ListNook

TheCounsler Mar 27, 2026 +209

I know this show has been slowly gaining popularity with each episode but I didn’t think it would be put in theaters. Pretty cool tbh

209

DistributionOk2035 Mar 27, 2026 +98

Slowly gaining popularity.. the pilot has 400 million views bruh. I'm not a fan, but I live in the middle of nowhere in Ireland, and our toy stores and general type dollar stores have merch for this show in sale. Kinda crazy.

98

TheCounsler Mar 27, 2026 +16

I guess I’m thinking cause stranger things has their finale in theaters and that makes sense given its popularity. So I guess didn’t think it was comparable enough to get a theater release

16

HumansNeedNotApply1 Mar 27, 2026 +9

This show is VERY popular. The 8th episode has 60 million views on youtube.

9

RealJohnGillman Mar 27, 2026 +9

And it had millions watching it live when it aired.

9

RealJohnGillman Mar 27, 2026 +8

So does mine (also in the middle of nowhere, in Ireland).

8

TimmyB02 Mar 27, 2026 +28

This link doesn't work outside of the US.

28

RealJohnGillman Mar 27, 2026 +18

It seems it is [literally a film listing](https://web.archive.org/web/20260327032230/https://www.cinemark.com/movies/the-amazing-digital-circus-the-last-act).

18

FluffyWuffyVolibear Mar 27, 2026 +62

Oh *that's* where that clown I see all the p*** of is from

62

GoonerBear94 Mar 28, 2026 +10

Jester. That's where the jester you see all the p*** of is from.

10

Pseudonymico Mar 28, 2026 +1

Depends on what they're looking for I guess

1

Weary-Program-2162 Mar 27, 2026 +8

Was this confirmed by Glitch or Gooseworx?

8

Fox622 Mar 27, 2026 +2

Not that I know of

2

Fluttermun Mar 27, 2026 +6

I would treat it with a grain of salt until they announce it through professional sources then...seems kinda weird that it'd go to theatres.

6

a_talking_face Mar 27, 2026 +68

My experience with this show is it appearing in Netflix kids profiles and me being a little perturbed as to how it's only rated PG.

68

ProfPeanut Mar 27, 2026 +38

Swears were only unlocked last episode

38

a_talking_face Mar 27, 2026 +24

That's only part of it. The adult humor and dark themes are enough to warrant a higher rating. Despicable Me is rated PG. You can't tell me that this and Despicable Me are similar.

24

Fireplace67 Mar 27, 2026 +24

PG carries a very wide range. Raiders of the Lost Ark is PG, even with the ending where the Nazis melt onscreen. Just a couple years ago, Puss In Boots: The Last Wish had multiple instances of onscreen death, blood, and swearing, and got a PG rating.

24

KNZFive Mar 27, 2026 +25

Raiders is from an era before PG-13 existed, so a PG movie could get away with more stuff. Hell, PG-13 was created because of Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom and Gremlins: > In response to some of the more violent sequences in the film, and with similar complaints about the Spielberg-produced Gremlins (which released two weeks later), Spielberg suggested that the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) alter its rating system, which it did within two months of the film's release, creating a new PG-13 rating.

25

APiousCultist Mar 27, 2026 +1

A New Hope has the lowest rating available in the UK and that has bloody dismemberment and the charred bloody-looking skeletons of Luke's family. Grandfathered ratings can be dramatic. Honestly Anakin's fate in Revenge of the Sith was pretty intense for a 12+ too.

1

a_talking_face Mar 27, 2026 +5

Do you feel that other countries that have rated it 12+ have wrongly done so?

5

Fireplace67 Mar 27, 2026 +4

First and foremost, I believe that the onus for what is and isn't appropriate for children lies on the child's caretaker. They're the only one who should have the say. If you don't think your kids should be watching TADC? Sure! I will not argue against you. The purpose of a ratings board is not to definitively tell the parents "your kids shouldn't be watching this if they're under x age." It's to point out any potentially questionable content, and give a suggestion on what age it's appropriate for based on that. But that suggestion is informed by opinion much more so than fact, and by the culture and value system that they live under. Different countries giving different ratings to the same show just means that the specific person who oversaw the rating in each country had a different opinion than the others. As for TADC in particular, I could hear arguments either way, personally, and it doesn't surprise me at all that it's gotten different ratings in other countries. tl;dr ratings boards are meaningless make your own choices.

