The animated series Rick and Morty follows the eccentric, alcoholic mad scientist Rick Sanchez and his naïve, easily-stressed 14-year-old grandson Morty Smith as they go on many wild adventures through time, space and the multiverse, causing all kinds of havoc as they go. They also spend a lot of time trying to clean up after their own messes—though if things get really bad, they always have clone technology to restore order. Also getting mixed up in these mishaps caused by Rick’s inventions are the rest of the Smith family—Morty’s parents Jerry (Chris Parnell) and Beth (Sarah Chalke), and Morty’s 17-year-old sister Summer (Spencer Grammer).
While each season takes the family on many crazy adventures, there is also usually some overall story arc for the season, often ending in a big cliffhanger. The first three seasons also include special “Interdimensional Cable” episodes which are like clip shows, but featuring a montage of new clips of wacky TV shows from every dimension. Here are some of the highlights of each season:
- In the first season (11 episodes, 2013-2014), Rick makes the family dog super-intelligent, Rick & Morty find a way to enter people’s dreams, Rick shrinks Morty to enter a homeless man’s body where he finds a dangerous amusement park, Rick creates a love potion for Morty which goes horribly wrong, Morty has a child with a sex robot, Rick and Jerry get captured by aliens (and later Jerry and Morty also get abducted by different aliens), Rick invents the Meeseeks Box, Rick upgrades the family cable to receive interdimensional TV, Summer gets a job working for the Devil, Rick is on trial, the Smith household is overrun by Rick clones, Jerry and Beth participate in a reenactment of Titanic, and Morty throws a party that gets way out of hand. Some of the first season guest stars include Dana Carvey, John Oliver, David Cross, Claudia Black, Alfred Molina, Maurice LaMarche, Aislinn Paul and Cassie Steele
- In season two (10 episodes, 2015), Rick and Morty get stuck in multiple timelines, Rick and Morty try to stop an assassin after dropping Jerry off at Jerry daycare, Rick’s hive mind ex wants him back, the Smith family is implanted with fake memories of one another and don’t know who or what they can trust (this episode introduces Mr. Poopybutthole), Rick and Morty improvise the song “Get Schwifty” to appease some aliens, the Smiths enter a religious cult, Rick and Morty investigate the nested universes inside the flying car’s battery, Rick turns himself into “Tiny Rick” and becomes popular at Morty and Summer’s school, Jerry and Beth attend couples therapy on an alien planet, Rick and Morty find themselves in a Purge-like event on an alien planet, and the family attends a wedding where the guest list includes many of the Federation’s most wanted. Some of the second season guest stars include Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele, Jemaine Clement, Andy Daly, Christina Hendricks, Patton Oswalt, Keith David, Matt Walsh, Kurtwood Smith, Stephen Colbert, Nathan Fielder, Alan Tudyk, Alex Hirsch, Jim Rash, Matt Besser, Gary Cole, Werner Herzog, Chelsea Kane, James Callis and Tricia Helfer.
- In the third season (10 episodes, 2017), Rick is in prison, Jerry and Summer decide to split up, Rick, Morty and Summer are hunted by Death Stalkers on a post-apocalyptic version of Earth, Rick turns himself into “Pickle Rick” but loses the antidote, Rick assists a group of intergalactic superheroes known as the Vindicators, an alien enlists Jerry’s help to kill Rick, Summer attempts to enhance herself with one of Rick’s inventions to catch the attention of a boy but things go wrong, Rick and Morty go to an alien spa where their negative traits become personified into Toxic Rick and Toxic Morty, a secret society of Ricks and Mortys plays out at the Citadel, Morty finds the collection of traumatic memories Rick has removed from his mind, Rick and Beth travel back to the fantasyland he created for her as a child, Jerry dates an alien hunter, and Rick and Morty do a favor for the president. Some of the third season guest stars include Nathan Fillion, Tony Hale, Joel McHale, Susan Sarandon, Danny Trejo, Peter Serafinowicz, Gillian Jacobs, Logic (Bobby Hall), Lance Reddick, Thomas Middleditch and Keith David.
