A bizarre animated series with a dark sense of humour is now streaming on Netflix , with more coming soon. Based on a pilot episode that went viral on YouTube in 2023, this surreal CGI adventure series certainly stands out from the crowd. It’s not like anything the streaming platform has released before and could be perfect for animation fans, comedy enthusiasts, or subscribers who just want something a little different.
Titled The Amazing Digital Circus, the series had its three-episode premiere on the service this Friday. Created by Gooseworx and produced by Glitch Productions, the series is also available for free on YouTube, with subsequent episodes releasing on both platforms on the same day. The series follows Pomni (played by Lizzie Freeman), a young woman who becomes trapped in a virtual world with five other humans.
They soon become playthings of an off-kilter artificial intelligence known as Caine (Alex Rochon) and are driven mad when they realise there’s no way to escape. Digital Circus is loosely based on the science-fiction short story I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream by American writer Harlan Ellison. For a more familiar reference point, Glitch Productions pitched the series as: “What if it was Toy Story, but everyone was a jerk?” A trailer for the series released last year drew an incredible 28 million views, with a crop of fans of the animation studio eagerly awaiting the strange cartoon concoction.
The original pilot is already one of the most-watch.