4

a_talking_face Mar 27, 2026 +1

Yes I understand what a ratings board is. This was a discussion about the rating assigned and the appropriateness of said rating relative to other media.

1

mentholshrimp Mar 27, 2026 +1

Make a complaint to the ratings board? Debating the ratings of a body that determines things you are hung up about, you have no control over, and asking people about it does actually nothing. Unless You want to have some kind of conversation about what should and shouldn't be shown to children. Which then goes back 1) Pay attention to what your children watch and 2) Make a complaint to the ratings board if you actually care that much

1

a_talking_face Mar 27, 2026 +3

I want to clarify I don't feel strongly on this and I was really just mentioning my surprise at the rating it had and my reasons for that. I apologize if I came off as rude or aggressive.

3

Fireplace67 Mar 27, 2026

And I gave my answer. If you need it more specifically spelled out than it was in the sentence before the tl;dr, then alright. I don't believe other countries were wrong to rate it 12+, and I also don't believe it's wrong to rate it as just PG. As a single adult with no children of my own, I couldn't care less whether or not its content is appropriate for children, only whether it serves its value as entertainment to me. I'll leave it to those who actually have to worry about children to determine what rating is appropriate. The only reason I stepped into this conversation in the first place is because I didn't like that you used a singular movie, Despicable Me, as if all PG-rated movies should be at the exact same level of maturity as it. Out of all the MPAA ratings, PG has the biggest variance in maturity levels. You can have movies like Despicable Me, with a target demographic of 6-8 year olds. You can have movies like Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, with a target demographic of 10-12 year olds. You can have anything in between, or even above or below. Some kids' movies will literally add in a single extra swear word or adult joke just to get it from G to PG, just because PG rated movies tend to sell better than G rated movies, not because they're legitimately aiming for a specific maturity.

0

a_talking_face Mar 27, 2026 +2

I don't really understand your hostility on this issue. I was only ever pointing out my surprise at the rating and explained my reasons. If you felt I was being rude or aggressive I didn't intend that and I apologize.

2

Current-Hand-7385 Mar 27, 2026

Rating boards absolutely decode if a person can see something. This why someone under 13 can't get into a pg13 movie. Did you even read your comment lol

0

Heavy-Possession2288 Mar 27, 2026 +2

Any age can go into a PG-13 movie they’re not age restricted at all, and are functionally identical to G and PG ratings. It’s only R and NC-17 ratings that have restrictions (and R rated movies are all ages as long as an adult is present).

2

Fireplace67 Mar 27, 2026 +1

I'm not aware of any movie theater that cards you when you buy a ticket for a PG-13 movie. You're thinking of the R and NC-17 ratings. And even then, you can go into an R rated movie as long as there is an adult present, even if you aren't old enough for it. That means that theaters aren't banning children from seeing them, just ceding responsibility for the decision to the children's caretakers. And even that's ignoring the fact that we're only talking about movie theaters here. If a parent really thought their child were mature enough to watch a NC-17 movie, they could just buy it when it came to home video and/or stream it to their kid at home. The ratings board has no power over that.

1

Level69Troll Mar 27, 2026 +2

Jaws was PG, because PG-13 didn't exist. A lot of movies were like "wow, this is PG?" from that era.

2

Current-Hand-7385 Mar 27, 2026 +1

Raiders was NOT the axample you were looking for. Maybe try a movie after the creation on pg13

1

Fireplace67 Mar 27, 2026 +1

The point I was making was specifically that PG isn't an airtight marker of intended maturity level. The fact that some movies that probably should have been PG-13 were rated PG because the former rating didn't exist yet doesn't change the fact that just pointing out a random PG rated movie doesn't guarantee a specific intended age demographic for the entire span of movies with that rating.

1

STFUNeckbeard Mar 27, 2026 +5

Who can forget kid friendly, light hearted PG classic Jaws?

5

a_talking_face Mar 27, 2026 +6

Jaws predates the PG-13 rating and it, along with movies like Gremlins and Indiana Jones, were reasons for the introduction of the PG-13 rating. Jaws is famously known for being on the cusp of receiving an R rating.

6

[deleted] Mar 27, 2026 -3

[removed]

-3

TristheHolyBlade Mar 27, 2026 +2

Man, I genuinely wish I had the capacity to ignore context and nuance and just stubbornly think my own reality into my mind. I mean, yall don't seem necessarily happy when you do it, but my god must it be an easier way to live.

