Recensioni degli utenti

The landscape of comedic adult animation - often dominated by Simpsons duplicates, try-hard attempts at gross edginess that yearn to be the next South Park or Drawn Together, deliberately bad/ironic ones that try to mimic Xavier: Renegade Angel or Aqua Teen Hunger Force without the method to the madness, and whatever the f-ck Big Mouth is - has been enriched by Zach Hadel. You may know him by his YouTube/Newgrounds persona Psychicpebbles.

Exceptions to the rule of lame modern-day "adult cartoons" have included Bojack Horseman and, at one point, Rick and Morty. Now, we have something truly unique in the form of Smiling Friends. After seeing its pilot last year, I knew it had the potential to become its own full-fledged series on Adult Swim (which has now finally been confirmed) and while I maintained a healthy dose of pessimism, given the network's rejection of Hellbenders, there was reason to have faith this time.

Hadel's rapid-fire grotesqueries, some of them so brisk you'll miss them if you sneeze, and agonized-looking lifeforms are as unmistakable as his fluid animation style. However, his characters are often interchangeable morons, e.g. The Hellbenders, hence why that pilot failed to take off on Adult Swim (who instead went with Mr. Pickles, a great example of the tryhard-edgy brand of adult cartoons I named earlier). With Smiling Friends, the main characters Pim and Charlie are of very different personalities and attitudes, working off each other in a way that's sustainable and will surely lend itself to many great episodes - even when the moral of the story is that "happiness" will always be a distraction from the inevitability of doom unless you find a solid life purpose, such as murdering small animals for money.

The cast unites all sorts of Internet greats, including Hadel himself, co-creator Michael Cusack, Red Letter Media founder Mike Stoklasa, and also Finn Wolfhard, who frequently interacts with Psychicpebbles when he isn't on the set of Stranger Things. There's also Finn's brother Nick and even Newgrounds' daddy himself, Tom Fulp. Indeed, what a triumph of animation this is, especially in the year that would end Flash.

If you haven't seen the pilot, give it a watch in anticipation of what's to come. You will laugh, squirm, wake up screaming from a subsequent nightmare of both existential despair and body horror, and also possibly crave some cheese.

This was actually funny, unlike a large portion of the shows from that block during the last few years.

More bizarre cartoons like this and less Tim and Eric garbage, please.

Stumbled onto this little show by accident, ended up laughing my ass off throughout the pilot episode. And then when I recognized Mike Stoklasa's voice, that really sold it for me. (He's really great in this, please make Desmond a recurring character!)

The whole pilot oozes creativity and raw comedic talent, it reminded me of the first episodes of South Park. If they keep this up then I think they've really got something here, I'm really looking forward to seeing more of this!

Following the production of the "Hellbenders" pilot and the brief history of Sleepy Cabin, its great to finally see some of the best internet funny bois get their vision on TV. It fully retains the spontaneity of Zach and Michael's unique internet animation styles and wastes no time at all with the jokes. The structure of the 12-min short is split into 2 plots which are equally fascinating and bizarre but not in the way a lot of "edgy" or subversive adult animated shows tend to be. The looseness of the drawing style helps the craziness never seem like its on rails, it truly feels like you're in the mind of 2 nutbag internet artists and I love it.

Mike Stoklasa's performance will be one for the history books.

All I have to say is that Adult Swim needs to continue this. It was a shame that Hellbenders was never picked up, but now I see this as a great opportunity to make up for it. Both Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack are masterful animators and comedians. They both have a gift to implement moments in their craft that are eternally quotable. Denying this show a series would be a disservice to the world. I know that sounds weird, considering the absurdity of the content, but I honestly see this as a beacon of hope in these dark times.The creators deserve so much recognition and support.

I loved it and I want more. Thats all I wanted to say. Also I can't wait for this show to get big.

Super funny show! My husband has made us watch it three times already lol, can't wait for another episode!

Smiling Friends is a testament to the creative landscape of what personal content creation can lead to and how it focuses on artist to consumer interactions that allow the creators of animation or anything of the sort to be more grounded and appreciative of the craft and their impact on it. The animation is not too large a departure from other familiar styles. The characters and personalities are by far the most driving factors of the show itself. The dry and absurdist humor as well as the range of which the show can strike your funny-bone is incredibly enjoyable. Coming from the platforms of Newgrounds and Youtube has allowed for some truly interesting and hilarious comedy from the likes of Zach Hadel and his constituents. I have no doubt in my mind that there is more to come from the minds behind Smiling Friends and I am left eagerly awaiting.

