Written by: Ryan Dailey
River City is a horror comedy cartoon that plays out like Dodgeball and Shaun of the Dead collided and this show crawled from the wreckage and found a home on late 1990’s Icebox.com, nestled somewhere between Mr. Wong and Happy Tree Friends.
The pilot opens as the protagonist, Edwin, has engine trouble, causing his truck to break down in an unfamiliar, wooden area. Edwin, in true horror fashion, happens across a lone cabin in the dense thicket.A strange old man emerges from the shadows and introduces himself as The Gatekeeper. Through a rapid-fire, hilarious exchange, The Gatekeeper persuades Eswin to stay in River City. While he waits for his truck to be repaired, he takes up temporary residence in the Basket Case Apartments, where he meets Remus “The Blind.” The duo find themselves at the local tavern, Doc Haus for a few cold ones. The barkeep, Schmee is more than happy to keep his patrons liquored up, up until the party is broken up by The Front Street Elite, led by Mase. Mase challenges the two to a drink-off, to which Remus accepts a bit pre-maturely. Mase proves to be victorious and disappears into the shadows, leaving Edwin, Remus and Shmee feeling deflated. The trio can think of no better way to lift their spirits than by going to the town hop, which leads into the yet released episode 2.
River City has received many awards, including “Best Comedy” at the Florence Film Awards.
The animation is not ground-breaking, nor does it need to be. River City has an art style that is visually appealing and fits the subject matter. The voice acting is done really well, delivering the quotable dialog with a level of professionalism not expected from low budget flair.
Find out more at https://rivercityshow.com/ From the website, fans can sign up for the newsletter, follow the crew on social media and even listen to River City’s favorite radio station, 99.99 The Quiet Storm.