Murder Drones

Murder Drones is a computer-animated web series created by Liam Vickers and produced by Glitch Productions.[1] In the series, man-made service robots, known as worker drones, attempt to live their lives without being ambushed and killed by disassembly drones, or "murder drones." The series focuses on Uzi Doorman, an anxious worker drone, who forms an unlikely alliance with Serial Designation N, an unusually friendly and curious disassembly drone. The pilot episode premiered on the YouTube channel GLITCH on October 29, 2021. It was picked up for a full 8-episode season, beginning on November 18, 2022, with new episodes released every 2โ€“3 months.

Murder Drones
GenreComedy horror
Science fiction
Post-apocalyptic
Created byLiam Vickers
Written byLiam Vickers
Directed byLiam Vickers
Voices ofElsie Lovelock
Michael Kovach
Nola Klop
Shara Kirby
Emma Breezy
Daisy Rose
Allanah Fitzgerald
ComposerAJ DiSpirito
Country of originUnited States
Australia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producersKevin Lerdwichagul
Luke Lerdwichagul
ProducerKevin Lerdwichagul
EditorLuke Lerdwichagul
Running time19-22 minutes
Production companyGlitch Productions
Release
Original networkYouTube
Original releaseOctober 29, 2021 (2021-10-29) โ€“
present

Described as a "dystopian comedy-horror",[2] Murder Drones delves into themes such as identity, morality, free will, and the bonds of friendship while simultaneously infusing humor into its dystopian setting. The series incorporates references to pop culture, drawing inspiration from video games, movies, anime, and memes.

As of October 2023, the pilot episode had received 25 million views.[3] The series has been praised by viewers for its animation, voice acting, and world-building, and its blend of horror and comedy elements. Additionally, the series was nominated for a Webby Award in the category of Best Animated Video.

Synopsis

The story takes place on Copper 9, an exoplanet owned by the megacorporation JCJenson. Worker drones, designed to serve humans, inhabit the planet and mine it for natural resources. Eventually, the planet suffers a catastrophic core collapse brought on by the corporation's employees, wiping out all biological life on the planet, including humans. As a result, the planet becomes a frozen wasteland, and only the worker drones remain. One day, a legion of violent killing machines, known as disassembly drones, invades Copper 9 to exterminate the remaining worker drones. The worker drones live in constant fear of disassembly drones and hide within a series of underground shelters in an attempt to defend themselves.[4]

At the center of the series is Uzi Doorman, a female worker drone who dreams of escaping Copper 9 and driving humans extinct. Her path crosses with Serial Designation N ("N"), a male murder drone with a surprisingly friendly and curious disposition toward worker drones. Together, they form an unlikely partnership to uncover the truth about their origins and their purpose in the planet's harsh environment. Along their journey, they encounter several important individuals, including V, a female murder drone fixated on hunting Uzi; Doll, a mysterious worker drone with connections to the Absolute Solver, an enigmatic computer program capable of altering reality; as well as Tessa and J, a human and a disassembly drone who crash-land on Copper 9.[5]