- In the fourth season (10 episodes, 2019-20), some of Rick’s storylines involve him trying to find the perfect (or at least non-fascist) clone of himself after accidentally getting killed; going on a quest for vengeance against the person who used his personal toilet; and going to see the children he potentially fathered with a planet (yes, he F’d a planet!). As for Morty, he becomes obsessed with a crystal that tells him how he’s going to die and tries to use the knowledge to end up with Jessica; he gets a pet dragon; and he becomes obsessed with Morty’s re-spawn button, trying to live life to the fullest, not fully understanding the consequences. Rick and Morty also get stuck on a literal continuity train in an anthology episode; they debate over whether a fake vat of acid is a good way to fake their death to get away from mobsters; and get stuck on an alien planet of mind-controlling face-huggers, where Summer becomes their leader. There is also an amazing heist episode with plenty of insane twists, and a flat tire in space leads to Rick and Morty desperately trying to correct the timeline of a species of space snakes (while also enjoying the smooth sounds of snake jazz). Meanwhile, Jerry befriends a talking cat, makes a bad decision with Rick’s alien intern, gets stuck floating in the air, and tries to take the family camping, only to get ignored. And the season culminates with Beth finally confronting Rick as to whether or not she is a clone or his real daughter. Some of the fourth season guest stars include Sherri Shepherd, Sam Neill, Kathleen Turner, Taika Waititi, Jeffrey Wright, Pamela Adlon, Elon Musk, Justin Theroux, Claudia Black, Matthew Broderick, Liam Cunningham, Keegan-Michael Key, Eddie Pepitone, Paul Giamatti, Christopher Meloni, and Susan Sarandon.
- In the fifth season, (10 episodes, 2021), the Smiths learn that Rick has created decoy families to protect him from his enemies; and the Smith family becomes Team GoTron and pilot a squad of GoTron ferrets to take down a giant monster. Rick reunites with nemesis Mr. Nimbus; Summer joins Rick on his party tour of the end of planets; Rick hangs out with Jerry in order to repay his debt to some sadist demons who get off on Jerry’s lameness; Rick turns himself into a turkey in hopes of getting a presidential pardon on Thanksgiving; Rick enters Birdperson’s mind and meets the memory of his 35-year-old self; Rick lives the anime life; and Rick and Morty head to the Citadel where President Morty reveals his evil plan to take down the Central Finite Curve. Meanwhile, Morty becomes a dynasty’s mortal enemy; Morty drops out to spend time with his new girlfriend, conservationist super person Planetina; Morty’s “swimmers” get mixed into a vat of horse semen used for one of Rick’s experiments resulting in a super monstrous space sperm attacking the city; Morty and Summer try to befriend new student but find themselves blackmailed by the Space Cruiser; Morty grows tired of cleaning up Rick’s messes and decides to break up the team; and Morty learns the truth about the Citadel and Rick’s backstory. Some of the fifth season guest stars include Kari Wahlgren, Keith David, Dan Harmon, Jim Gaffigan, Tom Kenny, Alison Brie, Steve Buscemi, Lauren Tom, Rob Schrab, Jennifer Coolidge, Fred Stoller, Michelle Buteau, Christina Ricci, Darren Criss, Timothy Olyphant, and Cassie Steele.
- As the sixth season (10 episodes, 2022) begins, portal travel is down, causing the family’s adventures to be a little more down to Earth. However, there’s still plenty of craziness, including a Die Hard tribute as aliens take over an arcade, Space Beth returning and falling in love with herself, slave-like Night-Person versions of the Smith family rebelling for control, an investigation into the source of fortune cookie fortunes, hyper-intelligent dinosaurs returning to earth, a visit to the Meta Realm, Jerry becoming an intergalactic superhero, Morty accidentally becoming king to the Knights of the Sun cult, and a falling lightsaber threatening to destroy the Earth’s core. Some of the sixth season guest stars include Keith David, Paul Giamatti, Peter Dinklage, Lisa Kudrow, Jason Mraz, Christopher Meloni, Susan Sarandon, Diedrich Bader, Will Forte, John Early, Jack Black, Daniel Radcliffe, Matt King, David Mitchell, and Robert Webb.
