb but sweet dog whose voice and mannerisms parody Rain Man. Like any stereotypical dog, Runt hates cats, but is not smart enough to realize that his best friend Rita is a cat.
They first starred together in episode six, on September 21, 1993, of Animaniacs, appearing in a segment called "When Rita Met Runt." Later appearances took place in various settings and time periods, including Ancient Egypt, "Home on De-Nile", Nazi-occupied Poland circa 1939, "Puttin' on the Blitz", and Salem during the infamous witch trials; they also occasionally appeared in the "contemporary" era.
Rita often breaks into song, drawing on the singing talents of Peters, one of the most prominent present-day Broadway actresses. As with many other Animaniacs segments, "Rita and Runt" sketches often parodied specific musicals; one of the pair's most lavishly scored cartoons was a spoof of Les Misérables called "Les Miseranimals." Interestingly, Peters has never participated in a production of Les Miserables.
Their relationship is somewhat ambiguous. There are many instances where the two stay together in friendship rather than separate, but there are some instances like in Puttin' on the Blitz where Rita's songs concerning Runt have romantic undertones. Their relationship past friendship is never explored.
Rita and Runt were absent for the latter half of the series' run. Ostensibly, this was rooted in such problems as the difficulty in creating new songs for each appearance, the dark downswing tone of the shorts (the two never found a home for long), and the high cost of keeping Bernadette Peters on payroll. (Welker, who voiced several other characters, remained a series regular.) It should be noted that the show's format changed much during its first season, shifting from occasionally airing grounded, educational material to producing mainly zany parodies; the "Rita and Runt" segments represented the former.
The characters continued to appear in the opening credits, in which Rita was referenced by name. They reappeared without speaking parts in several of the Kids' WB episodes, once even stated as "Missing" on a milk carton. Peters returned in the direct-to-video movie Wakko's Wish, and both characters spoke.
[edit] Theme Song
Like Abbott and Costello
Like Sonny and Cher
Like Martin and Lewis
They're the perfect pair
Like Laurel and Hardy
They're perfectly mismatched
[edit] Rita and Runt Episodes (may be partial)
source [1]
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| September 21, 1993 | When Rita Met Runt |
| September 27, 1993 | Les Miseranimals |
| October 5, 1993 | The Cat and the Fiddle |
| October 19, 1993 | Home on De-Nile |
| October 29, 1993 | Phranken-Runt |
| November 1, 1993 | Puttin' on the Blitz |
| November 11, 1993 | Smitten with Kittens |
| November 17, 1993 | Of Nice and Men |
| November 18, 1993 | Kiki's Kitten |
| November 24, 1993 | Icebreakers |
| February 18, 1994 | Up A Tree |
| May 3, 1994 | There's Nothing Quite Like a Cat |
[edit] References
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