Posted in: Adult Swim, Max, streaming, TV | Tagged: Adult Swim, sdcc, SDCC 2024, season 2, smiling friends

Smiling Friends: Check Out Season 2's Amazing Animation Styles (VIDEO)

We're all about the diversity of animation Michael Cusack & Zach Hadel bring to Smiling Friends. Here's a look at what Season 2 had to offer.

In one week, Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel's Smiling Friends will be getting a big spotlight at the "Adult Swim Pirate Parrrty" for San Diego Comic-Con 2024 (SDCC 2024). If you're lucky enough to be attending the four-day pop culture extravaganza, "Fun with Zach and Michael" (Saturday, July 27, at 7:30 pm PT) will spotlight Cusack and Hadel as they take part in a special live-draw event and turn themselves over to the fans for a Q&A. In case you need a reminder of one of the many big reasons why the animated series is such a success, look no further than the following showcase that was released earlier today, celebrating the diversity of animation approaches that the series offered during the second season. While the quality of the writing and voice performances alone make the series more than with several rewatches, it's the blend of animation styles that makes each rewatch feel like we're getting something new – something that we missed – along the way.

Here's a look back at the wide range of animation styles in play during the second season, followed by a look back at some thoughts that Cusack and Hadel had to share during last month's 2024 Annecy International Animation Festival:

Smiling Friends Creators Want Series to Have "Always Sunny" Vibes

During Adult Swim's presentation at the 2024 Annecy International Animation Festival, Hadel addressed whether viewers should expect the series to take on darker and/or more serious themes during future seasons – similar to what we've seen from other animated series that have those "special" episodes. "A lot of comedy shows, like you say, tend to get serious," Hadel shared in response to a question from an attendee. "I don't think Charlie and Pim could cry, and anybody would care. It would just be annoying. So it would probably end before it gets to that point." Hadel continued, "This show is hopefully kind of an escape. We always think about when we worked minimum-wage jobs; we would get home and just want to watch YouTube cartoons and South Park and [It's] Always Sunny [in Philadelphia]. There's something nice about being a little comedy thing, and that's it."

And there it is! Are we surprised? No – but being a diehard fan of FXX's Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson & Danny DeVito-starring It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, I know that we don't always tend to go public a lot with our love for the greatest sitcom to ever grace a television screen. So when one of us does, it's nice to see – and when it's two talented folks like Cusack and Hadel, even more so.

"Something like 'South Park,' when I saw that episode when Stan gets depressed, I loved that because Trey [Parker] and Matt [Stone] are so great at that when they get serious. I just think we like keeping a continuous tone with 'Smiling Friends,' where you can tune in in any season. You don't really know where you are," Cusack added. And for those of you wondering when the season-long serialized storylines are going to kick in, Hadel makes it clear that fans shouldn't be holding their collective breath for them anytime soon. "I don't think we'll ever do serialization. It's supposed to just be popcorn. It's McDonald's of TV,' Hadel explained.

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