Cast and characters

Main Characters
  • Uzi Doorman (voiced by Elsie Lovelock) is the main protagonist of the series. She is a rebellious teenage worker drone who befriends N. She is on a mission to destroy the humans that created her and discover more about her connection to the Absolute Solver program.
  • Serial Designation N (voiced by Michael Kovach) is an optimistic disassembly drone who tries his best not to be seen as useless and befriends Uzi after being sent to destroy her.
  • Serial Designation V (voiced by Nola Klop) is originally an antagonist, but later becomes an anti-hero. She is a sociopathic and impulsive disassembly drone who N had a secret crush on. Although tasked with killing all the worker drones, she appears to have her own agenda that revolves around Cyn.
  • Serial Designation J (voiced by Shara Kirby) is the leader of N and V and the main antagonist of the pilot before she was destroyed by Uzi and later reconstructed by Tessa. She is a lethal workaholic who is committed to stopping the Absolute Solver following her reconstruction.
  • Doll (voiced by Emma Breezy) is the secondary antagonist of the series. She is a cannibalistic Russian Worker Drone with ties to the Absolute Solver program and wants to get revenge on the disassembly drones for murdering her parents.
  • Tessa (voiced by Daisy Rose) is a human employee of JCJenson who comes to Copper 9 to stop the Absolute Solver program.
  • The Absolute Solver (voiced by Allanah Fitzgerald) is the main antagonist of the series. The Absolute Solver is an extremely powerful computer program of unknown origin with the ability to control and transmute matter in virtually infinite ways. It first targed an improperly disposed drone named Cyn, who self-rebooted and became its first known host. After growing strong enough to destroy Earth and many other inhabited planets, the Absolute Solver is now able to corrupt almost anything with a connection to it, granting them similar reality-altering abilities.

Supporting Characters
  • Khan Doorman (voiced by David J. Dixon) is the leader of the WDF (Worker Defense Drone) and Uzi's borderline cowardly father who developed the doors that keep the Worker Drones safe from the Murder Drones.
  • Thad (voiced by Sean Chiplock), a Worker Drone with the attitude of a high school jock.
  • Lizzy (voiced by Katie Hood (pilot); Caitlin Dizon (series)) is Uzi's classmate and the most popular kid in school, who enjoys talking smack about Uzi.
  • Alice (voiced by Amber May) is a feral Worker Drone who lives in the depths of Copper 9, who was one of the Worker Drones experimented on to understand the Absolute Solver program.
  • Uzi's teacher (voiced by Liam Vickers)[5][6]

Production

Liam Vickers had previously achieved notoriety for his 2D animated series CliffSide and Internecion Cube, both of which are unfinished.[7] Liam Vickers first pitched Murder Drones to Glitch Productions with some early concept art and story.[8]

Murder Drones is animated in Unreal Engine. Including the pilot, the series will last 8 episodes. It pushes into darker territory while making it more photorealistic than previous shows on Glitch.[2] This series (alongside Meta Runner) also marks to many fans a departure from the Machinima style often associated with Glitch, as its co-founder Luke Lerdwichagul is well-known for his Super Mario parodies on the channel SMG4.

On August 6, Liam released the full version of "Disassembly Required", the song that plays in the teaser. The video description reveals the character seen in the teaser to be "V", one of the titular Murder Drones. By the time the series was announced, it had been worked on for one year until February 18, 2022, when Glitch Productions announced the full series is in development now at the studio and will be released later next year.[9][10]

Episodes

Every episode is written and directed by show creator Liam Vickers.

