Before the multi-billion dollar merchandising deals, the Szechuan sauce riots, and the complex multiverse lore of Rick and Morty, there was something much weirder. And grosser. Way grosser. If you go back to 2006, you’ll find a short film called The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti. It wasn’t meant to be a masterpiece. It was actually created as a "fuck you" to a major movie studio.
Justin Roiland was essentially looking for a way to get sued.
At the time, Roiland had received a cease-and-desist letter from lawyers regarding some of his other web content. His reaction wasn’t to back down. Instead, he decided to create the most blatant, grotesque parody of Back to the Future imaginable. He wanted to see how far he could push Universal Pictures before they took legal action. He didn't get sued, but he did accidentally stumble upon the character dynamics that would eventually define modern adult animation.
The Origin of the Madness
The short was made for Channel 101, a non-profit monthly short film festival co-founded by Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab. The premise of Channel 101 was simple: creators submit five-minute pilots, and the audience votes on which ones get to continue as a series.
The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti didn't follow the rules of traditional storytelling. It was raw. The animation was intentionally crude—wobbly lines, inconsistent proportions, and a color palette that felt like it was smeared on the screen. Roiland voiced both characters, developing the high-pitched, stuttering anxiety of Mharti and the gravelly, drunken erraticism of Doc Smith.
If you watch it now, the DNA of Rick and Morty is unmistakable, but it's buried under a layer of shock humor that wouldn't pass standard TV sensors today. The plot of the first short involves Doc Smith convincing Mharti that the only way to fix a time-travel mishap is through... well, let’s just say it involves very graphic sexual acts. It was vulgarity for the sake of vulgarity, born out of a desire to troll "big media."
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Why the Voices Sound So Familiar
The most striking thing about revisiting these shorts is the audio. Roiland’s performance as Doc Smith is the literal prototype for Rick Sanchez. The burping—a staple of the early seasons of Rick and Morty—started here. In fact, the burping wasn't even a scripted choice initially. Roiland happened to burp while recording lines for the Doc character, and he thought it was hilarious. He leaned into it.
He once described the process as a sort of "disgusting accidental discovery."
The relationship between the two characters in the shorts is far more predatory and nonsensical than the one we see on Adult Swim. While Rick Sanchez is a cynical nihilist who occasionally shows a glimmer of love for his grandson, Doc Smith is a straight-up lunatic. There is no heart in The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti. There is only chaos.
From a "C&D" Joke to a Global Phenomenon
So, how does a short about a perverted old man and his panicked sidekick become the foundation for a show that won Primetime Emmys?
The bridge was Dan Harmon.
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Years after the Channel 101 days, Harmon was fired from Community and was approached by Adult Swim to develop a new animated series. He liked Roiland’s sensibilities but knew they needed to "humanize" the chaos. They took the raw energy of Doc and Mharti, filed off the most litigious edges, and added a family dynamic. They replaced the "Doc Smith" name with Rick Sanchez and "Mharti" with Morty Smith.
Interestingly, the legal issues Roiland originally invited never materialized. Universal Pictures didn't sue. They seemingly didn't even care. This lack of a lawsuit allowed the characters to gestate in the underground internet scene for years before they were polished for a mainstream audience.
The Technical Evolution
If you look at the technical specs of those early shorts, they were produced on a shoestring budget. Roiland was using basic animation software, likely an early version of Toon Boom or even just Flash, focusing on speed rather than aesthetic.
The pacing is what really stands out.
Modern Rick and Morty is known for its "Dan Harmon Circle" structure—a rigorous approach to story circles and character growth. The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti has none of that. It is pure, unadulterated stream of consciousness. It’s the sound of a creator laughing at his own jokes in a recording booth at 3:00 AM.
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Misconceptions About the Shorts
A lot of fans think there are dozens of these episodes. There aren't. There are only a handful of official Doc and Mharti shorts, including some promotional bits Roiland did later for things like The Paley Center.
Another misconception is that the shorts were "banned." They weren't. They were just so niche and offensive that they lived primarily on sites like Channel 101 and early YouTube. They didn't need to be banned because they weren't on any platform that had a standards and practices department.
The Legacy of Doc Smith and Mharti
The impact of these shorts on the animation industry is actually quite significant. They proved that "voice-first" animation could work. Instead of writing a rigid script and having actors perform it, Roiland’s style involved heavy improvisation. The stutters, the "umms," and the overlapping dialogue became a hallmark of the "Roiland style" that many other creators have since tried to mimic.
It also signaled a shift in adult comedy. We moved away from the "sitcom with a twist" (like The Simpsons or Family Guy) toward something more surreal and nihilistic.
Honestly, looking back at The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti is like looking at a rough sketch of a famous painting. It's ugly, it’s provocative, and it makes you a little uncomfortable. But without that weird, spite-driven project, we wouldn't have the sci-fi epic that redefined a decade of television.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Creators
If you are interested in the history of animation or just a die-hard Rick and Morty fan, here is how you should approach this piece of history:
- Watch for the "Seed" Moments: When viewing the shorts, pay attention to the specific vocal tics. You can actually hear the moment Roiland finds the "Rick" voice. It’s a masterclass in character iteration.
- Understand the Legal Context: The shorts are a reminder that "fair use" and parody are powerful tools. Roiland’s willingness to risk a lawsuit is what allowed him to create something truly original.
- Study the Improvisation: If you’re a creator, notice how the "mistakes" (the burps and stutters) are kept in. In the world of Doc and Mharti, the flaws are the features.
- Check Out Channel 101: To understand where this came from, look into the archives of Channel 101. It was the breeding ground for many of today’s top comedy writers and directors, proving that low-budget constraints often lead to the highest levels of creativity.
The transition from a crude parody to a cultural mainstay is a rare trajectory in Hollywood. It highlights a specific moment in the mid-2000s when the internet was still a "wild west" for content, allowing creators to fail—or offend—their way into greatness. Doc and Mharti were never meant to be heroes; they were meant to be a nuisance. Ironically, that nuisance became one of the most valuable intellectual properties in the world.