Rick and Morty (franchise)
Rick and Morty is an American animated science-fiction comedy franchise, whose eponymous duo consists of Rick Sanchez and Morty Smith. Rick and Morty were created by cartoonist Justin Roiland for a 2006 parody film of Back to the Future for Channel 101, a short film festival co-founded by Dan Harmon. After six years, the sketch was developed into Rick and Morty, a half-hour prime time show that was a hit for Adult Swim, receiving universal acclaim across all seasons. Alongside the original television series, the characters of the show have been featured in a variety of media, including spin-offs, comic books, musical releases and video games. The show has earned hundreds of millions of dollars in income across their merchandising and media franchise.[1]
Rick and Morty
2013–present
- Rick and Morty (2015–2020)
- Lil' Poopy Superstar (2016)
- Pocket Like You Stole It (2017)
- Presents (2018–present)
- Dungeons & Dragons (2018–19)
- Dungeons & Dragons II: Painscape (2019–20)
- Go to Hell (2020)
- Ever After (2020–21)
- Worlds Apart (2021)
- Rick's New Hat (2021)
- Corporate Assets (2021-22)
- Infinity Hour (2022)
- Crisis on C-137 (2022-2023)
- Rick and Morty vs. Cthulhu (2022–23)
- The Manga (2023)
- Meeseeks, P.I. (2023–24)
- Finals Week (2024)
- The Non-Canonical Adventures (2016–2017; 2019)
- Bushworld Adventures (2018)
- Samurai & Shogun (2020)
- Rick and Morty vs. Genocider (2020)
- Rick + Morty in the Eternal Nightmare Machine (2021)
- Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil) (2021)
- The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara (2021)
- Samurai and Shogun Part 2 (2021)
- Rick and Morty (2013–present)
- Vindicators 2: Last Stand Between Earth and Doom (2022)
- Rick and Morty: The Anime (2023)
- Total Rickall Game
- Mr. Meeseeks' Box o' Fun
- Anatomy Park Game
- Dungeons & Dragons vs. Rick and Morty
- Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind Game
- Look Who’s Purging Now Game
- The Morty Zone Dice Game
- The Pickle Rick Game
- The Ricks Must Be Crazy Multiverse Game
- The Rickshank Rickdemption Game
Pocket Mortys (2016)
Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality (2017)
The series centers on the misadventures of cynical mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his good-hearted but fretful grandson Morty Smith, who split their time between domestic life and interdimensional adventures, with the characters traveling to other planets and dimensions through portals and Rick's flying car. Different versions of the characters inhabit other dimensions throughout the show's multiverse and their personal characteristics can vary from one reality to another. The Rick and Morty franchise has received widespread critical acclaim, winning two Annie and Emmy Awards.
Background
Creation
Justin Roiland conceived of the idea for Rick and Morty as an evolution of his 2006 short film parody series The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti, inspired by Back to the Future and Scud: The Disposable Assassin, the latter series of which future Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon had written for.[2]
Themes
Dan Harmon has described Rick and Morty as "a never-ending fart joke wrapped around a studied look into nihilism".[3] The formula of the series consists of juxtapositioning two conflicting scenarios: an extremely selfish, alcoholic grandfather dragging his grandson along for interdimensional adventures, intercut with domestic family drama,[2][4] while addressing the insignificance of human existence as compared to the size of the universe, with no recognizable divine presence, as described by H. P. Lovecraft's philosophy of cosmicism. The characters of the series deal with existential dread and cosmic horror, either by asserting the utility of science over magic or by choosing a life in ignorant bliss.[5] However, as Joachim Heijndermans of Geeks notes, none of the characters appear able to handle the absurd and chaotic nature of the universe, as Jerry gets by through denial while Rick is a "depressed, substance-addicted, suicidal mess".[6]
Harmon describes the titular Rick Sanchez as a self-interested anarchist, who doesn't like being told what to do.[7] He believes that the character's life on a larger scale has caused him mental illness,[8] and opines that "the knowledge that nothing matters—while accurate—gets you nowhere".[9] Matthew Bulger of The Humanist noted that the creators of the series were trying to communicate the message that we need to focus on human relationships and not preoccupy our minds with unanswerable questions, in order to find a sense of purpose and live a better life.[10] Eric Armstrong of The New Republic notes that Morty represents the audience, as he is "mostly there to react to Rick's deranged schemes". The character is transformed by the truths he discovers during his interdimensional adventures with his grandfather. However, instead of sinking into depression, Morty accepts these truths that empower him to value his own life.[11]
Occasionally, characters will acknowledge an episode's narrative or hint at the presence of a fourth wall, suggesting that they are aware of the fact that they are characters of a television series. Thereunder, Troy Patterson of The New Yorker notes that Rick and Morty "supplies an artful answer to the question of what follows postmodernism: a decadent regurgitation of all its tropes, all at once, leavened by some humanistic wistfulness."[12] Sean Sebastian of Junkee says that the show can be both hilarious and deeply disturbing at the same time as it excels at the "intersection between big ideas, flippancy and wit."[13]
Short films
From 2017 to 2019, Adult Swim released a series of claymation short films called Rick and Morty: The Non-Canonical Adventures on YouTube. They were created by Lee Hardcastle, and parody films in the horror and science fiction genres.[39]