2

STFUNeckbeard Mar 27, 2026 -4

It 1000% is

-4

LADYBIRD_HILL Mar 27, 2026 +2

Nothing in Jaws permits an R rating though, and PG-13 didn't exist at the time. Lego even made a jaws set, and they outright refuse to do sets for adult properties. If a kid can watch the Indiana Jones movies they can handle Jaws.

2

Heavy-Possession2288 Mar 27, 2026 +1

Jaws had to be edited to avoid an R rating, and some of the violence might push it over the edge now. It’s very close.

1

Mat_alThor Mar 27, 2026 +2

TV PG is a very different rating from movies PG

2

a_talking_face Mar 27, 2026 +1

You are correct. TV-PG ratings are typically much more strict than movies.

1

Enkundae Mar 27, 2026 +1

Ratings are arbitrary to the point of meaningless, kids can in fact handle challenging content without imploding and its the parents job to take an actual interest in what their kid is watching instead of clutching pearls to get a ratings board to do it for them.

1

Heavy-Possession2288 Mar 27, 2026 +1

TV-PG is different than the MPAA’s PG rating. Many PG-13 movies are TV-PG when they air on TV without needing any cuts. Jurassic Park is PG-13 for instance but TV-PG on TV. TV-PG puts it in a similar category as shows like The Simpsons which are seen as slightly more adult, and the first few episodes of Digital Circus I saw had nothing that warranted a higher rating.

1

badapple1989 Mar 27, 2026 +41

I don't think it's got anything worse in it than Courage the Cowardly Dog did so that sounds about right.

41

a_talking_face Mar 27, 2026 +33

There is a lot more adult humor in this and it's not necessarily subtle. Theres also a lot of swearing that, while censored, still seems gratuitous enough to take it beyond a PG rating. It's also thematically much more dark. Certainly wouldn't pass for a Y-7 rating in the late 90s or today.

33

badapple1989 Mar 27, 2026 +12

Kids can handle dark motifs and themes. There's nothing in it that I can't think of parallels to in other media. The stupid sauce from the fast food episode for example that's an allusion to getting high or drunk? Looney Toons and old cartoons did that all the time with mystery bubbly liquids that made characters "act funny". The gun episode has no blood, no injuries, and the "deaths" are just characters poofing into another room. The scary monster in the dark and the ghosts possessing Pomni's body are why I drew a parallel to Courage which was a horror cartoon for kids from the 2000's, again no blood or gore or even bodies- just scary imagery akin to Five Nights at Freddy's or other bloodless jumpscare games that are popular with the youths. SpongeBob SquarePants has an episode that makes similar jokes about censored language and swearing. Some of the drier adult humor would fit right in with Animaniacs. None of this stuff is new ground, not even the sentient AI computer stuff when ReBoot touched on that decades ago.

12

Charred01 Mar 27, 2026 +10

You definitely seem a little old school on your views of what you think kids can handle or should be exposed to. There is nothing in DC that kids can't process or understand and ideally they are exposed earlier anyways as childhood is the right time to process and learn about this kind of stuff.

10

Axel_Wolf91 Mar 27, 2026 +10

On top of that it has some talk heartfelt life lessons in there. My kids introduced me to TADC, and I gave it a sincere try because I saw how much they loved it. Low and behold I actually loved it too. Maybe it wouldn't fit into a cable TV pg rating, but I feel like it treats the viewers with respect in terms of how they present their themes.

10

kidkolumbo Mar 27, 2026 +3

What about the joke that Zooble is angry they can't have sex?

3

HumansNeedNotApply1 Mar 27, 2026 +5

I think kids won't get it, some jokes are clearly aimed for teenagers or adults.

5

demacish Mar 27, 2026 +4

Like Pixar and Disney movies haven't done similar jokes

4

kidkolumbo Mar 27, 2026 +1

I don't they've been so explicit to where it was just the phrase I want to have sex with sex bleeped out. I don't really count The Lion King one because even as an adult I kind of don't know where pumba was going.

1

Charred01 Mar 27, 2026

What about it? Your kid should know what sex is. And let's be honest here sex has been is media meant for kids since I was born over 40 years ago.

0

5213 Mar 27, 2026 +3

Brother, have you seen the stuff that was advertised as family friendly in the 90s? Jim Carrey's filmography alone definitely was *not* appropriate for children yet stuff like Ace Ventura & The Mask are Pg-13 and TV-14 respectively

3

a_talking_face Mar 27, 2026 +5

Right. I think a PG-13 for Digital Circus would be entirely appropriate, but that's not what it is.

