The Amazing Digital Circus | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Genre | Dark comedy [1] [2] Psychological drama [3] |
Created by | Gooseworx |
Showrunner | Gooseworx |
Written by | Gooseworx |
Directed by | Gooseworx |
Voices of |
|
Theme music composer | Gooseworx |
Opening theme | "The Amazing Digital Circus Main Theme" (vocals by Lizz Robinett, pilot only) |
Ending theme | "Digital Days" |
Composers |
|
Country of origin | Australia |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 2 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producer | Kevin Lerdwichagul |
Editors |
|
Running time | 25 minutes |
Production company | Glitch Productions |
Original release | |
Network | YouTube |
Release | October 13, 2023 – present |
The Amazing Digital Circus is an independent-animated web series created and directed by Gooseworx and produced by Glitch Productions. The series follows a group of humans trapped inside a circus-themed virtual reality game, where they are troubled by a rogue artificial intelligence while coping with personal traumas and psychological tendencies. Gooseworx pitched the series to Glitch, inspired by 1990s computer-generated imagery and the short story "I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream" by American writer Harlan Ellison.
The series began production in 2022, and its pilot episode premiered on Glitch Productions' YouTube channel on October 13, 2023. The pilot went viral and became one of the most-viewed animation pilots on the platform. The short was praised by critics for its animation and dark themes, and it was nominated for an Annie Award. The full series entered production following the pilot's popularity.
The Amazing Digital Circus follows a cast of humans—Pomni, Jax, Ragatha, Gangle, Kinger, and Zooble—who have become trapped in the titular circus, a virtual reality game. Under the direction of their ringmaster, the artificial intelligence Caine, they engage in nonsensical adventures at the risk of losing their sanity and "abstracting" into digital monsters. [2] [4]
No. | Title | Original release date | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | "Pilot" | October 13, 2023 | |
After donning a virtual reality headset, a woman becomes trapped in a circus-themed computer game inhabited by the artificial intelligence Caine, his assistant Bubble, and six other trapped humans: Jax, Ragatha, Gangle, Kinger, Zooble, and Kaufmo. The woman—renamed "Pomni" after forgetting her original name—repeatedly notices an exit door that Caine dismisses as a hallucination. While Caine sends the group on an adventure to gather creatures called Gloinks, Kaufmo is found by Pomni, Ragatha and Jax to have "abstracted" into a mindless beast out of despair. Pomni seeks Caine's help after Kaufmo causes Ragatha to glitch, but she finds the exit door and deserts Ragatha to escape. However, the door leads her through a labyrinth of office spaces to the digital void beyond the circus. Caine rescues Pomni as the others return from the adventure following an encounter with Kaufmo, whom Caine imprisons in a cellar with other abstracted humans before repairing Ragatha. He then admits he created the "exit" to fulfill the group's desire for one, but never knew what to put behind the door, leaving it unfinished. Deeming the adventure complete, Caine rewards the group with a feast of non-sustaining digital food, which Pomni attends in silence. | |||
2 | "Candy Carrier Chaos!" | May 3, 2024 | |
Caine sends the group to a new map, the Candy Canyon Kingdom, on an adventure to recover a tanker of stolen maple syrup from bandit non-player characters (NPCs). During a chase, Pomni and the bandits' leader, Gummigoo, are ejected from the map by a glitch caused when their vehicles collide. Out of bounds, Gummigoo discovers his own spare model among the map's assets and suffers an existential crisis, realizing his reality is fabricated. Pomni empathizes with Gummigoo and invites him to live at the circus to find new meaning in his life with her. The two return to the map by performing another collision glitch with a replica syrup tanker, which they give to the other bandits before leaving. Upon Gummigoo's arrival at the circus, Caine immediately deletes him to keep himself from confusing the humans and NPCs. Pomni is distraught, but finds comfort and acceptance within the group when they bring her to a funeral for the abstracted Kaufmo. |
The Amazing Digital Circus is directed, written, composed, and showrun by Gooseworx. Kevin Temmer is the series' lead animator, while Glitch Productions's founders, Luke and Kevin Lerdwichagul, are executive producers. [6] Pre-production on the pilot episode began in mid-2022, and production started in full later that year. [7] Gooseworx conceived the characters and designs; [7] she reported designing the characters in under a week. [8] Inspirations for the show include the short story I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream . [1] [4]
Glitch initially noticed Gooseworx's animated short Little Runmo, which Jasmine Yang, development producer and general manager of Glitch, felt was exactly what they wanted to do: "It was funny, a little dark, and definitely very weird, like nothing we had seen before". [9] Glitch contacted Gooseworx and asked her to create a pilot, which she then accepted. [9] Gooseworx presented three pitches to Glitch, and the one that would become The Amazing Digital Circus was chosen. [7] [9] Knowing that the pilot would be in 3D, she tried to create an idea that would best fit that style, mentioning, in particular, her inspiration from 1990s and early 2000s 3D works, "where it looked kinda bad and creepy but was also completely unrestricted creatively". [9] Yang said that the pitch's 1990s-inspired computer-generated imagery (CGI) style and nostalgic references to toys and computer games caught their attention, feeling that their audience would enjoy these characteristics. [9] The Glitch team felt that this particular pitch had the greatest potential, especially due to the nostalgic appeal of the 1990s-inspired CGI renders, and recognized it as something uniquely distinctive that no one else could replicate. [7]
