Rick and Morty sill isn’t a favorite show of mine, but it’s easier now to understand just why it’s a little more impressive thanks to the idea of what actually goes into each episode and the amount of work that needs to be completed to make everything look right. The amount of time and animation that needs to be completed in an attempt to make everything flow and track right has come a long way from the first season when the budget might not have been quite as robust, much like any show. Remember the Simpsons when they first started, or Family Guy? The animation wasn’t that great, but those shows honestly weren’t expected to do as well as they did either, and while it doesn’t matter just how high the aspirations were for Rick and Morty, the leaps and bounds that they’ve accomplished thus far have been insane when it comes down to how much they do and how much they really accomplish. That they’re working constantly is kind of a given since trying to appease the fans and make everything look as smooth and seamless as possible is a chore in and of itself, but trying to make sure that they’re giving their best all the time has to be a bit exhausting to be certain since otherwise slacking off might be noticed and it would surely come out in the work since the series wouldn’t be anywhere near what it is today.
A lot of people don’t think about the process when it comes to animation. They’ll appreciate the final product and never wonder just what it took to get everything in line and ready to go, and then finally make it all flow the way that they expect. The average fan really doesn’t pay much attention to the detail that’s been set into each episode and will only notice it when someone backs up and makes them notice in one way or another as they try to explain just what it is that they do in the studio. Imagine how hard things were back in the day before computers when everything was being drawn by hand and animation was done basically one frame at a time until there were enough to line them up and simulate the desired motion. Then think of anatomy and how a body moves. This should help people to realize that it’s more than just drawing a picture on the page, it’s drawing a picture that conveys the attitude, inner thoughts, and every tiny thing that goes into a character. The way a character stands, what their face looks like, if they’re frowning, smiling, sitting, lying down, etc., goes into the story just as much as anything since they need to be as expressive as possible in order to really give the audience what they’re looking for. Rusty Gray of Bloop has more to say about this.
Animation is essentially the same as writing a story since it speaks a great deal about a character and their surroundings through what is seen, how they react, and how they interact with the setting they’ve been placed in. The amount of work this takes is every bit as meticulous as writing a book since to make the story come to life it requires the type of attention to detail that allows the people to see the smooth and uninterrupted movement of the characters, to realize that they do have their own feelings and attitudes that do drive the story and make it a little more complete. Rick and Morty is the type of show that makes it obvious that such things are even harder when one is trying to stay focused on the main part of the story and there’s a wide number of different focal points that need to be given a great deal of attention at the same time. An environment that’s meant to be interactive and respond in some way to the main characters in the story and also supposed to be autonomous in its own way presents a different type of challenge that is hard to master and even harder to integrate with everything else at times since it takes even more attention to detail and a level of storytelling that requires a team effort and therefore a lot of different inputs that can at times muddy the waters and make things a lot more difficult. Yet somehow, against all odds, things get done and the story gets told, even if it has to come down to the wire as it’s been revealed.
There are a few shows out there that require this kind of attention and the constant need for editing as it takes more than one pair of eyes to make sure that everything is in place as it should be. But the end result is usually appreciated by the fans, even if they don’t know about everything that goes into it.
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