My husband and I know we have a somewhat twisted and dark sense of humor appreciation. Those of us who have really lived life and been to the bottom and the top and inbetween find humor in the ridiculous. So yes, we definitely find this humorous. Questionable jokes for the inherently oversensitive politically correct profiles that may "try this show a couple of times" - because if you are easily offended by jokes that have nothing to do with you, you may find this show unpleasing or unsettling. For the rest of us that can laugh at the ridiculous story lines and satire of current events through the eyes of animals, it is a blast to watch. A couple of episodes were a tiny bit blah compared to the others, but the majority of them are entertaining, silly, goofy, and frighteningly may remind you of humans you may know. Instead of getting angry and trolling online behind your computer screen about the annoying people you saw today, sit back and laugh with the rest of us as animals portray the silly behavior that humans behave in, and laugh your frustrations away. I love the dogs the most, and the squirrels but we also refer to golf as "white man's white ball" now, thanks to the pigeons. ;) It's not an egg! It's white man's white ball. Hilarious. Enjoy! Or don't. It's really up to you. Same as life. Enjoy it or not, it's up to you.
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cmkeller7524 February 2017
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daropaz23 July 2021Am a old dude. Just so you know.
I am so happy that ive found this show now. Cant understand why this has pased me by?
It is so great and funny. Very original.
Lovely voice work. Absolutely stunning.
This was a gem to find.
Sad that its over:( -
sebastiannelson21 February 2016"Animals" is a show that I can see those less keen on understatement and subtlety being confused and angered by, and try-hard critics taking easy punches at, but don't be fooled, what you have here is a nice, smooth stone, even if it's in a bed of jagged rocks.
The animation budget of three pennies and a moldy piece of bread is initially off-putting, but it serves its purpose, as with shows like this and Bojack Horseman, the main reason it's even in animation to begin with has to do with something in the overall concept being something that would just be too ugly or downright offensive to look at if it were live action. If this were live action what would it be? Best case scenario would be the actors wearing costumes while in meticulously built sets, both of which cost more money than the wages of a small team of animators. So instead of going that route or the route of making a high budget, highly animated series, with lots of pomp and flash, tightening all the Animation enthusiasts pants, it went with the more sensible and budget-conscious route, knowing that it would still be successful on a technical level, and read well visually.
This show knows that everything in it needs to ride on the dialogue, because HBO doesn't give a *poo* about animation, and usually kills off low-rated comedies after only a couple seasons. And that's what it does right. The characters in this are easily relatable, animal characters, in easily relatable, human situations. I AM PHIL. I KNOW FINK, AND I *frigging* HATE FINK. And these characters, in the hands of writers who know just what makes everyday life so laughable, and what makes peering into everyday life through the eyes of an animal remind you how different we really aren't. We all make mistakes. We're all *frigging* idiots. But even still, we try every day to be better. Or we don't. Sometimes we don't want to be better, so we just try something different. The only difference is that when an animal like a pigeon makes a mistake, it's likely to cost him his life.
Now this, in and of itself isn't terribly difficult to write, just look around you and give it your take. That's the first lesson in writing. Its ceiling for hilarity also isn't exactly high, and a lot of things that make us human don't make for very highbrow entertainment: everybody poops, everybody has sex, everybody eats food, and everybody dies. So it does lose some points there, if only for being unoriginal in a narrative style which inherently makes everything seem unoriginal.
But that said, this kind of narrative still needs to exist in some form in television, and if it didn't, then TV would just be a cold, emotionally distant box with laughing and colorful bright lights. And if something needs to fill that space, then I'd still take this over the tired and uninspired likes of modern "Simpsons", "Family Guy/American Dad/The Cleveland Show", and whatever Comedy Central is trying to push to us this season (at time of writing, "Moonbeam City" comes to mind)
In summation, "Animals" knows exactly what it is trying to be, so it pulls out all the stops and goes for broke on a channel where if you use too many dimes, you'll be dropped like a bunch of nickles right on your pennies. That said, it would make a nice quarterly comic, even if nobody would ever notice it. And I'd pay a dollar for that. -
WhatDoesMarsellusLookLike27 February 2016If you're a fan of South Park, Archer, Rick and Morty, or other irreverent adult cartoons, then you might like Animals.
