The Amazing Digital Circus' Inspiration Is A Deeply Disturbing Story
"The Amazing Digital Circus" took over the internet after a single episode. It's an appropriate response, given that the show itself is about a group of people trapped in a digital realm overseen by a disturbing AI. It speaks to the times, as anxiety-ridden characters must handle derealization amid a colorful, cartoony landscape. Horror and child-like whimsy coalesce, so it makes sense that both of those genres served as inspiration in the development of the show.
Animator and composer Gooseworx, who made the animated series with Glitch, told Forbes that the show is a hybrid of Harlan Ellison's 1967 short story "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" with what she called "the aesthetic of an 'I Spy' book." In Ellison's story, the science fiction maestro envisions a post-apocalyptic world in which an AI known as "AM" rules over all, with a group of humans attempting to find a way out of the hellscape created for them. "The Amazing Digital Circus" takes place in a digital realm rather than Earth, but the fears concerning AI in both are largely similar.
Gooseworx furthered the comparison on X, formerly known as Twitter, writing, "Digital Circus is very inspired by 'I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream.' But instead of AM being a living embodiment of hate, he's a fun-loving wacky little guy." The imagery between the two is indeed starkly different. Instead of tormented humans dripping with blood, there are fantastical cartoon characters. But the inspiration does mean "The Amazing Digital Circus" isn't necessarily suitable for all children.
The internet loves cute yet disturbing things like The Amazing Digital Circus
In a darkly humorous turn of events, the malevolent AI of "The Amazing Digital Circus" is embodied by the character Caine (Alex Rochon), who's pretty much just a giant mouth that can scream. In the first episode, it's clear he tends to the inhabitants of this world but would never willingly allow them to leave. Much like AM, Caine seems to want to keep them all alive for the expressed purpose of torturing them. With this in mind, it may be possible to determine the endgame of "The Amazing Digital Circus."
"I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" ends with the characters realizing death is the only escape. However, one character, Ted, is caught and remains alive, receiving the brunt of the punishment from there on out. Perhaps "The Amazing Digital Circus" will have a similar ending where death is the only way the characters can evade further torment, with the protagonist, Pomni (Lizzie Freeman), being left behind for Caine to deal with.
There's a chance for "The Amazing Digital Circus" to get a lot darker, and the internet at large would probably be fine with that. Properties that are simultaneously cute yet disturbing do well online. Just look at the fandom inspired by "Five Nights at Freddy's," a video game series about pizza restaurant animatronics killing people. As fans await more episodes, it's clear that "The Amazing Digital Circus" has tapped into something dark and topical that people can't get enough of.