My first introduction to Rick and Morty was jumping in for the fourth season when I received that Blu-ray set for review. I have since watched every episode, and just can’t get enough of this excellent series! The writing is so smart, complex and well thought out, but at the same time utilizes cursing and low-brow humor for laughs. (These audio tracks are uncensored and certainly not for younger viewers!) The episodes lend themselves to repeat viewings as there is so much going on, with many layers to the story and humor.
The main characters are so much fun, and the dynamic between the surly genius Rick and his naïve and anxious grandson is so wrong and yet so much fun. It’s like following the dysfunctional adventures of a seemingly-indestructible Time Lord and his young companion. Rick is the kind of guy who is on your side as long as it’s good for him, but he will sell out even his own grandkids at the drop of a hat if it would be benefit him. That said, there does seem to be a slow evolution and growth in Rick over the course of the series. At the same time, Morty is willing and eager to go on these adventures with his grandfather, even though someone usually ends up hurt or dead (the show can get pretty dark at times). This world (or worlds) is also filled with so many fun and unique characters that have become iconic and immensely popular after just a single appearance.
While the dialogue can be pretty hilarious, the writers and animators also prove that they can do so much even without any words. The fourth season features two amazing, nearly 5-minute, silent montages that tell hilarious, over-the-top, complete stories without using any words (though one does have hissing). In “Rattlerstar Ricklactica”, we follow the events that cause the space snake society to devolve into a Terminator 2 wasteland, and in “The Vat of Acid Episode”, Morty gets a love story with an homage to the film Alive. There are also many other great film and pop culture homages throughout the series, including the amazing love letter (or maybe hate mail) to all the ridiculous heist films, and references to Fantastic Voyage, Jurassic Park, Inception, Titanic, The Purge, Alien, Akira, Die Hard and many more. Over the course of the series, there have also been several catchy original songs.
Episodes like the fifth season’s “Mortyplicity” are why I love this show. The writing is so fun and creative—what starts off as a simple idea quickly snowballs into something so ridiculously complex, but in a really fun way. The fifth season also includes a Voltron-themed episode, but instead of lions, the robots are ferrets, and the episode also has a fun Goodfellas vibe to it, with Summer providing the voiceover for the first time. Some other episodes are hilarious, but so inappropriate that you wonder how they even got made, such as “Rickdependence Spray” with its giant Space Sperm and incest babies! And the fifth season closes out with a fun anime parody, and another chapter in the Citadel saga. The sixth brings a wonderful Die Hard parody, and finds other creative ways to take the Smiths on adventures even while portal travel is down.
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds amazing. The picture is pretty immaculate, with rich colors and details. As the seasons progress, the action on screen gets more and more complicated, but presentation always looks fantastic. The audio tracks provide clear dialogue and make excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to put the viewer in the middle of the action, providing an immersive viewing experience. Each season is presented on its own disc, along with its related bonus material. The contents of the discs appear to be identical to the previous standalone Blu-ray releases for each season, but with some different disc art—each disc features a monochrome close-up of a different character’s screaming face. There is a ton of bonus material here that is sure to please new and old fans of the series (though the amount of material seems to drop with each successive season—I wish they’d bring back the audio commentaries for the newer seasons).
The six discs are placed on plastic trays inside a slightly thicker HD keepcase, which is housed in a cardboard slipcover. The case also contains a poster that unfolds to approximately 18″x24″—the poster, which can be seen below, is a bit disappointing this time around. Unfortunately, the set also does not include a digital copy—Warner Bros. seems to have stopped this practice with their TV series releases.
What’s Included:
-
Blu-ray:
- All 61 episodes of the first six seasons.