An amazing piece of animation that highlights the philosophical absurdities of life in the style of the great French philosopher Albert Camus.

The crude amateur animation is actually a veiled commentary on society's crude obsession with transient pleasures which we oftentimes define to be the goals of our life and not simply a passing fad.

Finally, the voice performance of legendary actor Mike Stoklasa blew me over. He has channeled the persona of his iconic creation, the fictional film critic Mr. Plinkett, into the character of Desmond and the result just screams perfection. That deep sagacious voice truly resonates with the absurdist notions of life as projected by this cartoon.

I am interested in more future episodes and I really hope they bring Mr. Stoklasa back for more side cameos.

I wrote a very long in-depth review and my phone messed up and deleted it. Sorry Zach. I'm shaking and sweating.

I think the pacing is the main issue. Its too fast paced for the short episodes and Zach's style of awkward interactions feel too rushed. I think longer episode lengths would really do wonders for the comedy.

When i first saw the poster of that show, immediately in my head was like: great another adult swim sh💩y show incoming.

But then after watching the whole 1st episode i actually wanted to see another. And after watching the entire season i rewatched it.

The show has unique artstyle, characters, and story. The jokes are surprisingly good. They are not trying hard to throw every possible edgy joke they can think in our faces. Some character desgins look ridiculous and bizzare and they were funny and i wasnt disgusted by it, for example mr. Frog who looks like it was drawned by pre-schooler but at same time looks good and its original which i can say for the artstyle of this show.

I hope this show gets season 2. :)

The show uses a lot of surreal humor that you dont see a lot of on TV. Even adult shows that tries to be subversive or meta like family guy doesnt seem to come close to this.

This makes the show feel very different from other cartoons and makes it stand out. The cameos from other internet stars makes frequent appearances on the show if u watch a lot of youtube than you will get even more enjoyment from the surprise guest appearances.

I really like this kind of humor and your enjoyment will come from if you are into this kind of surreal humor or not. It feels different from a lot of other adult cartoons ive watched and it stands out in my opinion.

It's a good watch if there's absolutely nothing else available as it's better than some other animated shows but doesn't offer much to write home about.

The show has a lot of potential to be creative but unfortunately falls flat when it comes to delivering any kind of real comedy or gripping storyline. Instead of a joke, the show just has something scream or do something chaotic out of nowhere. This could be funny but gets old fast when it's the only punchline in sight. The lightning quick animation and chaotic nature of the proceedings are unique but not an easy watch if suffering from a headache.

The use of mixed media is a nice touch and isn't often seen in a lot of shows, but it doesn't feel in service of anything and just seems like more forced-uniqueness.

The only time the show calms right down and approaches normality is when a full episodes run time is spent with the main characters bickering about a hotel booking. I was left scratching my head on that one...

It's not all bad though, the animation is very nicely executed - (if purposely ugly a lot of the time) and extremely vibrant and colourful. Some of the episodes are watchable and have some memorable moments but I got more enjoyment out of one of those '-without context' videos than I did watching the full episodes.

A lot of good reviews for this one so I'm glad people are getting something out of it. Unfortunately for me this feels like: Just how 'adult-swim' can we make this?

What can I say, the man is hilarious and crazy and you can feel it in the show. It's up there with Rick and Morty so give it a watch if that's your thing.

I've been a fan of Zach Hadel for years, since psychicpebbles started. While Hellbenders never got off the ground, I'm glad he finally got a show on tv. Being 11 minutes an episode and on adult swim none of his idiosyncrasies have been smoothed out for a network, it's clearly his and Michael's humor.

But what makes this stand out besides for it just being extremely creative and funny is that it isn't mean spirited like so many adult animated cartoons.

Sure the jokes can be messed up or grotesque at times, but the universe it takes place in seems to be legitmately optimistic. Many shows can do those things well but it's nice to see something unique and creator driven that is also upbeat.

To viewers who are not familiar with the twisted minds of creators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack, Smiling Friends might be off-putting and much too "in your face" and grotesque at first. But to anyone who is willing to keep an open mind and/or is a connoisseur of absurd comedy, this show is a true gem.

In just 8 short, 11 minute episodes the team behind Smiling Friends managed to prove that you do not need to follow trends and industry standard formulae to create something entertaining and worthwhile.

You will not find your typical burned-out, substance abusing anti-heroes here, no protagonists who have to deal with complex issues stemming from some sort of childhood trauma, no dysfunctional yet loving families, no teens with daddy issues, no pretentious political commentary, none of the clichés you have been convinced is "top-notch storytelling" in the past 10 years.

