New on HBO from the Duplass Brothers Productions is the animated series “Animals.”. It’s got comedy, it’s got talking animals, and it may be for you.
The first two episodes were shown at the Sundance Film Festival a little over a year ago and HBO took on the animated series with an order for two seasons. The first episode of season one premiered Friday.
Each episode of season one focuses on one specific group of animals, with short sketches from other species included. Episode one is titled “Rats” and, yes, we go to an underground party with the rats of New York.
The show begins with Phil that rat talking to a friend who wants to get him to take him to a party and get out of his comfort zone. Phil goes along, only to scorn “organized fun.”
It’s revealed that Phil has never “made babies” before, so achieving that initiation is the rats’ objective of the episode. In this unfamiliar situation, Phil is told by one buddy to just be himself, while another baby-making pro offers the virgin some aid.
Phil eventually gets what he wants, but he pays a heavy price for it. He is a changed rat and, with the help of his close friend, raises his first and only rat baby. This show is aimed at mature audiences and is full of sexual, twisted and dark humor.
The second episode will air Friday, with the focus being pigeons. In the following weeks we can expect to enjoy a peek into the lives of some equally quirky cats and dogs of the city.
Guest voices populate the show’s characters in addition to the show’s writers, Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano. The animation of “Animals” stands out, but the show’s music and design reveal how much a younger American audience has come to love and support indie comedy.
Expectations for “Animals” remain high for its two initial seasons because of its solid story structure and jabs at modern, human-infested society. If you love Netflix original “BoJack Horseman,” or if you’re just tired of “Family Guy” and “South Park” — just kidding, that’s impossible — check out “Animals.”
Rating: A+
Follow Gretchyn Kaylor on Twitter.
