Four Underrated Animated Shows You Can Find Online

Mr. Sprinkles

Most people think Rick and Morty was the first time that writer Dan Harmon and animator Justin Roiland collaborated on a project, but that’s not the case. Back in the day, long before Harmon had made a name for himself with the NBC sitcom Community, he ran an online film festival called Channel 101. Here, animators could submit cheaply-produced short films and audiences would vote which of them ought to be continued. 

An energetic mind with little to no sense of self-judgement and a knack for crudely zany animation, Roiland was one of the festival’s most frequent contributors. Over the years, he submitted pilots for close to a dozen shorts. Some, like The Unmarketables, were kind of abysmal. Others, like House of Cosbys, which follows a scientist’s attempt to clone his favorite comedian, may just be more hilarious than even the funniest Rick and Morty or Solar Opposites bits. 

That said, the all-around best short that Roiland produced for the festival has to be Mr. Sprinkles. Produced in several short segments over the course of maybe a year, it followed a Cat in the Hat-like imaginary character whose well-meaning but uncontrollable actions were no longer appreciated in the modern world. Mixing elements of Dr. Seuss stories, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and even The Shawshank Redemption, this fifteen minute long-short forms a heartwarming tale about tolerance and friendship that will—no matter how crazy this sounds—make you shed a tear or two before the end credits roll. 

Mr. Sprinkles used to be on YouTube, but it isn’t anymore. Luckily, you can still find the complete short for free on Vimeo.