Keep in mind that Animals is a dialogue-driven cartoon, and the animation kind of takes a backseat. The writing and improv drive this show to hilarious places. The animal characters are all voiced by funny actors, some of whom you'll quickly recognize. Some voices I remember are Aziz Anzari, Adam Scott, Chelsea Peretti, and Jason Manzoukas (the dude who plays Rafi in The League - such a funny actor). The real stars, however, are relative unknowns. Mike Luciano and Phil Materese are the main writers, directors, and voice actors. They have great chemistry playing different versions of Mike and Phil thru all the Animals episodes. It sort of reminds me of the great dynamic that Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland have in Rick and Morty.
I saw Animals advertised on HBOgo and decided to give it a try. The first two episodes (Rats, Pigeons) can drag here and there, but they're still really funny in their own right. The payoff comes at Episodes 3 (Cats) and 4 (Dogs). Those episodes are some of the funniest television I've seen in years. I don't want to spoil anything. I'll just say this show will make you see your dogs and cats in a different light. In a good way though. You might empathize with your dogs or cats a little more in a strange, acid-trippy, "I can now speak with animals" sorta way.
It's a bummer seeing the relatively low IMDb ratings of this show (as of 2/27/16). I only watched the first 4 episodes and am eagerly waiting to watch the rest once they're released. I never write reviews of shows, but this one compelled me to say something. Imaginative and well-written, well-directed shows like this aren't easy to find.
Animals is more of a slow burn. There is an over-arching story involving human characters intertwined in all the animals' episodes. In this world, the human characters don't speak. The animals don't shut up. The humans are despicable. The animals are complicated. It's fun.
I recommend this show if you enjoy some cheeky banter between animals. You'll never see a dogpark in the same way again. -
mccarronusmc8912 February 2016I think this show would be better received if it was on Adult Swim and not HBO. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but if you like some nice, simple humor that doesn't try so hard I'd recommend checking it out.
There seems to be a lack of love for the animation. It is definitely not the prettiest I've ever seen, but its different. It runs like a comic strip, and it works with the rest of the show because it is simple. Animals is the show that all of us have thought about at some point in our lives. "What would animals say if they could talk?" A lot of the jokes are about sex, but that makes sense in the animal world. What else are animals all about besides getting food and making babies? -
monroekfv22 February 2016Some of the reviews for this show, are...misguided? I mean, the first review said you should watch "The Simpsons" if you want a funny animated comedy. A bit outdated. "Animals" has its own charm and a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, at least for me. You'll be able to recognize a lot of the voices from the alt-comedy world. Off the top of my head there's Nathan Fielder, Nick Kroll, Jason Mantzoukas, etc. I've yet to watch the third episode, but the first two were unlike anything I had seen before. It's a blend of crude humor, surprising emotion, and outright funniness.
Yes, the animation is not good. But, it is purposefully NOT GOOD. The whole point is these animals are caricatures of humanity, which is obvious if you pay even a little attention to the dialogue. These rats aren't suppose to seem like life-like rats, because they aren't, they're just an embodiment of human emotion and stupidity.
All in all, this show is not for everyone. That's obvious. It might even take you a few viewings to really understand what the creators are hoping to achieve, but its a great show with vast potential and I hope HBO keeps it running.
Also, "The Simpsons" is whatever, go with "Rick and Morty" if you want an awesome animated comedy that isn't this one. -
darktowerrulz4 February 2016After the surprisingly good "Bojack Horseman", I had an open mind going into "Animals.", but after viewing the first episode, I have my doubts. The animation is off-putting, but the dialogue at least somewhat saves it.
The show's main plot (at least for this episode) focuses primarily on two rats - one of which is still a virgin and strongly desires to change that status. There are two other pointless sketches involving police horses and two bed bugs, both of which are forgettable and remarkably unfunny. The rat's story, however, actually had me laughing out loud; poor Phil's awkwardness was hilarious. The visual gags were phenomenal, if you can stomach the animation.
