“Weird Al” Yankovic has been a music and pop culture icon for over forty years. All thanks to his parody songs receiving mainstream radio play starting in the ’80s. But ever since “Eat It,” poking fun at Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” in 1984, he’s been a household name. He even starred in his own movie once, the off-the-wall comedy UHF. But did you know he also made a 3D comedic educational film about the wonders of the human brain, that played at state fairs around the country, back in 2009? For years, the film was thought lost. But via Noise11, we’ve learned that Al finally uploaded Al’s Brain: A 3-D Journey Through the Human Brain online after 17 years. You can now watch the full 10-minute video below:
Because this was a “Weird Al” Yankovic project, music had to play a role. For this film, Al wrote and performed “The Brain Song,” which is exactly about what it sounds like. Al later included the song in Medium Rarities, included in his Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of “Weird Al” Yankovic box set. But the film it came from was essentially missing for years. Somehow, Al got one of music’s most iconic names to cameo, as Sir Paul McCartney himself pops up. If only for a very brief moment.
Also featured in Al’s Brain are Patton Oswalt, Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim, ’90s official sexy poster boy Fabio, and others. The whole video has some CGI animation that is, shall we say, very of its time? Actually, it looks more like it’s from the late ’90s than even 2009. But maybe “Weird Al” Yankovic was working on a budget here? Still, it’s a fun little video that breaks down the functions of the human brain in a way that everyone, especially young kids, can understand. And we’re glad folks can watch it whenever they want to now.