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 in the English version and by Emi Shinohara in the Japanese version) is a sassy, smart, street-wise cat; Runt (voiced by Frank Welker in the English version and by Kôzô Shioya in the Japanese version) is a dumb but sweet dog whose voice and mannerisms are reminiscent of Dustin Hoffman's character in 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 of Animaniacs, appearing in a segment called "When Rita Met Runt". Later appearances took place in various settings and time periods, including ancient Egypt, Nazi-occupied Poland circa 1939, and Salem during the infamous witch trials; they also occasionally appeared in the "contemporary" era.

Rita often breaks into song (the feature was more or less centered on her voice actor who was a Broadway singer). In general, "Rita and Runt" segments spoofed Broadway musicals, and more broadly, musicals in general. One of their most lavishly scored cartoons was a spoof of Les Misérables called "Les Miseranimals".

Curiously, Rita and Runt were absent for the latter half of the series' run. The reason for this is unclear, although the last seasons of Animaniacs saw several "less popular" segments abandoned. However, the characters returned for a speaking role in the direct-to-video movie Wakko's Wish. Rita and Runt are sometimes compared to Elsie and Harry on the children's show Stanley on Playhouse Disney.

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