I love Smiling Friends. I love everything about it.
Smiling Friends is everything I’ve ever wanted from adult animation and more. For those unaware, Smiling Friends is a show from Adult Swim that’s currently available to stream on HBO Max. It’s made by internet creator Zach Hadel aka psychicpebbles, and showcases the everyday shenanigans and hijinx of those whose job is to make others smile. A simple premise that quickly goes off the rails in plenty of unexpected ways. From visiting a magical kingdom to traversing the nine circles of hell, and even solving a puzzling murder mystery. I’ve been craving, starving, salivating for a show this bizarre and balls-off-the-wall insane. It’s refreshing to see an adult animated show that doesn’t rely on ugly animation to incite “humor,” but instead is genuinely funny while also boasting a creative and gorgeous art style. (The term gorgeous is being used very loosely.) The animation is utilized in ways that actually enhance the show. Sudden shifts from claymation, to 3D animation, to live-action, to one specific character who is made solely through rotoscope and is the only rotoscoped character. He doesn’t even have a name, he is just known as rotoscope guy. Seriously, this show is crazy. It’s weird. This little pink character Pim? He has a little hair thread on top of his head? It’s actually an exposed nerve ending. That’s weird. He’s a weirdo. Mr. Frog? He’s weird. He’s a weirdo. He’s also a murderer so that’s also weird. He’s just a silly little guy. That’s how I feel about most of this show, everyone is just a silly little guy who runs around the screen and makes silly noises.
I don’t really have complex and intricate thoughts about this show. It’s really not a “deep thought” type of show. What I do know is, the animation industry has always been a very unwelcoming and harsh place to navigate as a first-time, smaller creative. As a first-generation college student, the idea of internships and building your resume can seem intimidating. Starting your career can feel like being thrown to the wolves, like everyone is judging you and that your work will never be good enough. Shows like Smiling Friends being so successful while also being made by smaller internet creators proves to new artists everywhere to not take critics and the pressure of the industry to heart. You can create whatever weird, nonsensical, crazy-looking art you want, pitch it to a large platform, and be successful. None of these things are mutually exclusive. So don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Your chances of being successful while also pursuing your passions are higher than you think.