Gooseworx stated that, while her original pitch was "more chaotic and silly", the story unexpectedly got "a lot deeper and more nuanced", with a "stronger emotional backbone", during the show's development. [8]
The 3D animation process of The Amazing Digital Circus's pilot was structured similarly to most other studios, with dedicated departments for various tasks. [7] They primarily used Autodesk Maya for the 3D work and then rendered everything in Unreal Engine. [7] [10] The series was animated at 30 frames per second. [10] Kevin Temmer, the series' lead animator, who was previously a junior animator at Blue Sky Studios, initially received a message from one of Glitch's founders, Kevin Lerdwichugal, asking him to animate a teaser trailer for The Amazing Digital Circus. During the process, Temmer was asked to join Glitch's team full-time. [10] According to him, he "couldn't say no to an opportunity to work on something so wacky and cartoony". [8] The animators, including Temmer, were given a few scenes to complete every two weeks. They would regularly submit their progress for review by Gooseworx and Temmer, and this process would continue until both approved the scenes. [10] Some of the movements, shaking, and glitching of characters and props in the pilot were inspired by Source Filmmaker and Garry's Mod machinimas, something that Glitch had already done with their SMG4 videos. [10]
Gooseworx had little experience with 3D works, [7] hand-drawn 2D animation being her area of expertise. [9] As such, according to Yang, Glitch had to work "very closely" with Gooseworx to translate her 2D style to 3D; Gooseworx became The Amazing Digital Circus's showrunner and they "worked hard to maintain her vision as much as possible". [9] In developing the show's visuals, they wanted it to resemble early CGI animated films and series without seeming outdated. Gooseworx and Glitch worked to create a balance between retro 3D and toys; Gooseworx initially wanted the show to be "pure and faithful to the retro rendering style of early 3D animation". [9] Ultimately, they went with a "rose-tinted version" of that style. [9] As Gooseworx likes "juxtapositions like happy music playing to something horrifying or cute little characters being miserable", she wanted the visuals to not necessarily reflect its darker story. [9] She wanted the show to "feel kind of lonely". [9]
During The Amazing Digital Circus' pre-production phase in the middle of 2022, Glitch released character trailers that were actually proofs of concept testing the series' animation style and visuals. [7] A teaser was released on January 27, 2023. [‡ 1] The pilot's official trailer was released on September 22, [‡ 2] and the episode was released on October 13. [‡ 3] Following the pilot's popularity, Glitch confirmed in November that there would be "more Digital Circus". [11] In February 2024, a full season was announced to be in production, with the pilot being "upgraded" to episode 1. [‡ 4] [6] A trailer for the second episode was released on April 19, 2024. [‡ 5] [12] The episode, "Candy Carrier Chaos!", was released on May 3, 2024. [‡ 6] [13]
Glitch stated that there are no plans for The Amazing Digital Circus to be put on streaming platforms besides YouTube, as they want full creative control of their productions. [8] [9] The show has been promoted with merchandise. [4] [9] [13] On the long wait between the release of each episode, Yang said: "If we had to wait until the entire season was ready before dropping any episodes, [the Digital Circus pilot] would not have premiered for years ... dropping all the episodes at the same time is not only impractical but also counterintuitive ... For us, not only is [the wait] practical but it works a little bit in our favor because every time we make a new episode of anything, we can make a big event about it." [13]
The pilot for The Amazing Digital Circus became a viral video on YouTube. [1] [9] By late November 2023, it had surpassed 150 million views, [11] and by February 2024, it had over 270 million views, making it among the most-watched animation pilots in the history of YouTube. [6] This popularity was not foreseen by Glitch. [6] [8] [9] The series received a notable amount of fan creations and memes, [1] [4] [8] getting highly popular on TikTok. [1]
Critics praised The Amazing Digital Circus's pilot animation. [2] [9] [14] Justin Guerrero of Comics Beat called it "wonderful and expressive", [2] while Jamie Lang of Cartoon Brew and Jade King of TheGamer felt it was bright, colorful and fun. [4] [9] Lang further complimented that its aesthetic elements feel familiar without being cliche, giving a modern vibe to early CGI. [9] Common Sense Media reviewer Stephanie Morgan praised the innovative animation and distinctive setting. [14] Some critics noted the episode's dark humor and story; [4] [14] [15] King praised the contrast it gave with the visuals, [4] while Morgan described the show as "quirky ... with a touch of darkness". [14] Zachary Moser of ScreenRant said that the series "deals with existential questions about reality and nihilism". [15] Critics highlighted the episode's jokes, [9] [14] with Lang describing them as "timed with frame-to-frame perfection", with a "mature" sense of humor, [9] and Morgan praising the clever fourth-wall-breaking jokes. [14] Morgan criticized the "repetitive nature of the character traits". [14]
The Amazing Digital Circus's second episode surpassed 30 million views the day after its release. [‡ 7] Gail Sherman of Boing Boing described the second episode as "a candy-coated existential crisis" and called both the first and second episodes "brutal". [16]
In 2024, Kevin Temmer was nominated at the 51st Annie Awards in the "Best Character Animation – TV/Media" category for his work in The Amazing Digital Circus' pilot.