5

Totheendofsin Mar 27, 2026 +3

Until the most recent episode it was tamer than a lot of the kids shows I watched as a kid

3

Corronchilejano Mar 27, 2026 +2

Only one episode appeared in YouTube kids yesterday and it most definitely must be a mistake.

2

a_talking_face Mar 27, 2026 +3

I'm talking about Netflix.

3

Corronchilejano Mar 27, 2026 +2

Man, brain fart on my side. I guess Netflix kids also includes 13 year olds?

2

a_talking_face Mar 27, 2026 +3

It's rated PG on Netflix so if you filter down to PG it still shows up

3

Corronchilejano Mar 27, 2026 +2

Yeah that makes sense. I guess its something you can watch with a kid and then have a conversation about.

2

gamer68951 Mar 28, 2026 +1

"I forgot to ask for a kids toy" "your not a kid" "oh, and adult toy then!" \-episode 4

1

MrWaluigi Mar 27, 2026

Out of curiosity, do movies like Indiana Jones show up there? Late 20th century movies are practically h******* because there wasn’t a pg-13 rating before. A DVD copy I have of Temple of Doom was rated as PG. Besides that, it could be an algorithm oversight that Netflix has little interest in updating. Mainly because Digital Circus has the misfortune of being used in those “YouTube Kids” farming content, and could be influencing that.

0

a_talking_face Mar 27, 2026 +3

I don't believe there's any curation in Netflix kids profiles as far as removing content. It's all ratings based. However, digital circus was promoted in the tiles. I guess my issue is not specifically with Netflix though and moreso with the assignment of the rating itself. I also don't feel that strongly about it and just found it kind of surprising it was rated that way.

3

MrWaluigi Mar 27, 2026

Ratings for shows are weird sometimes. Samurai Jack has some gruesome scenes, but because most are robots, it gets away from a mature rating. The logic for these things are always wonky.

0

Daydream_machine Mar 28, 2026 +3

It might just be the greatest indie animation show ever made, really excited for the finale!

3

DivDee Mar 27, 2026 +5

Is it still going in YT at the same time though? Can't access the link

5

tydoug Mar 27, 2026 +8

IIRC it comes out June 4th, about two weeks before the YT upload would come out

8

SpringTraps Mar 27, 2026 +4

So on the internet June 4th then. /s

4

Fox622 Mar 27, 2026 +1

I can't see it anymore too I suppose it will be on YouTube on the date given on episode 8

1

Tolkien-Minority Mar 27, 2026 +25

Seems a bit much for what it is lol

25

AlphaTangoFoxtrt Mar 27, 2026 +16

It's a highly popular show with hundreds of millions of views on youtube, and the final episode is 1hr 38m long.

16

Current-Hand-7385 Mar 27, 2026 -6

Yes and it still shouldn't show in theaters.

-6

AlphaTangoFoxtrt Mar 27, 2026 +11

Why not?

11

JosephNarrows Mar 27, 2026 +5

What’s the matter? You don’t want movie theaters to make money?

5

loves_grapefruit Mar 27, 2026 -8

They make plenty of money from their ads and popcorn. TADC isn’t exactly something that screams “theatrical release” material.

-8

demacish Mar 27, 2026 +8

What does even "theatrical release" material even mean in 2026? There have been tv shows, high quality movies, low quality movies and slop movie in theatres nowadays, so what classifies something as theatrical or not

8

Tolkien-Minority Mar 27, 2026 -49

I don’t give a shit I’ve got a big enough TV at home.

-49

EmperorAcinonyx Mar 27, 2026 +8

so do i, but lots of people don't. it's also just fun to go to the movies

8

demacish Mar 27, 2026 +6

Same mentality as sports, people wanna pop off together with other people at surprises and similar in a show that they all like/love

6

[deleted] Mar 27, 2026 -1

[removed]

-1

[deleted] Mar 27, 2026 +3

[removed]

3

Thanathan7 Mar 27, 2026 -7

Only one of the most successfull online indie animations ever with views far greater than lots of movies and shows :x

-7

Tolkien-Minority Mar 27, 2026 -24

Good point lets all go to the cinema to watch a 25 minute episode lol

-24

UniverslBoxOfficeGuy Mar 27, 2026 +28

It's actually 98 minutes long

28

RealJohnGillman Mar 27, 2026 +2

It’s a feature-length finale.

