Top 10 Best Rick and Morty Adult Swim Shorts
#10: “Bushworld Adventures” (2018)
Originally airing on April Fool’s Day, “Bushworld Adventures” is animated by Youtuber Michael Cusack, and features Australian versions of Rick and Morty. If anything, it’s even more bizarre and strange than the show proper – which is saying something! Rick drags Morty around on a series of nonsensical adventures, which include threatening Morty’s life, playing a prank on him with Jerry, and meeting a giant man with dementia who turns into a car after they kill him. Ultimately, their journey turns out to have been pointless. “Bushworld Adventures” is heavily reliant on Australian humor, so if you’re not down with Down Under’s humor, it might be a miss. If you are, though, it’s a weird, fun time.
#9: “Rick and Morty Crossing” (2021)
WM TV Top 20 Saddest Rick and Morty Moments
In celebration of the one-year anniversary of the game “Animal Crossing: New Horizons,” Adult Swim released this short. It’s a nice little short with an art style true to the game it’s based on. It follows Rick and Morty apparently digitizing themselves and going inside the game. Within the game, the duo engages in typical “Animal Crossing” activities, like digging holes, crafting things, and engaging in a surprising amount of leapfrog. We then cut to Rick playing the game on a TV, as the apocalypse happens outside. Given that “Animal Crossing” players have done much the same during the pandemic, we can relate.
#8: “Rick and Morty x Wendy’s” (2020)
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“Rick and Morty” has been involved with several sponsored advertisements, but our favorite goes to their partnership with the fast-food chain, Wendy’s. The ads see Rick and Morty being pursued by living versions of Wendy’s breakfast items who are intent on making the pair do a commercial – by whatever means necessary. It’s a great continuation of Rick’s 4th wall breaking for him to try to avoid being in a commercial – in a commercial. We’re also treated to little snippets of Rick and Morty’s adventures prior to encountering the breakfasts. We could watch a whole episode devoted to Morty befriending Dracula.
#7: “Samurai & Shogun” (2020)
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This short follows a version of Rick who is a samurai, protecting a mentally checked out Shogun Morty. The duo is set upon by a group of ninja Ricks. Samurai Rick defeats them all and continues on his way. Animated in 3D, “Samurai & Shogun” is a loving homage to classic samurai films. All the hallmarks are here, from the moonlit duel in a field, to the gratuitous blood sprays, to the random hulking bad guy. The multiverse of “Rick and Morty” is vast, and this short gives us insight into one of the cooler versions of Rick Sanchez.
#6: “Rick and Morty Exquisite Corpse” (2017)
Rick and Morty vs. Futurama
Rick is making something in his garage and he asks Morty to put it on the shelf, except Morty drops it. The two then have one of the greatest acid trips in animation. Each short segment is done in a different animation style, from Claymation, to classic cartoons and each is completely insane in its own way. They all flow from one to the next in a manner reminiscent of “Monty Python.” Once they come out of it, Rick reveals that it was indeed pure LSD and sets about making more. “Exquisite Corpse” is exactly as described – morbid, but absolutely magnificent.
#5: “Rick and Morty vs Genocider” (2020)
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Based on anime and featuring Japanese voice acting, “Rick and Morty vs Genocider” sees Morty tasked by the Citadel of Ricks with locating his Rick, who’s in Tokyo. There are also cloned or cyborg Ricks called Genociders altering time or memories…the translation’s a bit awkward. Still, Rick vanishes while fighting them and Evil Morty is revealed to be behind everything. Oh, and it’s implied that Morty grows up to become Rick, which is a popular fan theory. Featuring vibrant animation and an interesting, if overly complicated sci-fi plot, “Rick and Morty vs Genocider” does a lot in a little time and gives us plenty to ponder and theorize over.
#4: “Rick and Morty x Run The Jewels: Oh Mama” (2018)
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A “Rick and Morty” themed music video by the rap duo Run the Jewels, this short follows Rick and Morty as they pursue a precious item held by Gromflamites. Dressed in suits, grandfather and grandson gun down goons and recover a case containing a baby member of the aliens, which Rick rapidly ages and then punches until he’s told where to acquire the thing he wants. After he and Morty kill more aliens, they return to Rick’s room, where Rick deactivates Morty, who’s actually a robot, and opens the case. The music and rap will have you groovin’ and the animation is highly stylized. “Oh Mama” will have you saying its title out loud as you marvel at the stunning action and visuals.
#3: “State of Georgia vs Denver Fenton Allen” (2016)
A reenactment of a real court case in Georgia recreated from a transcript, this short was first played at Comic-Con and then put on Adult Swim’s YouTube channel. Morty takes the role of Judge Bryant Durham, while Rick plays Denver Allen. At his hearing, Allen spends nearly 10 minutes arguing with the Judge to get a new lawyer, making varied and often contradictory claims, lewd remarks, and threats against the judge. It’s so crazy and hilarious, there’s no way anyone could make something like this up! While the original short was merely still, greyscale frames, several YouTubers have colorized and animated it.
#2: Couch Gag
“The Simpsons” (1989-)
Given the nature of their show, Rick and Morty can appear in any other animated show and have it be believable. Even so, it was quite the shock for viewers when the duo literally dropped in on the Simpson family during one of their show’s famous opening couch gags. After splattering the Simpsons into goo, Rick has Morty take a vial of the Simpsons’ DNA to an alien photocopier, while he goofs around their house, taking their things, and freezing Ned Flanders. Unfortunately, Rick cleaned the vial with his own spit, leaving the resulting copies as half-Rick monstrosities. It’s a legendary crossover that just barely misses out on our top spot.
Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
“Rick TV” (2017)
Interdimensional Cable – Pixel Version
“Rick and Morty: Pixelated” (2017)
Another Series of Pixel Animations, With Parasites in a Cop Show, a Drug Trip, & “Alien” References
“Caesar Morty” (2020)
This Bumper Sees a Decadent Morty Get More Than He Wanted With Rick’s Severed Head
“Rick and Morty Babies” (2021)
A Kid Friendly Version of the Familiar Intro
“Rick and Morty 8-Bit Intro” (2017)
Like a Video Game Version of the Show’s Intro – Only With a Few More Jokes & Shout-Outs
#1: “Rick and Morty in the Eternal Nightmare Machine” (2021)
Top 20 Best Parodies on Rick and Morty
Rick and Morty are eating with their family when they abruptly discover they’re stuck in a pixelated simulation. They then fight through waves of enemies in the style of a beat ‘em up video game using a ton of weapons, power-ups, and super moves. There are so many in-jokes, references, and callbacks packed into every frame, along with a surprising number of Illuminati imagery, that there’s no way you’ll catch them all on first viewing. All that for nearly 20 minutes, plus a dope soundtrack! “The Eternal Nightmare Machine” has us clamoring for a real “Rick and Morty” game like this, ‘cause we’d play the hell out of it!
