Run Monster Run pilot review: a dark Digital Circus rival

We checked out the pilot of Run Monster Run, an indie animated series we'd heard was similar to The Amazing Digital Circus. Our verdict: it was good, really good. We thought it was excellent, and we enjoyed it a lot.

We love seeking out indie animation, and the next episode is on the way.

Run Monster Run's animation recalls The Amazing Digital Circus, with its own darkness

Within the first few moments, the animation reminded us of The Amazing Digital Circus. By the end, we'd settled on a clearer view. The animation is different from Digital Circus, but it has a darkness to it.

We wouldn't call it family friendly, exactly. It's more for everyone, the kind of show everyone can enjoy. We also liked the way the characters glow in the dark dimension sequence.

Zappy, Gloom and the overseers start cheerful and turn unsettling

The pilot opens on Zappy, a monster with electrical powers, waking her friends for a competition run by the overseers, with double dessert as the prize. The tone is bright, but an AI greeting that its enthusiasm "warms my optic nerves" got an instant "That was creepy" from us.

When the monsters break rules by accident and get locked away overnight, the overseers' chief tells a sympathetic colleague not to forget that they are monsters. Our reaction was "Straight up evil," while the monsters themselves struck us as so nice. Gloom discovers a new power to open dark portals, and Zappy has an anxiety attack after being stuck in the room.

The overseer training program reveal in Run Monster Run is dark

The gadget-building brainiac of the group hacks the TV signal, and the monsters stumble onto an overseer training program. It explains that they are samples being studied until their powers become a threat, at which point they are to be eliminated. Seeing them get insider info on the overseers felt so wrong, and we loved it. Our reaction to the elimination order was simple: "That's dark."

From there, the monsters end up in what we guessed was most likely a pocket dimension, work out that strong emotions seem to fuel Gloom's abilities, and fight their way out toward the stars. The escape was smart.

Our verdict on the Run Monster Run pilot

Run Monster Run balances an everyone-can-enjoy-it feel with real darkness, and we're excited for the next episode. We'll for sure keep up with the series, because it was good.