2

Thanathan7 Mar 27, 2026 +5

60 mins :)

5

EpicPhail60 Mar 27, 2026 +7

Can't say I've ever gone to the theatres to watch an hour of TV either, but to each their own.

7

Thanathan7 Mar 27, 2026 -4

Ofc but it's not unprecedented at all with series finales in japan fir example. It's a good thing imo

-4

Thanathan7 Mar 27, 2026 -15

Lmfao downvote losers

-15

Mexican_Kiddo Mar 28, 2026 +2

It should be PG-13 unless they bribe the MPAA to get a PG rating

2

toilet_for_shrek Mar 27, 2026 +3

Markiplier proved that youtubers can make theatrical hits. TADC is definitely a viral sensation, so I think it's a worthy gamble

3

remehber Mar 27, 2026 +2

Oh nice. If it does come to my theater I’d probably watch it there

2

thatkaratekid Mar 27, 2026 -26

I only watched the first one, but genuinely thought it was complete dog shit. I am happy for the creators that its still so popular.

-26

SuccinctEarth07 Mar 27, 2026 +20

It's not an incredible show or anything and the humour is pretty hit or miss but I do think the first two episodes are by far the weakest. Got much better after that.

20

Real-Terminal Mar 27, 2026 +11

Episode 4 will hit anyone who worked in fast food like a truck.

11

Canadiancookie Mar 27, 2026 +5

I genuinely would call it an incredible show though. I love the characters, humor, drama, creativity, etc.

5

SuccinctEarth07 Mar 27, 2026 +1

That's totally fair there is a lot about it that I really like

1

SupaKoopa714 Mar 27, 2026 +1

I'll have to give it another shot, I saw the first episode and while I really like the character designs and voice acting, it felt like 20 minutes of the characters just randomly interacting and acting goofy with no real plot hook other than "Hey, I woke up in this strange world with no memories, isn't that weird," which wasn't enough to get me invested.

1

SuccinctEarth07 Mar 27, 2026 +2

That's fair enough I really didn't like the first episode it felt too hyperactive and YouTube brained. It's still the next weakest episode but I enjoyed the second one quite a bit more as it was more slow paced

2

RealJohnGillman Mar 27, 2026 +7

It’s a pretty good adaptation of *I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream*: the series as a whole really works when they get to the meat of that.

7

thatkaratekid Mar 27, 2026 +1

My biggest issue with the first one was how aggressively it telegraphed its themes. I really should give this another shot to see how it all plays out. The majority of people I know irl who really connected with it, did so purely on an aesthetic level. The aesthetic didnt do anything for me, so I assumed it wasn't gonna pull me later.

1

RealJohnGillman Mar 27, 2026 +4

Oh, that was largely because the first episode was a pilot, a proof-of-concept: the original intent was for a full series to then tell its events again, but ultimately they instead decided to keep it as the first episode before working on the rest of the series, once the pilot received the level of reception that would allow them to make a full series. One sees what they were going for better once the team knew they had more than one episode to work with.

4

Current-Hand-7385 Mar 27, 2026 -1

Except, it really isn't. This is just something fans like to regurgitate to make it seem more complex. If this is a good adaptation, then f****** Portal & every other "man vs machine" story is. GOD ABOVE, I hate that f****** take. Read the story, the similarities end at AI manipulates group of people

-1

RealJohnGillman Mar 27, 2026 +5

Oh, no, the creator of the series is the one who said it was based on *I Have No Mouth, and I Must Not Scream*, not the fans. She’s been open about this since the beginning. That’s why the story was referenced outright in the second-to-last episode. Her approach was basically if AM didn’t start out with his torture-for-eternity mindset, but rather built up to it (also something she referred to outright, not fans).

5

presty60 Mar 27, 2026 +1

I thought it was okay, but I get Ive aged out of the target demographic. I probably would have loved it when I was 13.

1

-Mandarin Mar 27, 2026 -3

It does seem like one of those shows that has the 11-16yo demo locked down, but not much to offer older people in the way something like Adventure Time could.

-3

zenexo Mar 27, 2026 -8

Complete dog shit wow what a mature and nuanced opinion. /s

-8

fnv_fan Mar 28, 2026

Theatres are gonna be filled with 12 year olds

0

The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act (final episode of the show) to be released on theaters

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