Speaking of the animation - while I support expressing yourself artistically in whatever way you seem fit - is very unattractive. It doesn't seem juvenile, but comes off as gross, especially on the humans. The opening made me a little sick, but I felt better about it once I got used to it. An argument could be made that the gross animation adds to the atmosphere of the pathetic lives of these rats, but it was just unpleasant in the bed bug scene.
All in all, it seems like a true pilot - I hope it will come into its own as the season progresses, but for now it seems unremarkable. The jokes that land are not many, but at least had me laughing out loud. The miscellaneous sketches were unfunny and dull, and seemed to drag the show on. -
AlsExGal13 March 2017...which I watched in its entirety yesterday. I came across the show quite by accident. I was flipping through channels when HBO's Animals caught my eye. I figured it was going to be another attempt at stealing South Park's thunder as kings of adult cartoons. I was wrong. Like South Park, the minimalist animation keeps the focus on the dialogue which is a social commentary on sibling rivalry, sexual identity, steroids, bullying, how the roots of traditions need to be tested, and just some situations that show how people - shown as animals - in different phases of life deal with situations in general. The show has an improvisational spirit, and everything said has a reaction that is hilarious, but not in a staged or forced way.
Each episode of the first season is named after the primary animal that is the focus - "Squirrels", "Rats", "Cats", "Dogs", etc. All of them are living in New York City. In parallel with these animals dealing with what is for the most part, every day life, there is an ugly tale of human life going on in which there is corruption in high places, adultery, and murder. The humans never speak in recognizable words. They just speak gibberish like the adults in Charlie Brown do - "wah wah wah blah blah" - or something similar. It is the animals who speak and often eloquently so. Only in the last episode does the ugly tale of human behavior that has been building in all of the episodes intersect with the stories of the animals, and then in the most ironic way possible. -
sheepshearer16 September 2018Watching season three now. I love how it swaps around and even has a dark back story.
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I like ideas like this, i think they're fertile ground to make something really great, especially with telling a tale from an animal's perspective, you can try to at least understand how they would communicate or live or observe us..etc, but, you just lose me when you make the animals talk and think and joke like us. If I wanted to hear humans talk in parties, i'd watch a tv show where humans talk in parties. Its okay, i mean its not different than anything else, even if they were animals.
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bcrites-2583013 June 2019Happened about this show totally by happenstance. Looking for something to watch while at the office. Gave it a shot just based on the sheer volume of funny people associated with it. 100% glad I found it. Overarching human (no voices)story is dark and twisted, but the animal stories weaved within are funny and cleverly done by some of the funniest in the biz. I think the animation is actually underappreciated. While the animation in is simple in its motions, the artistic style and detail is very well done. Give this show a shot for sure. It is a strange but inventive and funny show.
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ajneeago9622 March 2023Wacky, existential, but most importantly, funny asf.
The show works like an anthology, with each character getting their own episode each season.
The plot is strange enough; just random animals living life in New York, but the human subplot evolves the story, especially in its 3rd and final season.
Not every episode was a hit compared to others, so the show isn't as consistent as you'd hope (at least I hoped). A great final season though; they really give it their all, most notably the human subplot of the 2 soldiers who go into a descent of madness, and the episode that featured Dan Harmon.
Lots of laughs to be had here, but the show isn't super notable, and the characters aren't remarkable, but who cares. It's just a cartoon about talking animals doing dumb s**t. -
Erik-Movie-Reviews25 December 2020This started out as a great show. Original, Funny, and Interesting. Many major stars as voice actors in each Episode. Unfortunately, the Second Season was not good and the Third Season was like a completely different show and was not very enjoyable.
Not certain what happened, but it would have been better if they had kept the show consistent with the First Season and just featured new animals in later Seasons. -
magiccircle24 April 2016I've never written a review on here before, but I was quite honestly surprised at the negative reviews on here and also on other sites.
This show has the very best mix of hysterical and quirky and I just love the way creators (Mike and Phil) and their alter-ego "animal" characters all interact, also with the guest cast members/comedians of the week. It really captures the light and shade of urban New York perfectly, and even manages to make it all look somewhat edgy, with a killer soundtrack to boot, (honestly, the music is awesomeness!!)
