Rotary Park is a 2014 South Korean CGI animated series produced by Tuba, the same company behind Larva.
Michael, a bored, depressed office worker, wanders away from his dull everyday life and stumbles upon Rotary Park: a colorful, magical place inhabited by Egg Man, Drunken Bear, Yoga Cat and Dis Duck, as well as Dr. Giselle, the merman. He must now join his friends on a quest to discover the true power of the Gaia Stone, a mysterious magical artifact that Dr. Giselle used to transform himself and the Rotarians into their "true selves".
A teaser trailer was uploaded in 2014, followed by three episodes. A few other specials aired, and the Jeju Shinhwa World has a 4D ride featuring the characters, but whether the story continues as a feature length film or a series is unclear, as it currently seems to be stuck in Development Hell.
The Youtube channel may be viewed here.
The main site of TUBA shows its page here.
Has nothing to do with the Joe Hawley song of the same name.
This work contains the following tropes:
- Acrofatic: Yoga Cat and Drunken Bear.
- The Alcoholic: Drunken Bear, obviously.
- Anthropomorphic Food: Egg Man is an egg.
- Be Yourself: The AKA Machine appears to transform people into their "true selves" with help from the Gaia Stone.
- Big Bad: The giant three-eyed tentacled monster living beneath Rotary Park.
- Cassandra Truth: Michael in the teaser is shown detained and being interrogated by police. Telling them he was abducted by a drunken bear, a talking egg, and a male mermaid doesn't do him any favors.
- Driven to Suicide: Michael is shown trying to hang himself at one point.
- Getting Crap Past the Radar: There's a short of Egg Man seductively pole dancing.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Dis Duck, who flies into a violent, murderous rage at the slightest provocation.
- MacGuffin: The mysterious Gaia Stone.
- Make Some Noise: The Rotarians' primary weapon, using music to attack their enemies.
- Mix-and-Match Critter: Dr. Giselle's dog, who was partially transformed into a bird by the AKA Machine.
- Our Mermaids Are Different: Dr. Giselle used to be a human scientist, but was transformed into a merman by his AKA Machine.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Dr. Giselle, though subverted as he is a merman and can't walk. Averted in the 4D special where he does wear a shirt.
- Was Once a Man: The Rotarians, according to the 4D special, were once humans: but were transformed into their cartoon selves by the AKA Machine. Dr. Giselle apparently tried testing it on himself, but it only transformed him from the waist down, turning him into a merman. His dog was also transformed, but partially into a bird with a dog head.
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What Do You Mean, It's for Kids?: Despite the cute characters and childish animation, there is a lot of mature humor, such as Dis Duck swearing or Egg Man dancing seductively.
