Rick And Morty Fans Agree Summer's Sleepover Horror Short Isn't Worth The Watch

"Rick and Morty" has never been afraid to get a bit weird with its concepts, but the standalone short film "Summer's Sleepover" manages to make the show look tame by comparison. Released last year on Halloween and directed by acclaimed claymation filmmaker Lee Hardcastle, the ten minute avant-garde narrative sees a sleepover with Summer Smith and her friends get interrupted by the arrival of a bizarre creature. Little does anyone know, the seemingly simple-minded critter holds some dark secrets that leads Summer on an outlandish journey. 

Everything about the short film from the outset sounds pretty spectacular. "Rick and Morty" is already a rather strange cartoon and director Lee Hardcastle has become world-renowned for his spine-chilling — and often gory — claymation catalogue. Add in the fact that Hardcastle has worked on "Rick and Morty" Adult Swim promos in the past and it seems like a match made in heaven. But as rich as the concept sounded, to many fans, such as Redditor u/nsaplzstahp who comments, "10 minutes I can never get back. Tragic,"  the final product was a poor one to put things kindly.

Fans watching "Summer's Sleepover" were certainly taken aback by what they witnessed. Some appreciated the short's bizarre and trippy nature, such as Redditor u/JIMMYJAWN who comments, "I enjoyed this. It has a lot of fun trippy visual effects ... " However, u/jaykhunter, while admiring the clear artistry and effort put into the Lee Hardcastle-directed piece, is less than sold on one crucial element, saying, "But as a story it wasn't great." 

Countless others couldn't agree more. The film's esoteric narrative made it a difficult watch, with u/Shroomyloony saying that the short, "Made my head hurt" while u/DaGr8estN8 wasn't even impressed by the film's technicality, commenting that, "I've seen better claymation on YouTube 10 years ago." Other fans didn't get far enough into the ten minute venture to fully judge for themselves. 

Redditor u/RodneySmodney was an especially impatient viewer. "I got maybe 30 seconds in and said nope!" they comment, additionally questioning if the short was a concession made to get the show's 70 episode order. Still, even that user has more endurance than u/validusrex who comments, "I watched the first 14 seconds and went 'I'm okay not finishing this.'" 

"Summer's Sleepover" is an undeniably ambitious piece of animation, taking the typical narrative structure of "Rick and Morty" to daring new places. But sadly, it's a place that many fans are hoping to never come back to.