- Season 1: (4:01:05)
“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: (3:46:36)
“A Rickle in Time”, “Mortynight Run”, “Autoerotic Simulation”, “Total Rickfall”, “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: (3:47:03)
“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 ABC’s of Beth”, “The Rickchurian Mortydate” - Season 4: (3:42:54)
“Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat”, “The Old Man and the Seat”, “One Crew over the Crewcoo’s Morty”, “Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktime’s Morty”, “Rattlerstar Ricklactica”, “Never Ricking Morty”, “Promotyus”, “The Vat of Acid Episode”, “Childrick of Mort”, “Star Morty Rickturn of the Jerri” - Season 5: (3:43:16)
“Mort Dinner Rick Andre”, “Mortyplicity”, “A Rickconvenient Mort”, “Rickdependence Spray”, “Amortycan Grickfitti”, “Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular”, “Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion”, “Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort”, “Forgetting Sarick Mortshall”, “Rickmurai Jack” - Season 6: (3:41:29)
“Solaricks”, “Rick: A Mort Well Lived”, “Bethic Twinstinct”, “Night Family”, “Final DeSmithation”, “JuRicksic Mort”, “Full Meta Jackrick”, “Analyze Piss”, “A Rick in King Mortur’s Mort”, “Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation”
- Season 1: (4:01:05)
- 1080p / Widescreen 1.78:1
- Audio (Seasons 1-4): English 5.1 Dolby TrueHD
- Audio (Seasons 5-6): English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround, German 2.0 Dolby Digital Surround
- Subtitles (Seasons 1-4): English SDH
- Subtitles (Seasons 5-6): English SDH, French, German SDH, Dutch
Poster:
Extras:
- Season 1:
- Commentaries
Episode commentaries on all episodes, plus three guest commentaries.- Pilot (22:01) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland and Ryan Elder
- Lawnmower Dog (21:58) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland and Ryan Ridley
- Anatomy Park (21:55) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Eric Acosta and Wade Randolph
- M. Night Shaym-Aliens! (21:05) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Tom Kauffman
- Meeseeks and Destroy (21:09) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Bryan Newton
- Rick Potion #9 (21:28) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Stephen Sandoval
- Rick Potion #9 (21:28) – The Simpsons‘ Matt Groening, Al Jean, J. Stewart Burns, Max Pross, Matt Selman, Jon Kern and Tom Gammill
- Raising Gazorpazorp (22:01) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland and Ryan Ridley
- Rixty Minutes (22:15) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland and Bryan Newton
- Rixty Minutes (22:15) – The Walking Dead‘s Robert Kirkman and Scott M. Gimple
- Something Ricked This Way Comes (22:20) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Elder and Pete Michels
- Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind (22:27) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Stephen Sandoval
- Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind (22:27) – Adventure Time‘s Pendleton Ward and Kent Osborne
- Ricksy Business (22:21) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Pete Michels
- Deleted Scenes (7:06)
Collection of 10 deleted scenes in rough storyboard format.- Pilot (1:36) – 1 deleted scene
- Anatomy Park (:23) – 1 deleted scene
- M. Night Shaym-Aliens! (:31) – 1 deleted scene
- Meeseeks and Destroy (1:52) – 2 deleted scenes
- Rick Potion #9 (1:10) – 1 deleted scene
- Rixty Minutes (2:12) – 3 deleted scenes
- Ricksy Business (:22) – 1 deleted scene
- Behind the Scenes (19:08)
The cast and filmmakers talk about the series and give a glimpse at what it takes to make the show. It is pretty sophomoric and annoying at times, including a bathroom tour, and incredibly obnoxious joke interviews by host Vatche Panos. Includes some behind-the-scenes footage, and some decent real interviews mixed in. Participants include co-creator Dan Harmon, co-creator/voice of Rick and Morty Justin Roiland, supervising director Pete Michels, color supervisor Jason Boesch, director Bryan Newton, staff writer Tom Kauffman, writer/producer Ryan Ridley, storyboard artist Dan O’Connor, director Stephen Sandoval, art director James McDermott, fake character designer Chip Chompers & background artist Pizza McLizza, editor Lee Harting, and background design lead Andrew DeLange, - Animatics