No.TitleStoryboard byOriginal air date
1"Pilot"Liam VickersOctober 29, 2021 (2021-10-29)
On the planet of Copper 9, humanity has gone extinct due to them harvesting the planet's core, causing a core collapse and a winter apocalypse. Human's servants, Worker Drones, are free to roam the planet and do as they wish. However, the Worker Drones' parent company, JCJenson, sends the ruthless Disassembly Drones, or Murder Drones, to start killing them. The Worker Drones hide behind impenetrable doors to keep themselves safe. Uzi, a rebellious Worker Drone, shows off her railgun to her class which ends in disaster. Afterwards, Uzi steals the Master Key to unlock the doors from her father and travels to the Murder Drones' hideout to complete her railgun. She is ambushed by one of the Murder Drones, Serial Designation N, who Uzi incapacitates. N wakes up amnesiac and friendly, believing Uzi to be a member of his crew. Uzi escapes after Murder Drones V and J arrive, and they follow her. The Murder Drones breach the doors and Uzi is left for dead to keep the Worker Drones safe. J betrays N after he questions their objective and her and V fly off to slaughter the Worker Drones. Uzi and N form an alliance and fight off V and J. N incapacitates V and Uzi kills J with her railgun. Afterwards, Uzi goes into self-imposed exile after her father left her for dead and flies off with N. Uzi plots to kill the remaining humans and starts laughing maniacally as her eyes flicker yellow, the same colour as the Disassembly Drones.
2"Heartbeat"Liam Vickers, Matthew Peckham, and Jarrad RumbleNovember 18, 2022 (2022-11-18)
N has a dream about being a butler in a manor with V and J, where he meets a new drone. N awakens from his slumber and questions Uzi's plan to kill humanity. Meanwhile, a worker is assigned to fix the hole in the roof caused by Uzi and N leaving, but a device crawls out of J's carcass and creates a massive creature that kills and assimilates several drones. After hearing about the ongoing incidents, Uzi, N, and Thad, Uzi's classmate, investigate around the bunker and discover symbols on the wall along with the words, "Absolute Solver". While the crew faces off with the monster killing the drones, the creature reveals that it is trying to repair J and that drones are more like "puppets" to it, rather than the other way around. The solver attempts to assimilate Uzi, but N comes in and saves her. However, Uzi becomes shaken by the events she has seen and distrusts N, who leaves in sorrow. Doll, one of Uzi's classmates, looks at a picture of V before willing a cockroach to explode.
3"The Promening"Liam Vickers, Robin French, and Cameron Qayoom-TaylorFebruary 17, 2023 (2023-02-17)
Doll uses the Absolute Solver to kill one of her fellow students and crosses the victim's name off a list. Uzi expresses guilt over shunning N after their battle against Eldtrich J. She sees missing posters and takes some of them to put on her ceiling back home, only to find them missing. Khan reveals that he took and hid the posters and that he and Uzi's teacher arranged for Lizzy and Doll to help Uzi prepare for prom, against Uzi's wishes. N feels remorse over the events of last episode, while V is only focused on the objective of killing everyone at the prom, including Uzi. N refuses to help her and asks V if she's hiding anything. V decapitates N and escapes. Uzi sees a massive pile of bodies at Doll's house and escapes. She runs into N and the two reconcile. At the prom, Doll tries to kill V for murdering her parents, but is stopped by Uzi and N and is killed by V herself. Looking for clues at Doll's home, Doll (having revived herself with the solver) attacks, but flees after Uzi is shown to have the power of Absolute Solver as well.
4"Cabin Fever"Matthew Peckham and Cameron Qayoom-TaylorApril 7, 2023 (2023-04-07)
Uzi and her classmates travel to Camp 98.7 for a field trip. Uzi inspects two collars with a skull pattern, and a flashback reveals that the collar has significance from her past involving her mother. At the camp, V and N arrive to supervise the class. Uzi communicates through sign language to escape the group, and she stumbles upon a cabin where she encounters strange occurrences involving dead drones, cryptic drawings, and robotic bugs. Back at the campsite, chaos ensues when a student accidentally shoots an arrow at Uzi, prompting her to use her abilities to stop it. The arrow transforms into an organic being, terrifying everyone. V becomes aggressive towards Uzi, leading her to seek refuge in a second cabin. The situation escalates when N becomes suspicious of V's lack of information and leaves the camp. Uzi undergoes a transformation resembling an organic Disassembly Drone and begins to attack other Worker Drones. Uzi faces off against V, but N intervenes to stop Uzi and calms her down, reverting back to her original form. As the sun rises, the survivors leave. N grabs a video cassette on "Zombie Drones" while a cockroach crawls into Uzi's hat.
5"Home"Neda LayJune 9, 2023 (2023-06-09)
A JCJenson training tape talks about how to properly dispose of Drones, warning about "Zombie Drones", Drones that self-reboot after being improperly disposed of. Inside Manor Elliott, N hears strange thumping noises come from the basement, but he disregards it and continues his duties. N meets Cyn, a strange acting Worker Drone, and they discuss the upcoming gala. N agrees to ask Tessa, the only child of the owners of the manor, if they can attend. Tessa's mother sees Cyn and angrily orders her to get out. N takes the blame for Cyn's appearance, and is taken outside to be torn apart by birds. Remembering a cryptic message from earlier, N calls out a name, allowing Uzi to hijack one of the birds. Uzi tells N that his memories are getting deleted and that they need to save them. Tessa is held captive in her room by J, who is under orders from her parents not to let her out. Cyn then leaves to attack the gala. N, Raven Uzi, and Tessa meet in the manor and head towards the basement to stop Cyn. However, V attacks them, and they split up. Raven Uzi and N discover a mutilated N in the basement. Back in the present, Uzi faces off against Doll, and ends up losing the robotic cockroach to her. In the past, Cyn takes control of the drones and causes a massacre at the gala, with J and Tessa trying to stop her. Meanwhile, N is in danger of losing his memories, but Uzi regains control of Cyn's Eldtrich form and saves him and V. Doll teleports outside and meets J and a mature Tessa, seeking the key to a basement level dwelling. Uzi, N, and V confront them run into them, leading to a tense standoff.
6"Dead End"Neda LayAugust 18, 2023 (2023-08-18)
At Cabin Fever Labs, a Worker Drone is killed by a robotic Sentinel. Meanwhile, Uzi, N, V, Tessa, and J introduce each other and explain themselves. However, Doll, betrays them by stealing the keybug (robo-bug), triggering a pursuit that leads them into the nearby labs. Tessa becomes a captive, and the group encounters two cannibalistic Murder Drones. Uzi, N, and V fall unconscious due to an EMP. Tessa and N execute a daring escape plan, but they find themselves facing imminent danger from a group of unleashed Sentinels. Uzi uses the Absolute Solver to escape, but she starts to flicker yellow. Tensions escalate when Tessa reveals to N about Earth's catastrophic state due to Cyn's actions, placing him in the position of having to choose between saving the universe or Uzi. The situation turns chaotic as Doll tricks them and releases the Sentinels, gaining access to a secret elevator. Uzi tries to use the Absolute Solver, but starts to get possessed by Cyn. As the Sentinels gain ground on them, V places her trust in Uzi and sacrifices herself so the others can escape.

