2. Analytical approaches
• S2E4 Total Rickall- Discuss story theory and relation to the story wheel
• 1 .(You) The family is eating food and Rick enters, everything is calm.
• 2. (Need) Rick shoots one of the parasites in the head revealing it’s true form.
• 3.(Go) They realise the situation they are in but Rick is the only one taking it seriously and they begin to think Rick is bad.
• 4.(Search) Rick tries to find a way to persuade the family that their friends are actually parasites.
• 5.(Find) Morty figures out what the parasites are and who to kill then joins Ricks side.
• 6.(Take) Rick and Morty take action and start killing the parasites persuading the rest of the family to kill the parasites.
• 7.(Return) The family end up killing all of the parasites but the mother ends up shooting one of the family (Mr. poopypants).
• 8.(Change) The main family is back to normal but Mr. poopypants doesn’t like the mother anymore and is in hospital for the
wound.
• S3E2 Rickmancing the Stone- Discuss themes and how they are explored. Discuss intertextuality and how it is subverted.
3. Production contexts
• How is it made: Rick and Morty is an American animated sitcom. The animation for the show is done using
Toon Boom Harmony. Toon Boom Harmony is a creative and efficient animation software which basically
allows you to create animations. It’s allows you to work fast and animate in any style. The software itself has
lots of tools which you can use for traditional paperless, cut-out and hybrid animation products. After
creating the general animation using Toon Boom Harmony the animation is then moved to Adobe After
Effects for post-production work to be done. Adobe After Effects is one of many Adobe productions which
you can purchase on their website. The software is for more in depth editing for example, colour grading,
adding special effects and creating more detailed animations. Any background art for the animation to base
on is created in Adobe Photoshop, which is another Adobe product that can be purchased on Adobes
website. The production of the animation is handled by Bardel Entertainment in Canada, their animation
studio was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1987.
• Who made it: Ricky and Morty is created by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon for Cartoon Network’s late-night
programming block Adult Swim. The science-fiction sitcom was premiered on December 2, 2013.
• How was it financed:
• How is it Distributed/broadcast: Rick and Morty are broadcasted on both cable channels, Cartoon Network
and Adult Swim. They are played later at night to avoid younger audiences as their bedtime is usually earlier
in the night. They do this because the TV contains violence and bad/inappropriate.
4. Fan engagement
• How do fans interact with the show: The show itself creates a way for the fans to
interact with the show. In an article it says that, “Youtube is used to interact with
the show”, giving an example of a youtube channel that shows that the show
jumps between different versions of Rick in certain episodes. The fans video goes
in-depth into the world of the show, and looks across multiple scenes in multiple
episodes. From doing this they are able to gain a detailed analysis of the show
and what is going on. Rick and Morty also has it’s own facebook page which
allows fans to post pictures and messages which can be shared with other fans.
• How have fans demonstrated their love for the show: Fans all across the world
are taking things out of the show and are making them a reality. For example,
“Rick and Morty fans are bidding more than $4500 on a bottle of Szechuan
sauce”. Szechuan sauce is an item used in the animation. Another example,
“Neighborhood bars are serving Fleeb Juice cocktails at epic Rick and Morty
themed parties”. Fleet Juice cocktail is a drink used in the program.
5. Character representation
• Discuss how a character from the main family is represented
(personality, gender, age): Beth Smith (née Sanchez) is the daughter
of Rick Sanchez, the ex-wife of Jerry Smith, and the mother of
Summer Smith and Morty. Beth is aged 34 and works as a Horse
Surgeon at St. Equis Hospital in the show. Beth’s personality is
different to other characters are she is seen as superior at times but
uses it to hide her insecurities. Her insecurities are brought on by
other characters that imply she is not a ‘real’ surgeon. Throughout
the episodes she is seen to be looking after her two children and
father whilst they embark on their dangerous adventures. She is one
of the more mature characters, takes most matters seriously and tries
her best to help her family in anyway possible.
