Airdate: November 10, 1993
Opening Line: "Pinky and the Brain-y"- Yakko, Wakko, and Dot
In this full-length Pinky and the Brain adventure, the mice are pets of Camelot's Merlin. Brain hopes to use one of Merlin's spells to conquer the world, but one ingredient, a red dragon's toenail clipping, is missing. To get it, the mice must journey through a dark forest of fairy-tail cliches to obtain a fresh clipping from a live red dragon.
"Spell-Bound" has examples of:
- Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering?: "Sure, Brain, but how are we going to find chaps our size?"
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: This episode has three examples:
- The first case is where the Brain is reading the table of contents of Merlin’s spell book: "Tabby cat turned into duck, tadpoles, magic uses of, Tahoe, how to win at blackjack..." (After reading that last one, he thinks about it for a couple of seconds, and then says, "Nah.")
- Second, the first four ingredients for the "Take Over the World" spell (the one he was looking for) are: six lizard legs, three eyes of newt, two hedgehog spleens, and one half-eaten gingerbread cookie that’s been left on the counter overnight. (Getting the final ingredient, a red dragon toenail clipping, is the main plot.)
- Finally, while traveling through the Enchanted Forest to the Murky Mountain to get it, the pair comes across a signpost pointing to the "Glade of Woe", the "Chasm of Despair" and the "Pit of Barbecue". (In regards to the last one, the Brain says, "Perhaps later.")
- The Cameo:
- Witch Hazel appears when Pinky and Brain come to her gingerbread house.
- When Pinky and Brian come across Slappy Squirrel, who is dressed like Little Red Riding Hood, she complains that they're ruining her cameo. We then see an argument between The Goodfeathers.
- When Pinky and Brain come to the Troll's bridge, Rita and Runt appear as the Troll's prisoners along with a goat the Troll had seized prior.
- When Pinky and Brain come to a giant beanstalk, the Warners climb down it, retrieving a singing harp resembling Dean Martin. Wakko then cuts down the beanstalk, causing the Giant that resembles Ralph to fall on Brain before Brain can shrink him.
- Circling Birdies: After getting whacked on the head, the Brain sees spinning windmills around his head.
- A Day in the Limelight: This marks the only Animaniacs episode to be a full half-hour "Pinky and the Brain" episode. It acts somewhat as a precursor to their eventual spin-off. Most of the other half-hour episodes were devoted to the Warners and only one in a later season was a full-length Slappy and Skippy episode.
- Crazy-Prepared: When Brain says that Merlin's Spell Book contains all the power in the universe, he was serious as the book contained spells for all occasions, including one for taking over the world.
- Disproportionate Retribution: The Red Dragon apparently cared a great deal about his hygiene as upon noticing one of his toenails had been snipped off, he whimpered a little before angrily chasing after Pinky and Brain.
- Don't Wake the Sleeper: When Pinky and Brain come to the Red Dragon's cave, they find the Red Dragon sleeping. When Brain starts clipping the Red Dragon's toenail, the dragon begins to stir and Brain gets Pinky to sing the Red Dragon a lullaby to keep him asleep, but when Pinky forgets the rhyme ("Go, my dragon, to sleepyland, it's dreamy-time, here comes the sand..."), Brain yells "Sandman, Pinky. Sandman!" to him, waking the Red Dragon up.
- Early-Bird Cameo: The Warners' cameo is a precursor to "The Warners and the Beanstalk", although, in that episode, the Golden Harp is portrayed by Hello Nurse rather than Dean Martin.
- Failure Is the Only Option: Near the end of the episode, Brain gathers all the ingredients and is about to recite the incantation for the spell that will allow him to conquer the world. Pinky sings a victory song as Brain recites the incantation, but when Pinky forgets the rhyme ("Brain's the boss, he'll rule with ease, he's #1, the big...), Brain frustratedly tells him, "Big Cheese!", which results in the spell turning Brain's head into a wedge of cheese.
- Human Hammer-Throw: The Troll does this to Brain after being shrunken by him.
- Incredible Shrinking Man: A Wicked Witch finds herself shrunk to the size of a lima bean when she threatens Pinky and the Brain when they travel past her gingerbread house.
- Mundane Utility: At the beginning of the episode, Merlin conjures up a pie. Brain considers it a waste of magic that he wouldn't partake in. He slightly relents when Pinky points out the possibility of forgetting to make dessert for after dinner.
- Non Sequitur, *Thud*: After getting whacked on the head, and seeing circling windmills, the Brain says, "All my thoughts are in Dutch."
- Poorly Disguised Pilot: This episode is the first half-hour-long Pinky and the Brain adventure, before the two lab mice eventually got their own spin-off.
- Race Against the Clock: With the Red Dragon searching the castle for them, Pinky and Brain had to act fast to complete their spell before it found them.
- Resized Vocals: When Witch Hazel is shrunk to the size of a lima bean she speaks in a voice so high-pitched as to be indecipherable.
- Running Gag: Pinky trying to make up songs, only to falter because he can't think of a rhyme (even when it's obvious), leaving Brain to frustratedly help out.
- Shrink Ray: Brain uses Merlin's magic wand and recites, "Charlie Sheen, Ben Vereen, shrink to the size of a lima bean!" to shrink his enemies.
- Standard Snippet: "Greensleeves" is the recurring theme Pinky keeps singing.
- Super-Persistent Predator: The Red Dragon was so infuriated over the mice stealing one of his toenails that he chases them through every checkpoint they had gone through all the way back to the castle, and even hunted for them all over the castle after they managed to give him the slip.
- Use Your Head: Brain uses his own large noggin to give Pinky a Dope Slap.
- Variations on a Theme Song: (to the tune of Greensleeves) "One's a genius, the other's insane / They're Pinky and the..... uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.... the Brain!"
Closing Tower gag: "Zort!"- Pinky