Full-length animatic versions of all episodes.- Pilot (21:44)
- Lawnmower Dog (21:20)
- Anatomy Park (21:12)
- M. Night Shaym-Aliens! (21:00)
- Meeseeks and Destroy (20:29)
- Rick Potion #9 (20:51)
- Raising Gazorpazorp (21:06)
- Rixty Minutes (21:26)
- Something Ricked This Way Comes (22:21)
- Close Rick-Counters of the Rick Kind (21:52)
- Ricksy Business (22:05)
- Commentaries
- Season 2:
- Commentaries
Episode commentaries on all episodes, plus three guest commentaries.- A Rickle in Time (22:51) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Wes Archer
- Mortynight Run (22:46) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley
- Mortynight Run (22:46) – Valve Writers Erik Wolpaw, Jay Pinkerton, Cabe Newell
- Autoerotic Simulation (22:58) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Dan Guterman
- Total Rickfall (21:56) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Mike McMahan
- Total Rickfall (21:56) – WWE Superstar Sheamus and Abed Cheith
- Get Schwifty (23:02) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Tom Kauffman
- The Ricks Must Be Crazy (22:23) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Dan Guterman
- The Ricks Must Be Crazy (22:23) – Radio personalities Sal Governale and Richard Christy
- Big Trouble in Little Sanchez (22:56) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Bryan Newton
- Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate (22:32) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Juan Meza-Leon
- Look Who’s Purging Now (22:05) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Dominic Polcino
- The Wedding Squanchers (23:02) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Ryan Ridley and Tom Kauffman
- Deleted Animatic Sketches (2:11)
Sketches include “Butthole Ice Cream”, “Stealy Alt Ending”, and “Lil Bits Alt Ending”. - Rick and Morty Season Two Premiere Party Featuring Chaos Chaos (43:13)
Concert footage of Chaos Chaos playing live for the cast and crew at the Rick & Morty Season II Premiere Party at CineSpace in Los Angeles, CA. - Animatics
Full-length animatic versions of all episodes.- A Rickle in Time (Attempt 1) (19:13)
- A Rickle in Time (Attempt 2) (22:03)
- Mortynight Run (21:48)
- Autoerotic Simulation (22:21)
- Total Rickfall (21:30)
- Get Schwifty (21:31)
- The Ricks Must Be Crazy (21:59)
- Big Trouble in Little Sanchez (22:14)
- Interdimensional Cable 2: Tempting Fate (22:01)
- Look Who’s Purging Now (22:52)
- The Wedding Squanchers (22:22)
- Commentaries
- Season 3:
- Animatics
Full-length animatic versions of all episodes.- The Rickshank Rickdemption (22:58)
- Rickmancing the Stone (22:39)
- Pickle Rick (22:57)
- Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender (23:05)
- The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy (23:06)
- Rest and Ricklaxation (22:52)
- The Ricklantis Mixup (22:41)
- Morty’s Mind Blowers (22:19)
- The ABC’s of Beth (21:57)
- The Rickchurian Mortydate (22:14)
- Inside the Recording Booth (6:14)
A peek into the recording booth with some of the cast and crew. Participants include co-creator Justin Roiland, writer’s assistant James Siciliano, Chris Parnell (voice of Jerry), co-producer Sydney Ryan, and Spencer Grammer (voice of Summer). - Rick and Morty Origins Part 1 (4:55)
Co-creator Justin Roiland and his friends Sevan Najarian & Abed Gheith talk about how they first met and their early work together. Co-creator Dan Harmon and friend Rob Schrab do the same. Then they all, along with friend Myke Chilian, discuss how they all met and started collaborating thanks to Channel 101. Includes footage from some of these early projects. - Rick and Morty Origins Part 2 (4:38)
Co-creator Justin Roiland talks about how in 2006 his Channel 101 project “The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti” was what inspired the voices for the series. Co-creator Dan Harmon and Adult Swim Creative Director Mike Lazzo talk about the initial concern over Morty’s voice that almost led to a recast. Also includes behind-the-scenes footage. - Inside the Episode (22:42)
