Prepare to stumble into a world of wonders, where anything can happen: The Amazing Digital Circus is available to watch on Netflix now, so brief yourself on its voice cast, plot, and Rotten Tomatoes score before diving in.
If you’re of a certain generation, you’ll have grown up testing the waters of the dark side of animation; Happy Tree Friends, Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared, Salad Fingers – that sort of thing.
You also had Adult Swim, which leaned into the absurd with Rick and Morty but didn’t shy away from some unsettling, indelible imagery in shows like The Shivering Truth and Wonder Showzen.
If that sounds like your cup of tea, clear some space in your viewing schedule for The Amazing Digital Circus, with all three episodes streaming on Netflix after their extraordinary YouTube debut.
The Amazing Digital Circus explained
The Amazing Digital Circus follows six humans – Pomni, Jax, Ragatha, Gangle, Kinger, and Zooble – who become trapped in a virtual reality world. At the hands of its nefarious artificial intelligence system, they’re forced to embark on bizarre adventures as their sanity slips away.
Yes, it’s heavily inspired by ‘I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream’, Harlan Ellison’s terrifying 1967 short story.
Created by Gooseworx, it dropped on Glitch Productions’ YouTube channel in October 2023. At the time of writing, its episodes have amassed over 500 million views.
Speaking to Forbes about any other influences on the series, Gooseworx said: “Mostly stuff from my childhood. Weird toys and PC games with pre-rendered graphics. I’m glad it’s hitting so many people from my generation with the nostalgia blast I intended it to.”
While it has undeniable roots in Ellison’s story, Gooseworx isn’t “really too much into creepypastas or internet horror… I had an interest in analog horror when Local58 dominated the scene, but I haven’t really kept up with a lot of the newer stuff. My knowledge on internet spookies is shockingly low.”
How many episodes are there?
There are three episodes of The Amazing Digital Circus right now: Pilot, Candy Carrier Chaos, and The Mystery of Mildenhall Manor.
They’re all available on Netflix and YouTube – but the question is, will there be more?
“We can confidently say that there will be more Digital Circus. But the exact specifics… you’ll have to find out in 2024,” Glitch CEO Kevin Lerdwichagul earlier said, but that was likely referencing its second and third episodes; Episode 2 dropped in May and Episode 3 premiered last week.
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Netflix’s original announcement article appeared to reveal that six more episodes were in development. However, that was an earlier draft, and it now reads: “Subsequent episodes will arrive on Netflix the same day they come to YouTube.”
Sadly, Gooseworx told a fan on Tumblr that they don’t think there’ll be a Season 2. “I’d like to expand on this to say Glitch is very accommodating for the vision of the artist,” the creator wrote.
“Liam [Vickers] and I are in a really fortunate position to be able to end our shows on our own terms based on the stories we want to tell. The times and places our shows end are 100% our own decisions.”
The Amazing Digital Circus voice cast
Lizzie Freeman voices Pomni, the newest human trapped in The Amazing Digital Circus. The cast also includes:
- Alex Rochon as Caine, the AI villain
- Michael Kovach as Jax
- Amanda Hufford as Ragatha
- Marissa Lenti as Gangle
- Lenti also voices Martha Mildenhall
- Sean Chiplock as Kinger
- Ashley Nichols as Zooble
- Gooseworx as Bubble
You may recognize a few of the voices. Freeman is known for her English dubs of animes and games like Lycoris Recoil, Genshin Impact, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. Hufford also lent her voice to projects like Hannahpocalypse, Bread Barbershop, and Inkbound.
Why is there no Rotten Tomatoes score?
The Amazing Digital Circus doesn’t have a Rotten Tomatoes score… yet. It may be added to the website now that it’s streaming on Netflix, so we’ll keep this space updated.
There’s a simple reason it’s not on Rotten Tomatoes: it’s a web series and they typically aren’t added to its list of titles. For example, Glitch’s Murder Drones isn’t on there either, nor is stuff like Skibidi Toilet or other online shows.
That’s not to say it hasn’t received good reviews, though. Gazettely said the pilot “lays excellent groundwork for a one-of-a-kind storytelling adventure that deserves enthusiastic support and praise for its creative risks and ambitions.”
Decider recommended viewers stream it, praising it for “combining some surreal CGI animation with some sharply funny dialogue and characters that quickly become more than just the avatars they’re assigned in the digital RPG they’re stuck in.”
You can also check our list of binge-worthy TV shows and other TV shows streaming this month, as well as every horror movie coming to streaming in October 2024.
