Review: Bad Luck Buck: Pop Up
Just weeks after the debut of Bad Luck Buck: Unfriended, Todd Redner is back with another installment for the Adult Swim SMALLS program: “Pop Up.”
For those who grew up on the golden era of Williams Street—the era of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, 12 oz. Mouse, and Squidbillies—this short feels like a welcome, albeit fever-dreamish, homecoming.
Todd Redner is an Adult Swim institution, and “Pop Up” carries all the hallmarks of his signature style: minimalist character designs, punchy (and often nonsensical) dialogue, and a pacing that feels both lethargic and manic at the same time. The short follows the eponymous Buck, a character whose primary trait is an uncanny ability to attract disaster, in a series of rapidly escalating—and visually inventive—gags.
What makes the Bad Luck Buck series stand out in the current SMALLS lineup is its unapologetic 2D grit. While many modern shorts lean into clean, digital aesthetics or high-concept experimentalism, “Pop Up” feels like Redner letting out what fans have called his “pent-up crazies.”
The voice work, featuring Adult Swim mainstays like Dave Willis (of Aqua Teen fame) and Marnix Evers, provides that classic deadpan delivery that turns even the most absurd situation into a comedic goldmine. The chemistry between the voice cast and the crude-but-expressive animation by the team (including Brandon Berger and Dino Fritz) keeps the energy high even when the plot intentionally meanders.
Without spoiling the specifics, “Pop Up” plays with the format of digital interruptions and the “pop-up” culture of the early internet, blending it with Buck’s trademark misfortune. It’s a bit of meta-commentary that fits perfectly within the SMALLS ecosystem—a platform specifically designed for creators to take risks with short-form, “bite-sized” content.
Bad Luck Buck: Pop Up is a reminder that you don’t need a massive budget or a complex narrative to be effective. Sometimes, you just need a weird-looking guy, a series of unfortunate events, and the creative freedom to be as strange as possible.
If you’re a fan of the “alt-animation” scene or simply miss the days when Adult Swim felt like a secret club for weirdos, this short is mandatory viewing. It’s quick, it’s loud, and it’s exactly the kind of beautiful nonsense we’ve come to expect from Todd Redner.
