Few animated series’ spring to mind when you try to smash cerebral sci-fi storytelling with slap-stick cartoon antics… “smartoons” if you will. Iconic pioneers such as Looney Tunes and The Simpsons… sure, sans the Sci-Fi. So goes the scathing politically incorrect satire of South Park as well. But in the case of Rick and Morty, nothing current seems to come close to the unabashedly unorthodox and unflinchingly unapologetic antics of this madman and his Morty.
Granted, there’s a certain amount of inner embarrassment knowing that we probably shouldn’t be watching this… or laughing so hard at this… or secretly agreeing with Rick’s warped sense of God-like hubris, but on the other hand… this show is squanching hilarious! But not only that, it’s intelligent. OK, yes, granted throughout the seasons Rick does turn himself into a pickle… and concocts an “insane in the love veins” love-potion for Morty that makes half the town wanna get-down… and stops time for more than a year while he, Morty and Summer act out every depraved urge each has with their immobile neighbors… and is constantly trying to scam, skim, exploit or extort his needy family to a point of almost certain insanity and/or death. But hey, that’s the price of being related to the smartest man in the Universe… right?
With all of that corrupt comedy in mind, it’s hard to pick a favorite season let alone episode, and luckily now we don’t have to, as Rick and Morty: Seasons 1-4 is now available to quench that bird-person thirst. And thank goodness too… my interdimensional cable just went out and I’m down to my last handful of Kalaxian Crystals.
Now, a bit of warning about the disc extras… there aren’t any. Well, there aren’t any new extras, that is. So, for those of us hoping to cash in on some extra features for the extra expense, new packaging and an exclusive poster are the only additional highlights to the set. No mention of just how “exclusive” the insert poster that comes with the set is, which would’ve been nice, i.e. limited-edition x/10,000 run or some variation. But the 18” x 24” poster is colorful and compact, making it – if COVID ever gives us the chance to congregate again – a nice Comic-Con stash just waiting to be signed by the cast.
Granted, the previous season set offerings were overflowing with extras, so there’s little to be too upset about. It’s just marginally disappointing given the fact that season one’s run was more than seven years ago now and – I’m sure – much has changed since that 2013 launch.
So, with solid Sci-Fi smarts mixed with family dysfunction and farts, Rick and Morty Seasons 1-4 is, ingeniously, a world away from any semblance of good clean fun.
Studio Synopsis: After having been missing for nearly 20 years, Rick Sanchez suddenly arrives at daughter Beth’s doorstep to move in with her and her family. Although Beth welcomes Rick into her home, her husband, Jerry, isn’t as happy about the family reunion. Jerry is concerned about Rick, a sociopathic scientist, using the garage as his personal laboratory. In the lab, Rick works on a number of sci-fi gadgets, some of which could be considered dangerous. But that’s not all Rick does that concerns Jerry. He also goes on adventures across the universe that often involve his children, Morty and Summer.
Studios: Warner Bros. | Adult Swim
Running Time: 919 minutes
Rating: TV-MA
Number of Disks: 4
Special Features:
Season 1
– Commentaries for Every Episode
– Animatics for Every Episode
– Behind the Scenes
– Deleted Scenes
Season 2
– Commentaries for Every Episode
– Animatics for Every Episode
– Deleted Animatic Sketches
– Rick and Morty Season 2 Premiere Party Featuring Chaos Chaos
Season 3
– Commentaries for Every Episode
– Animatics for Every Episode
– “Inside the Episode” for Every Episode
– Exclusive “Inside the Recording Booth”
– Origins of Rick and Morty Part 1 & 2
Season 4
– A Day at Rick and Morty: Inside Season 4
– “Inside the Episode” for Every Episode
– Creating Snake Jazz
– Directing Rick and Morty
– Samurai and Shogun
– Prop Process
– Character Creation
– Animation Challenges
Episodes:
Season 1
– Pilot
– Lawnmower Dog
– Anatomy Park
– M. Night Shaym-Aliens!
– Meeseeks and Destroy
– Rick Potion #9
– Raising Gazorpazorp
– Rixty Minutes
– Something Ricked This Way Comes
– Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind
– Ricksy Business
Season 2
– A Rickle in Time
– Mortynight Run
– Auto Erotic Assimilation
– Total Rickall
– Get Schwifty
– The Ricks Must Be Crazy
– Big Trouble in Little Sanchez
– Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate
– Look Who’s Purging Now
– The Wedding Squanchers
Season 3
– The Rickshank Rickdemption
– Rickmancing the Stone
– Pickle Rick
– Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender
– The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy
– Rest and Ricklaxation
– The Ricklantis Mixup
– Morty’s Mind Blowers
– The ABCs of Beth
– The Rickchurian Mortydate
Season 4
– Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat
– The Old Man and the Seat
– One Crew over the Crewcoo’s Morty
– Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Morty
– Rattlestar Ricklactica
– Never Ricking Morty
– Promortyus
– The Vat of Acid Episode
– Childrick of Mort
– Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerri
Additional Resources:
Central Voice Cast: Justin Roiland | Chris Parnell | Spencer Grammer | Sarah Chalke | Kari Wahlgren | Dan Harmon | Maurice LaMarche | Tom Kenny
Creators: Dan Harmon | Justin Roiland
Central Writers: Dan Harmon | Justin Roiland
Television Premiere: December 2, 2013
Blu-Ray/DVD Release: March 2, 2021
Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy
Supporting Cast and more Writers found HERE
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