Al's Brain (also known as Al's Brain: A 3-D Journey Through the Human Brain) is a 3D short film directed, written by and starring musician "Weird Al" Yankovic that was first displayed on July 16th, 2009 at the 2009 Orange County Fair in Orange County, California. The short was produced on a budget of $2.5 million, and was designed to be educational in nature, teaching viewers about the design, structure, and various functions of the human brain.
The film was never released in any sort of physical capacity after the 2009 Orange County Fair concluded and was considered lost media until early 2024, when YouTube user Bryce Buchanan uploaded the full film. The original upload has since been taken down, however numerous reuploads of it exist.
Storyline[]
The short was 10 minutes in length, and featured a mix of live-action and computer animation, showing Al interacting with animated characters such as Billy the Brain and Norm the Owl as he answers questions about the human brain while also making humorous commentary, such as explaining how we have as much chance of fully understanding the human brain as we do the final 20 minutes of 2001: A Space Odyssey. Many of these questions would be asked in "man on the street" style interview segments with celebrities like Paul McCartney and Fabio, with other celebrities such as Patton Oswald and Tim & Eric appearing elsewhere in the short in other cameo roles.
Alongside explanations of the structure of the human brain, Al's Brain is also known to have discussed the life of Phineas Gage, an American railroad worker who infamously survived an 1848 accident in which an iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain's left frontal lobe, with Al portraying a fictionalized version of Gage named "Phineaus Cage" in the short.
The short ends with Al performing "The Brain Song", a song written specifically for Al's Brain which details the four lobes of the human brain and the function they each serve. Al would state in an interview with the Orange County Register that the writing of this song was by far the most research-intensive part of production, remarking that "I pretended like I took a class in the working of the brain and this is my final exam, this is my thesis paper."
TV Show Intro[]
Sound Effects Used[]
- Hollywoodedge, Boings For Impacts CRT016702 (Heard during "The Brain Song".)
- Hollywoodedge, Boing Wood Twang CRT016301
- Hollywoodedge, Long Stretchy Wood CRT049401
- Hollywoodedge, Low Pitched Squeak CRT049301 (Squeak only.)
- Hollywoodedge, Mediumpitched Boin CRT016703 (Heard during "The Brain Song".)
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Stretch Pop CRT049305 (Pop only.)
- Hollywoodedge, Rapid Metallic Warb CRT041204
- Hollywoodedge, Rough Metallic Scra CRT017402 (Scrape only.)
- Hollywoodedge, Single Bullet Impact PE236401
- Sound Ideas, PLINK, CARTOON - SOUR PLINK
- Sound Ideas, SQUISH, CARTOON - SOFT SQUISH