On March 29, 2020, an anime short film called Samurai & Shogun on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block and were promptly uploaded to the network's YouTube channel. It was directed by Kaichi Saton and produced and animated by Studio Deen.[40]
On July 26, 2020, a second special Rick and Morty anime short was aired, titled Rick and Morty VS. Genocider. It was written and directed by Takashi Sano, produced by Sola Entertainment, and animated by Telecom Animation Film. The 8-minute, 15-second-long short features Japanese dialogue with English subtitles.[41]
On April 30, 2021, a pixel art-animated short film was aired, titled Rick + Morty in the Eternal Nightmare Machine. The 17-minute short film was written, directed, and animated solely by animator Paul Robertson, in the style of a 16-bit video game.[42]
On August 2, 2021, a third anime short film titled "Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil)" was uploaded to YouTube and aired on Adult Swim the next day. It was also written and directed by Takashi Sano and produced and animated by Sola Entertainment and Telecom Animation Film, respectively. Like the previous short films, the 15-minute feature contains Japanese dialogue with English subtitles.[43]
On October 10, 2021, a fourth anime short film titled "The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara" was released on YouTube and aired on Adult Swin the following day. It was directed by Masaru Matsumoto, written by Naohiro Fukushima, animated by Yamato Works Inc and produced by Sola Entertainment. The 10 and a half minute animation has Japanese dialogue with English subtitles and continues with Yōhei Tadano and Keisuke Chiba voicing Rick and Morty respectively.[44]
Merchandise
Home releases
The 11-episode first season of Rick and Morty was released by Warner Home Video on DVD (2-disc set) and Blu-ray (single BD-50 disc) on October 7, 2014. Special features include commentary and animatics for every episode, deleted scenes, behind the scenes featurette and commentaries by special guests Matt Groening, Robert Kirkman, Pendleton Ward, Al Jean and others.[61][62] The 10-episode second season was released on DVD (2-disc set) and Blu-ray (single BD-50 disc) on June 7, 2016. Special features include behind the scenes, commentary and animatics for every episode, deleted animatic sketches and a "Plumbus Owner's Manual" booklet.[63][64] The 10-episode third season, was released on DVD (2-disc set) and Blu-ray (single BD-50 disc) on May 15, 2018. Special features include exclusive commentary and animatics for every episode, "inside the episode", the origins of Rick and Morty, and an exclusive "inside the recording booth" session.[65] On February 12, 2019, a set containing seasons 1-3 was released on DVD and Blu-ray.[66]
Uncensored versions of the show are also available to purchase on various digital platforms, including iTunes and Amazon, with the digital releases of each season containing bonus material.[67] The digital release of the first season includes the 2013 Rick and Morty Comic-Con panel,[68] the digital release of the second season includes the 2015 ATX Television Festival panel,[69] and the digital release of the third season includes commentary on every episode, as well as seven more short videos featuring co-creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland.[70]
The show streamed on Netflix in all regions internationally and while has since been removed in multiple regions, it remains available in over a dozen countries.[71]
Music
On August 27, 2017, the song "Terryfold", recorded by the American indie pop band Chaos Chaos and featuring Justin Roiland on vocals, was released onto music streaming platforms and made available for digital download. The song was created for the third-season episode "Rest and Ricklaxation".[72] On March 16, 2018, Adult Swim released a music video directed by Juan Meza-León in which the series' eponymous characters embark on an adventure, while the song "Oh Mama" from the American hip hop duo Run the Jewels plays in the background. The video promoted the duo's appearance in the 2018 Adult Swim Festival.[73]
Board and card games
On June 22, 2016, Cryptozoic Entertainment released Total Rickall, a co-operative strategy card game based on the plot of the second-season episode of the same name, where players must determine which characters are real and which ones are parasites.[74] On August 3, 2016, Cryptozoic Entertainment released Mr. Meeseeks' Box o' Fun, a game combining elements of dice games and truth or dare featuring the popular Mr. Meeseeks character from the first-season episode "Meeseeks and Destroy".[75] On July 12, 2017, Cryptozoic Entertainment released Anatomy Park — The Game,[76] a co-operative tile-placing strategy game based on the plot of the first-season episode of the same name, where players score points by placing park tiles into the best spots within the body.[77] On November 19, 2019, Wizards of the Coast released Dungeons & Dragons vs. Rick and Morty, a starter box set for 5th Edition Dungeons & Dragons. It includes a Rick and Morty themed adventure (The Lost Dungeon Of Rickedness: Big Rick Energy), a rulebook, five pre-generated character sheets inspired by characters in the show, a specially designed DM screen, and a set of dice.[78][79]
Other
As a promotion for the third season of Rick and Morty, on May 11, 2017, the Rickmobile, a traveling shop with exclusive merchandise, made its first stop in Atlanta for the Rick and Morty Don't Even Trip Road Trip.[80][81]
Several licensed Funko Pops have been based on various characters of Rick and Morty.[82] Hot Topic has sold many licensed Rick and Morty products such as T-shirts, Boxer Briefs, Hats, socks, Tank tops, shoes, hoodies, and Sweatshirts.[83]