Co-creators Justin Roiland & Dan Harmon, and writers Ryan Ridley & Mike McMahan discuss the themes, stories and characters of each episode. Select from:- The Rickshank Rickdemption (2:37)
- Rickmancing the Stone (2:33)
- Pickle Rick (2:39)
- Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender (2:04)
- The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy (2:14)
- Rest and Ricklaxation (1:59)
- The Ricklantis Mixup (2:09)
- Morty’s Mind Blowers (1:48)
- The ABC’s of Beth (1:57)
- The Rickchurian Mortydate (2:42)
- Commentaries
Episode commentaries on all episodes, plus guest commentaries.- The Rickshank Rickdemption (23:22) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Mike McMahan, Juan Meza-Leon, and John Mayer
- The Rickshank Rickdemption (23:22) – Musicians Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson
- Rickmancing the Stone (22:37) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Jordan Brock, Lance Wehrly
- Pickle Rick (23:25) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Jessica Gao, Anthony Chun
- Pickle Rick (23:25) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Russell Brand
- Pickle Rick (23:25) – Game of Thrones‘ David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Peter Dinklage
- Vindicators 3: The Return of Worldender (23:05) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Sarah Carbiener, Erica Rosbe, Mike McMahan
- The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy (22:26) – Dan Harmon, Chris Parnell, Erica Hayes
- Rest and Ricklaxation (22:29) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Tom Kauffman, Karl Wahlgren
- The Ricklantis Mixup (22:14) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Dominic Polcino, Mike McMahan
- Morty’s Mind Blowers (22:05) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, James Siciliano, Bryan Newton
- The ABC’s of Beth (22:18) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Mike McMahan
- The Rickchurian Mortydate (22:47) – Dan Harmon, Justin Roiland, Wes Archer, Jeffrey Thompson
- Animatics
- A Day at Rick and Morty: Inside Season 4 (9:11)
Cameras take a visit to the Rick and Morty offices on November 12, 2019 to get a behind-the-scenes look as the artists and animators from the various departments are trying to wrap up the fourth season episodes and start preparing for season five. Those interviewed include producer Sydney Ryan, associate producer Dave Otterby, associate producer Steve Levy, design assistant Josh Barish, design coordinators Jennifer Vogan & David Weiser, director Erica Hayes, storyboard artists Phylicia Fuentes, Douglas Einar Olsen, Eugene Huang, Dick Pose, Samantha Gray & Fill Marc Sagadraca, lead character designers Carlos Ortega & Kendra Melton, character designers Justin Noel, Kari Kilpela & Elisa Phillips, lead prop designer Brent Noll, lead background designer Vance Caines, color supervisor Carol Wyatt, assistant art director Jason Boesch, animation supervisor David Marshall, and animator Ferguson Winston. - Creating Snake Jazz (2:30)
Composer Ryan Elder and the filmmakers discuss the process of creating the unique, infectious sound of “snake jazz”. Also includes interviews with director Jacob Hair and co-creators Justin Roiland & Dan Harmon. - Directing Rick and Morty (2:55)
Several of the show’s directors talk about the responsibilities involved with being a director for an episode of Rick and Morty. Includes animatics, behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with directors Bryan Newton, Erica Hayes, Jacob Hair & Anthony Chun, and co-creator Dan Harmon. - Samurai & Shogun (5:24)
Rick and Morty take on a band of samurai out to kill them in this short anime adventure written and directed by Kaichi Sato. Presented in Japanese with English subtitles. - Prop Process (2:48)
The prop designers for the series discuss the process of creating the elaborate sci-fi props for the series, from Rick’s spaceship, the plumbus, Rick’s portal gun, and other episode-specific devices. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with lead prop designer Brent Noll, co-creator Justin Roiland, storyboard artist Dan O’Connor. - Character Creation (2:36)