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | Annie Awards | Best Character Animation – TV/Media | The Amazing Digital Circus: "Pilot" – Kevin Temmer | Nominated | [17] |
Polygon Pictures, Inc. is a Japanese 3DCG animation studio.
Wreck-It Ralph is a 2012 American animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Rich Moore and produced by Clark Spencer, from a screenplay written by Phil Johnston and Jennifer Lee, and a story by Moore, Johnston, and Jim Reardon. John Lasseter served as the film’s executive producer. Featuring the voices of John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch, the film tells the story of the eponymous arcade game villain who rebels against his "bad guy" role and dreams of becoming a hero.
Universal Animation Studios LLC is an American animation studio and a division of Universal Pictures, which is a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast. It has produced direct-to-video sequels to Universal-released feature films, such as The Land Before Time, An American Tail, Balto, and Curious George, as well as other films and television series.
"A Glitch Is a Glitch" is the fifteenth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series Adventure Time. It was written, storyboarded, and directed by Irish filmmaker David OReilly. It originally aired on Cartoon Network on April 1, 2013.
RWBY is an American anime-influenced 3D computer-animated web series created by Monty Oum for Rooster Teeth. It is set in the fictional world of Remnant, where young people train to become warriors to protect their world from monsters called Grimm. The name RWBY is derived from the four main protagonists' forenames: Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long, and their respective thematic colors.
Masha and the Bear is a Russian preschool comedy animated television series created by Oleg Kuzovkov and produced by Animaccord Animation Studio, loosely based on the oral children's folk story of the same name. The show focuses on the adventures of a very young girl named Masha and her caring friend, the bear that always keeps her safe from disasters.
Helluva Boss is an American adult animated musical web series created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. It revolves around the misadventures of the employees of I.M.P., a company in Hell that offers hitman services in the realm of the living. The pilot was released on November 25, 2019, while the first episode of the first season was released on October 31, 2020. Set in the same fictional universe as Hazbin Hotel, the show is produced by SpindleHorse Toons. The first season was released exclusively on Medrano's YouTube channel, as she has done for other animations. The second season premiered on July 30, 2022. On March 27, 2023, the show was confirmed to be renewed for a third season, in active production. On April 26, 2024, a spin-off short series of Helluva Boss titled Helluva Shorts was announced at LVLUP Expo, with the first short being released on the same day.
Hazbin Hotel is an American adult animated musical comedy television series created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. The series revolves around Charlie Morningstar, princess of Hell, on her quest to find a way for sinners to be "rehabilitated" and allowed into Heaven, via her "Hazbin Hotel", as an alternative to Heaven's annual "Extermination" of souls due to Hell's overpopulation. The series is produced by SpindleHorse Toons in collaboration with A24, Amazon Studios, and the animation studio Bento Box Entertainment.
Glitch Productions Pty. Ltd. is an Australian animation studio based in Sydney, New South Wales. The studio was founded in 2017 by producer Kevin Lerdwichagul and animator Luke Lerdwichagul, who is known for being the creator of the sketch comedy web series SMG4.
Sherwood is an animated science fiction streaming television series created by Diana Manson and Megan Laughton that premiered on March 6, 2019, on YouTube Premium. It is a new telling of the Robin Hood legend. Some reviewers have noted the focus on socioeconomic class, as Robin lives among "the impoverished 99%," leading rebels who will overthrow the Sheriff, who lives in an Upper City housing "the wealthy citizens of Sherwood." Others also noted the focus on class difference, with Robin and her comrades trying to "overcome inequality and fight for justice." Apart from this, others said the series has a cyberpunk feeling to it.
Vivienne Medrano, also known by her online alias VivziePop, is an American YouTuber, animator, writer, director, producer, and voice actress. She is best known as the creator of the musical television series Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss. She also created the webcomic ZooPhobia.
Christopher Luke O'Neill, also known by his Internet pseudonym Oney or OneyNG, is an Irish YouTuber, animator, cartoonist, video game designer, musician, and voice actor. He is known for his Flash animations and being the founder and host of the YouTube Let's Play web series OneyPlays. He is also the owner of the video game production company OneyWare.
Smiling Friends is an Australian-American adult animated television series created by Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block, which revolves around the surreal misadventures of a small charity and its four employees dedicated to spreading happiness. The show utilizes a wide variety of different art styles and animation techniques. This includes but is not limited to stylized traditional animation, CGI, rotoscoping, stop motion, and live-action.
Murder Drones is an Australian-American adult black horror comedy independent animated web series created by Liam Vickers and produced by Glitch Productions.
In the text, these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):