In essence, this show does perfectly what recent New York based show "Vinyl" was trying to do. Vinyl could really take notes from these guys, they are doing it right. I love it, it's a fantastic show. Watch and enjoy! You're welcome🙂 -
mohsenili25 March 2023The first and second seasons where good, some of the episodes where great. I enjoyed watching them, but I don't know what happened to the writers! I think they had forgotten, what they were doing, and most importantly what they had planned to do. On season three everything was different it was all something else season three, for me, was just unwatchable I had a very hard time ending the series. I kept looking at the time and see how much of every episode was left. The begining of the episodes where terrible and there was an episode in which it was not animated and I can say it was the worst thing on the screen I have ever watched, however You should not miss the first two seasons. I wish the creators would just do what they had started doing. Animals take you up in the sky like a rollercoaster with season one and two, then it crashes you down and underneath with the third one.
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mzachry16 September 2018My first experience with this show happened about a year ago. I was in the hospital recovering from a life-threatening medical emergency. Was loopy from medications and alternating between consciousness and Lala land.
Hospital TV had HBO, and an Animals marathon was playing. I didnt know if was a real show or a dream. But the dialogue had me tuned in on some level. So smart. Now it's one of my favorite shows. -
SUPER FUNNY! I changed my review from 8 to 10 when I saw some of the negative reviews on here. All you damn reviewers go a little off the deep end!! This show is so funny. It probably makes you feel something that you don't understand, maybe you don't quite get the humor? So then you feel stupid, then you get angry? Well I am sure the Blue Comedy Tour will be back soon. OK, apologies, enough about the ridiculous reviews. This show is awesome and I look forward to watching it every week. It does not belong on Adult Swim, it belongs right where it is on HBO, can't say "f#@k" on Adult Swim yet. It follows in the tradition of The Life and Times of Tim, or old-school animation from the 90s such as Liquid TV, Beavis and Butthead, Dr Katz. It's alternative humor with low budget animation, and that low budget animation creates a good tone for the show. The show takes human personalities, the hilarity of modern life, our culture of dating, and city life and applies it to the animals around NYC. It's funny to imagine animals with human personalities too. Not to mention all of your favorite funny-people do a voice on the show (list is too long to only mention 1 or 2). Please watch this show, I want to see it come back on next season. And to all you reviewers out there who think your intense opinion of a cartoon on HBO is wanted: Go burn some energy, ride a bike, take a walk, smell the trees and the flowers outside. Grow the f#@k up, care about something that matters, volunteer your time, and get off your damn soap box.
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colonnesel14 February 2016I tried, I really tried. Maybe it's just me, maybe it's a type of humour that just rubs me the wrong way but I find nothing funny about this show. It's not funny, not insightful, the graphic design is bland and to top it all off the voice actors sound dreadfully boring.
You'd think I might be missing the irony of the show, but then maybe I'm not enough of a hipster to enjoy it. Yeah, I think that's it. It will probably be a great show for hipsters, so that they can pretend to enjoy the wit (or lack-thereof) and unfunny vulgar jokes that 9 year old boys stopped laughing at when they were 6.
Watched about 2/3 of the first episode and stopped. Watched about half the second one and stopped. Will not return for the third one unless they hire new actors, writers, animation artists and screenplays. But then you'd have a good animated comedy with quality jokes and well drawn characters. -
treeborn-609-75836215 January 2019I've never written a review before but felt I had to for this program due to how under the radar it is and how most people I'm assuming would just pass over it. I'm from the UK so the fact I've sent this is by pure coincidence but I never turned back. From the get go I knew this was going to be different and I could understand if you wanted to leave it after the first episode but please see its potential. If you follow through with this program it evolves in to something so unique and actually quite relevant in a way. Don't just dismiss this program as trying to be funny in a new way. It was picked up for a reason and the writers have obviously got a message in mind. Give it a go and be more open minded. I will definitely be putting this on my list of things you must see before your die but would recommend seeing asap as it's very relevent to the times we are living in now.
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GiraffeDoor15 April 2023This began rather promisingly, well the first episode wasn't promising, it was actually rather annoying and bleak but the next few were quite promising.