Reception

Lauren Rouse of Gizmodo Australia praised the character designs and visuals.[2] In 2023, the series earned a nomination for a Webby Award in the category of Best Animated Video.[11]

References
  1. Asarch, Steven (26 January 2022). "The trippiest gamer on YouTube reveals the one line he'll never cross". Inverse. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  2. Rouse, Lauren (25 October 2021). "This Aussie Animation Studio Has Made a New Horror Comedy About Murder Drones". Gizmodo Australia. Archived from the original on 28 February 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  3. MURDER DRONES - Episode 1: PILOT, retrieved 2023-08-07
  4. Schmidt, Ben (4 November 2021). "Review: Murder Drones "Pilot"". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved 7 August 2023.
  5. Cento, Salvatore (16 June 2023). "Murder Drones: How This Post-Apocalyptic Series Revolutionized YouTube". MovieWeb. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  6. "Murder Drones Season 1: All you need to know". Murder Drones News. 2022-02-22. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  7. "Liam Vickers Animation - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2023-10-18.
  8. @glitch_prod (April 23, 2022). "During the shows inception When @LiamVAnimation first pitched Murder Drones to us this was the oriiiiginal concept art for Murder and Worker Drones. The idea was to give the worker drones no mouths for quicker animation but that was changed for ๐“ข๐“ฝ๐”‚๐“ต๐“ฎ Also look at beta V ๐Ÿฅบ" (Tweet). Retrieved 2023-10-18 โ€“ via Twitter.
  9. "Murder Drones". Glitch Productions. Archived from the original on 2023-02-28. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
  10. Schwarz, John (9 October 2021). "Glitch Productions Reveals Murder Drones Complete With New Teaser". Bubbleblabber. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  11. "2023 Webby Awards Video Winners". The Webby Awards. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
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