The animators discuss the process of designing new characters such as Wasp Rick and the Slut Dragons, drawing the character deaths, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with art director James McDermott, character designers Elisa Phillips, Kari Kilpela, Mike Diederich, Orlando Velez & Justin Noel, and lead character designers Kendra Melton & Carlos Ortega. - Animation Challenges (2:30)
The directors talk about the more challenging aspects of this season, including crowd scenes, a big Game of Thrones-inspired army battle, animating four-legged animals, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with technical director David Marshall, art director James McDermott, and directors Bryan Newton & Anthony Chun. - Inside the Episode (16:46)
The creators, writers and directors discuss the themes, stories and characters of each episode. Those interviewed include co-creators Dan Harmon & Justin Roiland, directors Bryan Newton, Anthony Chun, Jacob Hair & Kyounghee Lee, and writers Mike McMahan, Michael Waldron, Caitie Delaney, Jeff Loveness, James Siciliano, Albro Lundy & Anne Lane. Select from:- Edge of Tomorty: Rick Die Rickpeat (1:23)
- The Old Man and the Seat (1:24)
- One Crew over the Crewcoo’s Morty (1:22)
- Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktime’s Morty (1:24)
- Rattlerstar Ricklactica (1:23)
- Never Ricking Morty (1:39)
- Promotyus (1:47)
- The Vat of Acid Episode (2:13)
- Childrick of Mort (2:04)
- Star Morty Rickturn of the Jerri (2:07)
- Fighting Gravity: The Making of Season 5 (9:16)
The crew discuss the challenges of producing this fifth season during a pandemic, the different dynamic of the Zoom writers’ room, coming up with Rick’s backstory, and the emotional Mr. Poopybuttole monologue. Includes interviews with co-creator Dan Harmon, writer/showrunner Scott Marder, writers Nick Rutherford, Siobhan Thompson, James Siciliano, Anne Lane, Rob Schrab, Jeff Loveness & Albro Lundy, director Jacob Hair, and supervising director Wes Archer. All interviews were filmed remotely using smartphones. This feature is exclusive to this release. - Animation and Compositing (2:22)
The animators discuss their roles and demonstrate all the work that goes into bringing these characters to life. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with technical director Mark Estrada, compositor Ryan Cohen, animators Ferguson Winston, Teddy O’Connor, Julia Glassman & Ari Grabb. - B-Story Generator Vol. 1 (3:04)
Co-creator Dan Harmon and writer Rob Schrab reach into their “B-Story Generator”, a box of Post-Its with random ideas for side stories, and discuss some of them, along with animatic sketches to illustrate the ideas. - B-Story Generator Vol. 2 (2:49)
More crazy ideas from the “B-Story Generator”. - Backgrounds (2:30)
The background artists discuss the process of bringing the show’s sets to life. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with lead background designer Vance Caines, art director Robbie Erwin, and background designers Lauryn Danae Bremner & Michelle Rhee. - Coloring Rick and Morty (2:47)
The artists discuss the role that color plays in telling the story and setting the mood. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with assistant art director Jason Boesch, color supervisor Carol Wyatt, color design key Corey Booth, color lead Jack Cusumano, and background painter Morgan Ngu. - Directing “Mortyplicity” (2:00)
Director Lucas Gray discusses the action-packed episode. - Directing “Rickmurai Jack” (2:36)
Director Jacob Hair and writer Jeff Loveness discuss the challenges of finding a way to depict the Central Finite Curve and the doomsday device, and creating the origin montage. - Season 5 Hype (1:52)
Co-creator Dan Harmon and writers Siobhan Thompson, Rob Schrab, Jeff Loveness, Anne Lane, James Siciliano, Nick Rutherford, Albro Lundy & John Harris hype up some of the things viewers can expect to see in the fifth season (some of it is fake). - Inside the Episode (17:41)
