SDCC 2024: Rick and Morty: The Anime Execs Explain How the Shorts Inspired a Full Series

As a dedicated fan of both animated series and Japanese anime, I couldn’t be more thrilled about the upcoming spinoff series, Rick and Morty: The Anime. Having followed the journey of the original shorts from their debut to the announcement of a full series, it’s simply amazing to see how it all came together.


Title Transformation: “Rick and Morty: The Anime” Spin-off Series Debuting This Summer on Adult Swim

Hey there! During San Diego Comic-Con 2024, I had a chance to sit down with Jason DeMarco and Joseph Chou, the minds behind Rick and Morty. They shared an interesting story about how they collaborated with Sano on some anime shorts a few years back. This partnership sparked something special – it paved the way for the full-fledged anime series we now know as Rick and Morty: The Anime.

How Rick and Morty Became a Full Anime Series

In my previous role, I was responsible for managing Adult Swim’s programming, including promoting “Rick and Morty”. We had a tendency at Adult Swim to collaborate with independent animators worldwide to create unique versions of our shows. Given the popularity of “Rick and Morty”, we decided to experiment with various interpretations. One of these ideas was to produce anime-style shorts, which we commissioned. I discussed this concept with Joseph [Chou], who recommended Takashi Sano for the job. Sano then created “Rick and Morty vs. Genocider”, a massive hit that paved the way for the development of the series.

Chou went into more detail, sharing his initial surprise at the suggestion of turning “Rick and Morty” into an anime. He recounted, “It was quite intriguing as when he suggested creating an anime version of ‘Rick and Morty’ and I responded with disbelief, saying, ‘That Rick and Morty?’ only to be met with a confirming nod. We ended up producing around three short episodes, two of which were crafted by Sano-san, and they turned out to be extremely popular.”

Initially, Chou didn’t expect the project to become such a massive series, but with Adult Swim’s approval, it transformed into one. We’re thrilled to finally share it with fans because Sano-san, a renowned anime director in Japan, is a big fan of Rick and Morty. All pieces fell into place, and we believe the outcome is impressive. Now, we’re nervously waiting for the audience’s reaction to Sano-san’s work.

On August 15th at midnight, Adult Swim will air the premiere of an anime version of Rick and Morty in English. This will be followed by the English subtitled release on August 17th.

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2024-07-31 07:10