Review: Macbeth with Dinosaurs “Dad Bod”

 

 

Overview:

In a household of four dinosaurs, Siward is doing his best to be the man of the house. Between paying the bills and fixing the roof, he loses his cool and gets in a physical altercation with the next-door dad. Unfortunately, during the fight, Siward is bitten. In the middle of the night, he turns into a terrible monster, a were-dad.

Becoming half-dad has its benefits as the roof gets fixed and everything else around the house is taken care of. Even Lady Macbeth and Fifthwitch are happy as their new father spoils them with ice cream and guns. However, Siward doesn’t have as much love for Donalbain, who gets the brunt of his discipline.

 

Our Take:

There is no place like Adult Swim’s YouTube channel when it comes to finding the strangest and most obscure pieces of adult animation. The source of many unique pilots and shorts, Adult Swim, delivers wildly unanticipated content. That is why when the network drops a pilot for a new quarter-hour series, you leave expectations at the door.

Macbeth with Dinosaurs has a confusing but straightforward premise. Created by Matt Foster and Dave W. Campbell, the show follows four dinosaurs living in the modern world. Surviving as roommates, the beasts await their extinction as they navigate the human’s world. 

Brought to us by the same studio that gifted us Squidbillies, Macbeth with Dinosaurs is full of the same chaotic energy and dubious humour. The pilot episode throws us to the wolves. It does not stop to doddle when it comes to establishing the status quo or introducing characters. And do not expect any explanation to the Shakespeare reference in the title or why one of the characters wears the apparel from the period.

Should you ignore not having any idea what is going on, Macbeth with Dinosaurs is full of clever dialogue and situational comedy. Social commentary could also become a theme for the show, though the pilot focuses on mocking the cliches of fatherhood.

The strength of the episode comes in the obscure and injected jokes. The head of the HOA that gets Siward on top of his lawn work ended up being a ghost, making for a good running joke. And there are definitely some hard laughs. Especially when one of the dinosaurs is exposed as a cannibal eating clones of himself; or when another is given a couple of handguns to help him be a real man.  

This potential new series fits in a very specific category of adult animation, one that is designed for people with ADHD. There is so much going on throughout the 11-minute run it is nearly impossible to keep up. But that is okay because every new scene takes an unexpected new direction, resulting in an unpredictable show.

Macbeth with Dinosaurs fits right in with the Adult Swim catalogue. It is funny enough to stand beside the best of the network while also having such a unique tone and theme that it would not be drowned out. Hopefully, we get to see more of this series soon, but who knows what Adult Swim has in store.