Instead you have a wonderful cast of colorful characters, brought to life by an immensely talented cast of voice actors and animators, juxtaposed with a realistic, yet simultaneously bizarre and fantastical world.

These 'critters' are hell-bent on making you smile, and if you're willing to give them a chance, let your guard down, sit down and forget about the harsh realities of our own world for just 11 minutes, I can guarantee you that they will succeed.

Never expected this to be this good. Adult Swim has been on a roll lately with shows like Tuca and Bertie, Rick And Morty, and their infamous infomercial parodies. This is definitely a show for the ages. 👍

Not much to say this is just a fantastic pilot and I hope we see more in the future

I've watch this pilot a couple times and it is funny as hell every time. I just love how everything just comes together, there office building, their boss, especially Desmond's mom, and everything that plays out along the episode. I've been a fan of Zach and Michel for a while and this might just be some rose tinted glasses of their work But even without that feeling it's still is comedic genius

By far the strongest thing this show has to offer - which makes it worth seeing on its own merit, is its fantastic character designs and animation. Every character has a strong and recognisable look that ties in perfectly with their personalities, the backgrounds are rich and appealing (I paused several times just to soak in the smaller details and gags), and it's clear the creators had a pitch-perfect understanding of how each one should move and interact with its environment. This show has a strong multi-media motif that was executed really well, with stop motion and 3d generated characters feeling appropriately out-of-place while still interacting with the world believably.

I'd also like to note that its creators - neither of whom are professional voice actors - did a really great job, and it's clear that they had a lot of fun bringing their roles to life. That fun does communicate through the screen, and it's another thing that's very likeable about this show.

Unfortunately where it takes a big hit from me is in the writing. Less-so in the jokes, which range from (frequently) hilarious to (rarely) not-funny-at-all, and more-so in the general pacing and plotting of the show. Many episodes go through a classic set-up (murder mystery, bizarro world, etc.), but then attempts to subvert things in some way. This is a fine conceit by itself, but the way in which those plots are being subverted often ends up being the first thing you'd think of, and I don't think it's going to lend much to repeat watches.

The reason this hurts it so bad, in my opinion, is that these predictable plots create a weird disconnect from the spontaneity of the humour. It feels like a lot of opportunities for interesting storytelling were missed, and as a result this very much feels like a show that you'll only enjoy if your interest lies squarely in "having a chuckle". Beyond the aforementioned attention to detail in the animation, there's not a lot past the surface to chew on.

I understand the need in the creator duo to have as much creative control over their baby as possible, but especially at a sparing 11-minute runtime, I think it could have benefitted from having other more-seasoned voices in the writing room to give a stronger backbone to their particular style of irreverence.

On a whole, I think this first season is the perfect foundation to build on. All the right pieces are in place, it just needs time to settle in and form a stronger identity. I would recommend checking it out, because I did enjoy my time with it, but if you're like me, by the end you'll be a bit frustrated by how much more rewarding of a watch it could have been, given the right circumstances.

I love Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack and this show make me nostalgic, they remind me the old adult swim

I'm not really exposed to Newgrounds or any of the creators' work since I checked this out cause I keep seeing this on Twitter and I was impressed for a lol random show that has some realistic moments and animation techniques but wasn't blown away like everyone else was. Although Alan is the best character which he should have gotten more screentime.

I've rewatched this short for about 20 times now. The more I watch it the more subtle jokes I find either happening in the background or sometimes even in the foreground. I would be very disappointed if smiling friends is not picked up by adult swim, an opportunity for greatness like this only comes once in a lifetime. Make the right call adult swim, please.

The episode is incredibly clever, random and hilarious. It's a niche taste but it feels like I haven't seen anything like it before, it's new, very new.

I've been watching Zach Hadel recently on a youtube channel named oney plays and his brain is like an insane idea generating machine that never stops, if this show gets picked up, I think it'll last for a very long time.

I'm not saying much about Michael Cusack because I'm not that familiar with his work aside from Australian Rick and Morty, which is hilarious, but no doubt if these two work together, their baby will be magnificent.

I grew up on Newgrounds. I've always appreciated the type of community (along with its animators and productions) that the website spurned and still actively hosts to this day.

I've watched this Pilot a bunch of times and each time I end up laughing. I truly hope that the show materializes cause this elbow drops my brain right in the funny bone. This stands out as a breath of fresh air amidst a sea of half-hearted and generic content that's indifferent to the type of wonderful lunacy that I recall seeing last when watching Ren and Stimpy.

Keep at it, -CO