The juxtaposition of fantastic circumstances (the talking animals) against the mundane patter of life seems to have a lot of debt to Robot Chicken or Family Guy but they made this very munch their own and have forged a unique tone.
Dark but rarely depressing, they run out of ideas fairly early as so many episodes are just cliche circumstances *except animals*!!!! They are quite a chore to set through. If the joke is that being treated like a pet is analogous to a human addiction that is A joke, you can't get a whole episode from that. That's lazy.
The subplot of human corruption is kind of tedious.
There was so much potential in this show and like Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, I sort of like the humor-type it uses but it fails to really embody their originality in anything that really realizes their potential, except in fits and starts.
So it's pretty dang good at it's best, but you cannot count on this show at all. -
ceejayrawness16 August 2020This show is a true sleeper. Never heard of it, don't even know why I clicked on it, but it's really a great show. I never write reviews but I just had to for this. So different from anything i've seen before and the dialogue and plots are just fantastic. Truly a wonder of a show and extremely entertaining. Just wish I would've have found it sooner. WATCH IT!
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Firstly, I must say, Matarese and Luciano very clearly intended the animation to be as it is. This is not a 3D, real life, graphically enhanced animation show; it's not intended to be! It actually reminds me of a great comic, The Far Side.
I found this show to be rather humorous. The way in which plots are written to actually reflect specific situations each animal could actually find themselves in, IMHO, is pretty creative, and clearly shows the extent of imagination the writers have. I could clearly see several of today's top comedic actors playing in a human version plot.
*spoiler*
For example:
1. The rats... Numerous references about things they all deal with, i.e. The albino lab rat changing; the blue pill; the cracker; taking the cheese after the trap closed...
2. The pigeons... Phil-- oh Phil. I loved Phil. Why? Because bird sexing is extremely difficult because most don't have external genitalia. So to me, because of the plausibility, it was just so funny! And the credits commercial was great. I'd love to see more of those in every ending!
3. The cats... The catnip and the shot box with Mike's name carved out on the inside.
4. The horses... Talking about their job preference.
Of course I could list every single thing, but these were just a few that stood out because of the originality. The imagination to include all the small details, or simple little statements, are what make this such a unique show. Sure, it is not going to be for everyone, especially if one is unable to see beyond the animation or through the adult humor, and actually delve deeper into the imaginative process of those who had the idea for the show and ran with it! -
barb-660567 April 2016Let me say that I came late to this series and when I saw one episode I immediately went to on demand and grabbed the rest of them to catch up. I cannot stop talking to my friends about this show. It is irreverent and wonderful. HBO better renew this for at least 6 seasons! If anyone is left out there with a true sense of humor, an imagination and a brain, this is the show for you. I love the whole concept and of course NYC is the perfect place for the setting. I hope HBO puts this on DVD so I can buy 10 sets for my friends and family. This is guaranteed to make you laugh if not cry with the weekly chosen species. I am looking forward to buying the box set after 7 seasons......hint, hint HBO! Give this a chance to grow as more people that see it will truly tell their like- minded friends and family. I know at 4 people that are signing up for HBO just because I showed them one episode. Genius writing and casting. Thank you to the writers for this gift.
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Animals may not be as popular as the well known animated shows like:South Park,The Simpsons,Rick and Morty,Archer and Futurama and that's because the show was released last year(2016) and that's makes it a newbie around the other great animated shows,but the show is only at the beginning and it still has a lot of potential to become very popular or even as popular and great as Archer or Rick and Morty but that remains to be seen.The thing is that Animals would have been well known by the audience if it was on Adult Swim or Netflix,rather than being on HBO.Channels like Adult Swim or Netflix know how to highlight the best of a TV show and how to promote that show.What I liked about this show were the humor and the funny jokes as well as the original story.
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allnitediner4 May 2018Some of these reviews are absurd. This show is clever and stylish and it quite simply isn't for everyone.
If you don't get it, move along.
To everyone comparing this show to other cartoons made for adult audiences, please stop. To the person who described The Simpsons as "outdated" and suggested you watch Rick and Morty (also a gem, but comparison to The Simpsons is completely pointless as the only thing they have in common is that they are cartoons intended for adult audiences) instead, you, sir, are a moron.