Rick and Morty: The Anime Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Rick and Morty: The Anime Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 4, 2025

Rick and Morty became one of my "go to" television series during the height of the pandemic, when "escape" from all sorts of things both real and imagined seem to be of prime importance, and when for me personally a need to really laugh at the increasingly apparent absurdities of life and/or the universe became absolutely necessary. Kind of interestingly, then, it was almost exactly when the "official" responses to Covid 19 started happening in the spring of 2020 that the first of several short films related to Rick and Morty appeared on Adult Swim's YouTube channel. That one was entitled Samurai and Shogun, and offered a take on the titular characters that was reportedly at least tangentially based on Lone Wolf and Cub. Four more shorts entitled Rick and Morty vs. Genocider, Summer Meets God, The Great Yokai Battle of Akihabara and Samurai and Shogun Part 2 appeared over the course of couple of years, leading to this ten episode "miniseries". Now there have been any number of mind bending, philosophically and even metaphysically suffused anime productions through the decades, and so Rick and Morty might seem like an unusually apt project to adapt to that idiom, but the result is very likely going to disappoint diehard Rick and Morty fans, at least if they feel like I do.

It's kind of head scratching that those five shorts are not included on this disc, perhaps because no one wanted to pay for English dubs, but the upshot is that those coming to this particular effort without having watched the quintet of previously produced items may feel like they're joining things in medias res. Given the typically multi-layered approach any "real" Rick and Morty episode may offer, that may not seem like a debilitating issue, but given this anime adaptation's emphasis on simultaneously unfolding "multiverses", the result is often more confounding than engaging. What may ultimately sink this enterprise, though, is a surprising lack of the kind of snarky but often incredibly smart humor that permeates the American series.

Two of those aforementioned Rick and Morty shorts, Rick and Morty vs. Genocider and Summer Meets God (Rick Meets Evil) were directed by Takashi Sano, who helmed this extended outing. The back cover of this release touts "widespread fan and critical acclaim" for the shorts, while mentioning they generated over ten million combined views on Adult Swim digital platforms. But there's a decided difference between crafting a piece of just a few minutes, or even several pieces lasting a relatively short time span, and attempting to deliver something more substantial, and despite some really intriguing ideas floating around this adaptation, there may ironically in fact be too much rather than too little offered as things unwind (not to mention rewind) throughout the ten episodes.

I'd probably argue that it's Morty more than Rick who get some attention to character here, with Summer arguably coming in second in terms of the Smith Family* getting some decent development or at least screen time. But it's the mysterious female character of Elle who may be both boon and bane of this effort, offering a relationship with Morty that (of course) spans several different "versions" in various multiverses. While this was originally produced in Japanese, it's probably worth mentioning that an English dub on this disc does not include any of the voice actors associated with the American series, and there are some noticeable variances in how the characters sound when compared to the "originals" (whether Justin Roiland or not).

*As your inveterate cult television obsessive, it's always struck me as funny that the completely gonzo Smith family in this enterprise shares the same name as the decidedly conformist one and a half season "wonder" The Smith Family, which starred Henry Fonda (with Ron Howard as his eldest son, pre-Happy Days).

Rick and Morty: The Anime Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Rick and Morty: The Anime is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Brothers Home Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Fans of the original series will instantly note pretty massive stylistic differences in this outing, though kind of interestingly I frankly wouldn't term them as "traditionally" anime-like, at least in terms of any of the countless releases from the likes of Funimation that I reviewed for years here at the site. Instead, the main character designs are at least similar if not identical to the originals, while both multiverse creatures and especially backgrounds can be decidedly less detailed than in the original version. Backgrounds in particular (and even non-character items in the frame that aren't in the background per se) often have a kind of water color look, with an additional texturing that suggests "cold press" paper that is often used for watercolors. The palette is one of the strengths of this adaptation, and it has some of the crazy quilt psychedelic look that often attends the original series. My score is 4.25.

Rick and Morty: The Anime Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

While the back cover of this release offers some extremely fine print suggesting a surround track in English (and some naughty person submitted that spec probably based on the cover, which is a "no no" and why we always say it's best to have a disc in hand before submitting specs), in fact the disc has a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track in English and a Dolby Digital 2.0 track in Japanese. The English voicework was pretty lackluster for me personally, and left me wanting the original voice actors, but sound effects are scoring are great (and I actually loved some of the music, including an opening and closing sung theme). The stereo imaging isn't hugely wide, but some spaciousness can be discerned in some of the spaceflight material in particular. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Rick and Morty: The Anime Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Kind of surprisingly, no supplements are offered on this disc. The keepcase sleeve has a hallucinatory inner print.

Packaging features a slipcover.

Rick and Morty: The Anime Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Things just never really clicked for me in this adaptation, though there are certainly some intriguing ideas offered. The biggest drawbacks for me were the kind of gobsmacking lack of smart humor as well as some voicework that for me personally pales in comparison to the original actors. Technical merits are solid for anyone considering making a purchase.