'Pinky and the Brain' voice coming to life on Rialto stage

But if he starts talking in the voice of the “Animaniacs” characters Yakko or Pinky, you might do a double-take.

“Because I am anonymous, I don’t get (recognized) until people find out who I am. And when they do, it is just fantastic,” said the 61-year-old voice actor who is bringing his “Anamaniacs Live” show to the Rialto. “I can’t get enough of that. I am very grateful that happens.”

The all-ages show with pianist/vocalist Randy Rogel features 20 songs from the long-running, 1990s animated feature including “Yakko’s World,” “I’m Mad” and the dizzying “Nations of the World,” all performed live against the backdrop of “Animaniacs” clips.

For 35 years, Paulsen has lent his vocal and acting talents to animated shows including the phenomenally popular 1990s Steven Spielberg creation “Pinky and the Brain” and “Animaniacs”; “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”; and “Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius.”

He has more than 2,000 hours of animation credits, but “Animaniacs,” in which he was the voice of Pinky, Yakko and Dr. Scratchansniff, is his most enduring run. The show, which had 99 episodes over five seasons on Fox Kids and The WB, was resurrected last year by Netflix, exposing Paulsen to a whole new generation of fans.

Last spring, Paulsen debuted “Animaniacs Live” with several original cast members. Saturday’s Rialto show features Paulsen with the series’ composer Rogel, who penned those songs.

When you ask Paulsen if he performs the songs in character, he immediately slips into the nasally, squeaky voice of Yakko and starts rattling off the sing-song names of countries from “Nations of the World,” which is sure to be a highlight of Saturday’s concert.

“It is the most wonderful thing, especially that one because it is kind of this seminal piece and they raise the house lights and everybody is transfixed,” said Paulsen, who estimated he’s sung the song live at least 150 times. “It really is kind of a cool parlor trick.”

We talked to Paulsen last week from his home in Los Angeles about the show and his life as a cartoon character.

Did you ever imagine you’d grow up to be a cartoon?

“No, and I’ll tell you ... when I came to L.A., next year it will be 40 years ago, I was a singer and became an actor and I moved to L.A. to do live action stuff, movies and commercials. But there are a zillion average-looking 22-year-old boys with SAG (Screen Actors Guild) cards in L.A. and a lot of them are really talented. ... When the opportunity came up to read for animation projects ... I took (it) because I wanted to work. One thing led to another and it didn’t take me long to say, ‘Look, man this is the gig. Nobody cares what I look like. I can sing, I can sing in character, I can make up stuff, I can improvise. I can literally play in a giant Hollywood sandbox.’ I am really grateful that my ego didn’t prevent me from wanting to be recognized walking down the street. It’s turned out to be the greatest decision of my career because I’ve been doing it a long time.”

Which characters are your favorites?

“If somebody said you have two years before you check out, what do you want to work on every day? I would have to say ‘Pinky and the Brain’ because of Maurice LaMarche, who is just a marvelous talent who’s the brain. ... ‘Pinky and the Brain’ and ‘Animaniacs’ I think are ones I could do forever because of the music, the humor, the folks that created it.”

Are there any you wouldn’t do again?

“There isn’t one that I’m tired of. In fact, there’s a song that I did in ‘Animaniacs,’ my character is Yakko and Yakko got to sing in almost every episode and that’s my most favorite thing to do. And there’s a song in which I enumerate all the countries of the world. It’s a really brilliant piece. ... People will ask me if I like singing it. I do. It’s a really lovely little parlor trick and the audience loves it and, honestly, the problem will come when people stop asking. I never want to get to that point. It’s purely joyful. The audience loves it. I love it.”

Do people ask you to slip into character?

“They do. It is kind of being like a trained seal, but this is what I asked for. ... If you are lucky enough to get to a point that when people find out who you are they get all fluffed with excitement and say oh, will you talk like Pinky or Raphael or Yakko. Of course I will. Its the most wonderful thing in the world. Now let me qualify that: I have never been in a circumstance where I can’t go to Target without getting mobbed from my car to the door.”

How do you bring “Animaniacs” to life in the live shows?

“It’s pretty effortless. ... And that’s the idea. ... Randy and I have worked it so long that we’ve become like a cartoon Rat Pack, bantering about the work we’ve gotten to do and the songs are so good. They hear the songs and they also hear the stories behind the songs. And they hear the songs that didn’t make the show. ... It’s really, really entertaining. We always do a Q&A because people love to ask questions about Steven Spielberg and the other actors ... who’ve gone on to become big stars. ... (The audience) sings along and there will be a break in the song and the audience knows what to say to fill in. It’s a gas.

“We have animation on the screen which we can perform songs in real time to what’s up on the screen. That’s pretty cool, a pretty slick way of performing. Honestly, every time I go to one of these events, I leave exhausted from saying thank you.”