Rick_and_Morty:_The_Anime
Rick and Morty: The Anime
2023 Japanese–American anime television series
Rick and Morty: The Anime is an animated science fiction sitcom series created and developed by Takashi Sano and produced by Studio Deen, Sola Entertainment, and Telecom Animation Film for Adult Swim. The third series in the franchise, based on the animated series of the same name by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, it stars Yōhei Tadano as Rick Sanchez and Keisuke Chiba as Morty Smith, reprising their roles from the Japanese dub of the original series. Following five pilot short films released from March 29, 2020, to October 10, 2021, the series is set to premiere its first season in 2024.
| Rick and Morty: The Anime | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | Takashi Sano |
| Based on | |
| Developed by | Takashi Sano |
| Voices of |
|
| Country of origin |
|
| Original language | Japanese |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 5 shorts |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Maki Terashima-Furuta |
| Producer | Koji Iijima |
| Production companies | Studio Deen Sola Entertainment Telecom Animation Film Williams Street |
| Original release | |
| Network | Adult Swim (Toonami) |
| Related | |
The show revolves around the adventures of the members of the Smith household, in particular mad scientist and samurai Rick Sanchez, and his grandchildren, the 14-year-old Morty Smith, and the 17-year-old Summer Smith, whose parents, Jerry and Beth Smith (Rick's daughter), disapprove of their adventures.
Different versions of the characters (including the bespectacled genocider, President Morty Smith) inhabit other dimensions throughout the show's multiverse, with their personal characteristics varying from one reality to another.[1][2]
Main
- Yōhei Tadano as Rick Sanchez
- Keisuke Chiba as Morty Smith and President Morty
- Manabu Muraji [ja] as Jerry Smith
- Akiha Matsui [ja] as Summer Smith
- Jun Irie [ja] as Beth Smith and Space Beth
Guest
- Manabu Muraji as AI Driver and Hologram Transvestite
- Yuki Minami as Hologram Girl
- Hinata Tadokoro [ja], Daiki Kobayashi [ja], Hodaka Mieno, Nanami Yamashita, and Kazuya Saji as Future Beings
- Misa Ishii as Jessica
A revived Tammy Gueterman / Phoenixwoman will appear in the series.
Short films (2020–21)
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Samurai & Shogun" | Kaichi Sato | Kaichi Sato | March 29, 2020 (2020-03-29) |
| 2 | "Rick and Morty vs. Genocider" | Takashi Sano | Takashi Sano | July 26, 2020 (2020-07-26) |
| 3 | "Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil)" | Takashi Sano | Takashi Sano | August 2, 2021 (2021-08-02) |
| 4 | "The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara" | Masaru Matsumoto | Naohiro Fukushima | October 10, 2021 (2021-10-10) |
| 5 | "Samurai & Shogun Part 2" | Kaichi Sato | Kaichi Sato | November 12, 2021 (2021-11-12) |
A six-minute short film titled Samurai & Shogun aired unannounced on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block on March 29, 2020,[lower-alpha 1] during the hiatus of the fourth season of Rick and Morty, before being uploaded to Adult Swim's YouTube channel the following day. Written and directed by Kaichi Sato, and produced by Koji Iijima and Studio Deen and executive producer Maki Terashima-Furuta, the episode features a different animation and art style than usual, and is heavily themed around anime, specifically Lone Wolf & Cub. The short stars Yōhei Tadano as "Rick WTM-72" and Keisuke Chiba as "Shogun Morty", the pair reprising their roles from the Japanese dub of the animated series.[3][4]
Another eight-minute short film titled Rick & Morty vs. Genocider aired unannounced on Toonami on July 26, 2020,[lower-alpha 2] debuting on YouTube slightly after. Written and directed by Takashi Sano, produced by Sola Entertainment, animated at Telecom Animation Film, and starring Tadano and Chiba as Rick and Morty, Manabu Muraji as Jerry, "AI Driver", and "Hologram Transvestite", and Yuki Minami as "Hologram Girl", the episode explores the conflict between President Morty and Rick C-137.[5][6][7]
A third short film, titled Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil) and also written and directed by Takashi Sano, was released on YouTube on August 2, 2021, and aired on Adult Swim the following day. A fourth short film, titled The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara, directed by Masaru Matsumoto and written by Naohiro Fukushima, was released on YouTube on October 10, 2021, and aired on Adult Swim the following day.
A fifth short film, titled Samurai & Shogun Part 2 and featuring the return of Samurai & Shogun's Kaichi Sato as writer and director, was released on YouTube on November 12, 2021 as part of the 2021 Adult Swim Festival. Consequentially, on May 18, 2022, due to the positive reception of the previous five films, Adult Swim ordered a 10-episode anime series of Rick and Morty: The Anime, directed by Takashi Sano and from Telecom Animation.[8]
The series will premiere on Adult Swim in 2024.[8]
- Jung, E. Alex (12 September 2017). "Here's What We Know About Rick and Morty's Evil Morty". Vulture. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- Puchko, Kristy (5 September 2022). "'Rick and Morty' Season 6 premiere explainer: All your mind-blower questions answered". Mashable. Retrieved 21 November 2022.
- Joho, Jess (29 March 2020). ""Rick and Morty" Are "Samurai & Shogun" in New Adult Swim Short [VIDEO]". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- Hodgkins, Crystalyn (29 March 2020). "Studio DEEN Produces 5-Minute 'Samurai & Shogun' Short for Rick and Morty Animated Series". Anime News Network. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- Hibberd, James (18 May 2022). "'Rick and Morty' Anime Spinoff Announced by Adult Swim". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