The writers, directors and producers discuss the themes, stories and characters of each episode. Those interviewed include co-creator Dan Harmon, writer/showrunner Scott Marder, producer Steve Levy, directors Jacob Hair, Juan Meza-León, Erica Hayes & Douglas Einar Olsen, and writers Albro Lundy, Anne Lane, James Siciliano, Jeff Loveness, Nick Rutherford & Siobhan Thompson. Select from:- Mort Dinner Rick Andre (1:45)
- Mortyplicity (1:45)
- A Rickconvenient Mort (1:58)
- Rickdependence Spray (1:53)
- Amortycan Grickfitti (1:35)
- Rick & Morty’s Thanksploitation Spectacular (1:30)
- Gotron Jerrysis Rickvangelion (1:25)
- Rickternal Friendshine of the Spotless Mort (1:44)
- Forgetting Sarick Mortshall (2:04)
- Rickmurai Jack (2:02)
- Inside the Episode (17:21)
The writers, directors and producers discuss the themes, stories and characters of each episode. Those interviewed include co-creator Dan Harmon, showrunner Scott Marder, co-executive producer Steve Levy, directors Jacob Hair, Douglas Einar Olsen & Lucas Gray, and writers Albro Lundy, Anne Lane, Rob Schrab, Heather Anne Cambell, Nick Rutherford & James Siciliano. Select from:- Solaricks (2:19)
- Rick: A Mort Well Lived (1:21)
- Bethic Twinstinct (1:44)
- Night Family (1:34)
- Final DeSmithation (1:53)
- JuRicksic Mort (1:42)
- Full Meta Jackrick (1:48)
- Analyze Piss (1:40)
- A Rick in King Mortur’s Mort (1:45)
- Ricktional Mortpoon’s Rickmas Mortcation (1:35)
- Rick and Morty: Inside Season 6 (9:10)
In this featurette exclusive to the home video release, the writers, directors and producers discuss making the show’s first fully remote season over Zoom, the journeys of the various characters this season, how the lack of portal travel grounds Rick and connects him to the family, Rick’s obsession with finding Rick Prime, the unbounded nature of the series, and more. Includes interviews with co-creator Dan Harmon, co-executive producer Steve Levy, showrunner Scott Marder, writers James Siciliano, Heather Anne Cambell, Albro Lundy & Rob Schrab. - Anatomy of a Scene (6:53)
- Bethic Twinstinct (2:26)
The creatives talk about making a bottle episode, using Succession as an inspiration for the way the kids talk to each other while trying to ignore what’s going on between the Beths, how a Game of Thrones scene inspired the scene where Rick is carving up a space whale while talking to Beth, and more. Incudes interviews with showrunner Scott Marder, director Douglas Einar Olsen, writer Anne Lane, and co-creator Dan Harmon. - Night Family (1:58)
The creatives discuss the extensive car chase scene, and how the sound and direction of the action help make it clearer on clearer for the viewer which family is in charge at any given moment. Incudes interviews with writers Albro Lundy & Rob Schrab, showrunner Scott Marder, and director Jacob Hair. - Analyze Piss (2:29)
The creatives discuss the epic brawl between Jerry and Pissmaster, and how they purposely wanted to make it look messy. Includes storyboard footage, and interviews with co-creator Dan Harmon, writer James Siciliano, director Fill Marc Sagadraca, showrunner Scott Marder, co-creator Dan Harmon, and showrunner Scott Marder.
- Bethic Twinstinct (2:26)
Final Thoughts:
Rick and Morty is a really fun and entertaining series with some hilarious characters and some wonderful, smart and complex writing. Even after six seasons, Rick and Morty continues to deliver fresh, clever and creative episodes, taking the characters on wild, hilarious new adventures. The episodes lend themselves to multiple viewings due to the layers of story and humor in each one. Warner Bros.’ Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, and includes an excellent selection of bonus material that is sure to please any fan of the series. This release comes highly recommended for both fans of the show or fans of adult animated comedies in general. However, as this release is a repackaging of the previous single-season releases, there is no reason for those who already own those previous releases to double dip, unless you are a die-hard fan who must own it for the new packaging and poster. The one annoyance I had is that Warner Bros. is no longer including digital copies in these box sets.
Rick and Morty: Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray)
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