Web Animation / Crit Recap Animated

(kazoo music) (Dani Carr's giggle)

Crit Recap Animated is an Animated Adaptation of the Actual Play series Critical Role, where a group of well-known voiceover artists and actors sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons. The series is an official The Abridged Series, taking the viewers through the staggering amount of material Critical Role has to offer, given that the main series' episodes average 3-4 hours each.

Season 1 of this show features the cast reprising their Campaign 2 roles, and guest party members also returned.

Season 2 was announced on December 12, 2022, and eventually premiered on December 16, 2022. It follows Campaign 3 and the adventures of Bell's Hells.

You can watch the series via the official playlist.

The main cast of Season 1/Campaign 2

• Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer as various NPCs
• Laura Bailey as Jester Lavorre, tiefling cleric
• Liam O'Brien as Caleb Widogast, human wizard
• Travis Willingham as Fjord Stone, half-orc warlock
• Sam Riegel as Nott the Brave, goblin rogue
• Taliesin Jaffe as Mollymauk Tealeaf, tiefling blood hunter and Caduceus Clay, firbolg cleric
• Ashley Johnson as Yasha Nydoorin, aasimar barbarian
• Marisha Ray as Beauregard Lionett, human monk
• Lore Keeper Dani Carr as The Narrator.

List of Season 1 episodes

• Meet the Mighty Nein
• Come Together (episodes 1-8)
• Secrets of Zadash (episodes 9-16)
• The Gentleman's Bargain (episodes 17-25)
• Iron & Blood (episodes 26-35)
• Adventure on the High Seas (episodes 36-47)
• The Other Side (episodes 48-69)
• The Sword & the Angel (episodes 70-91)
• Family Ties (episodes 92-112)
• Weird Magic (episodes 113-141)

The main cast of Season 2/Campaign 3

• Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer as various NPCs
• Laura Bailey as Imogen Temult, human sorcerer
• Liam O'Brien as Orym of the Air Ashari, halfling fighter
• Travis Willingham as Bertrand Bell, human fighter and Chetney Pock'O'Pea, gnome rogue/blood hunter
• Sam Riegel as Fresh Cut Grass, Aeormaton warforged cleric
• Taliesin Jaffe as Ashton Greymoore, earth genasi barbarian
• Ashley Johnson as Fearne Calloway, faun druid/rogue
• Marisha Ray as Laudna, Hollow One sorcerer/warlock
• Lore Keeper Dani Carr as The Narrator.

Crit Recap Animated contains examples of:

• Actor Allusion:
  • Yasha puts on Patterson's lab coat and glasses and dashes off in "Come Together", only giving "I have things to do." as explanation on why she will meet up with the party later in Zadash. Ashley Johnson's role as Patterson on Blindspot is the reason for Yasha's frequent absences from the party. Additionally, Yasha dons the costume again while the party investigates the chair in the Brenatto apothecary, as Patterson is a forensics scientist.
  • Lythir is played by Sam Riegel instead of Matthew Mercer. He dramatically interrupts the Mighty Nein's audience with the Bright Queen by pointing, shouting "OBJECTION!", and accusing them of being Imperial spies. Sam voiced Phoenix Wright in four Ace Attorney games.
• Anti-Climax: Caleb and Essek prepare to unveil Veth Brenatto "in all her halfling glory" to a waiting Nein, but the curtain is pulled aside to reveal Nott still a goblin.
• Ascended Meme: Essek is introduced with Sam singing "HOT BOI!" in harmony with himself, similar to Essek's entrance being greeted with enthusiastic capslocking of "HOT BOI!" in the Twitch chat for Critical Role. Whenever he reappears, "HOT BOI!" can be heard in the background.
• Bar Brawl: Fjord tries to negotiate his way out of one when he accidentally crashes into a goliath. Beau scuttles those efforts by yelling, "BAR FIGHT!" and uppercuts the goliath anyway.
• Blank White Eyes: Caleb gains a pair, as well as Voice of the Legion, as he examines the Beacon in "Secrets of Zadash".
• Blatant Lies:
  • Avantika goes from angrily snapping "That's mine!" as the Nein take her journal and show it to the Plank King, to nervously laughing, "Did I say that was mine?" as her very next line.
  • Trent Ikithon has two Beacons in his hands, then chucks one aside and claims very unconvincingly that the Dwendalian Empire only had one beacon.
• Breaking the Fourth Wall: Caleb explains the Fragment of Possibility granted by the Beacon as "It means I get a free reroll if I fail at something," which is only applicable to his player Liam, who is the one to roll dice in the real world.
• The Cameo: Keyleth appears from the back in "Family Ties", during The Reveal that one of the villagers on Rumblecusp was her Missing Mom, Vilya.
• Catchphrase: Dani ends the episodes with an exasperated "Oh, Mighty Nein." as a holdover from the live-action recaps. In "The Other Side", she says it sadly, as the Nein are forced to run for their lives and abandon Yasha with Obann and the Laughing Hand. In "Family Ties" she says it delightedly as the Nein discover that Mollymauk is alive, and again in "Weird Magic" when she finds out at the end that Caduceus could see her the whole time.
• Catchphrase Interruptus: After Nott describes her backstory of being drowned in a river by goblins and coming back from the dead as one of them, Fjord starts to say the Mighty Nein's Share Phrase, "That's rough, buddy". However, Nott interrupts Fjord by screaming "I know it's rough!"
• Cross-Cast Role: Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer reprises his role as multiple non-player characters, regardless of gender: Ophelia Mardun, the Bright Queen (both women), Expositor Dairon (she/they nonbinary), etc.
• Curse Cut Short: Parodied in "Adventure on the High Seas". Beau screams "What the fu-" as the party is in the Happy Fun Ball, and finishes "-uck!" as they return to the ship.
• Dance Party Ending: In "Weird Magic", almost every major character who appeared during the recaps shows up in the backgrounds as the Nein dance in the foreground and Dani recaps where they end up.
• Death Glare: As the party comforts Fjord over the loss of his powers, Beau wants to talk about his accent instead. Jester turns to Beau and glares at her in a nonverbal "Not the time!"
• Denser and Wackier: It's completely faithful to Campaign 2 while simultaneously leaning in hard on the silliness. Even the art style is reminiscent of Teen Titans Go!.
• Evil Laugh: Obann indulges in one when he reveals his true identity, quickly followed suit by the Laughing Hand.
• Exact Words: Dani says the Nein "pick up Ophelia". Ophelia's coat is promptly snagged by Caduceus' staff, physically picking her up.
• Fourth-Wall Observer: Caduceus is able to see Dani, The Narrator; his eyes follow her as she moves around. In the main show, Cad is best known for his proficient perception. At the very end in the post-credits scene, he breaks the fourth wall by thanking her, revealing outright that he could see her the whole time.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus:
  • Beau's conspiracy corkboard in "Family Ties" has a piece of scrap paper on it that reads "Stuff we didn't get to on Crit Recap Animated (sorry!!)".
• Funny Background Event: At least Once an Episode.
  • Caleb making a silly face and tickling Frumpkin's belly in "Secrets of Zadash", while the fey familiar is wearing a gray top hat.
  • Frumpkin lying on his back and tossing a skull into the air, while Keg and Beau make out in "Iron and Blood".
  • Nott rapturously kissing solid ground as the party gets ashore in "Adventure on the High Seas".
  • "The Other Side":
    • The party examining The Chair in the trashed Brenatto apothecary.
    • While a group of Kryn soldiers successfully restrain the Nein in the Bright Queen's audience chamber, a lone drow tries to push Yasha off her feet to no avail; she only looks nonplussed. Nott, being a small goblin girl, gets carried by another guard like a football underneath his arm.
    • Essek's reading material: "Dunamancy and You." (Doubles as Foreshadowing.) Also, half the party's reaction to him: Caleb and Jester make heart eyes, Nott gets a Luminescent Blush and fans herself.
  • "Family Ties":
    • As the party is loading their ship with supplies, Caleb dresses up Frumpkin in a little sailor outfit with a Playful Cat Smile on his face.
    • During TravelerCon, Yasha can be seen using a harp as an electric guitar.
  • In the Dance Party Ending of "Weird Magic", Yussa can be spotted breakdancing by a careful observer.
• Get Out!: "And stay out!" The Nein are thrown out of the tavern in "Meet the Mighty Nein" when Beau instigates a Bar Brawl.
• Half the Man He Used to Be: Yasha rips a zombie in half in "Come Together".
• Hot Drink Cure: Caduceus and Jester lend a sympathetic ear for a tragic backstory as Yasha sits wrapped up in a blanket with a cup of tea.
• Hyperspace Holmes Hat: Whipped out by the Nott the Best Detective Agency members (read: Nott and Jester), with the catchphrase "We're on the case!", with bonus magnifying glasses.
• Instantly Proven Wrong:
  • Yasha makes a Rousing Speech to the party before they enter the tomb. "Whatever is beyond that door, we'll face it together. Are you with me?" They agree with a Team Hand-Stack and do so, until poor Yasha promptly gets the Brainwashed and Crazy treatment, and is taken away from the party for a time.
  • Reani introduces herself to the party and tells them she can totally help them fight a white dragon. Gilligan Cut to everyone cowering and screaming beneath a shield as Gelidon roars: Nott's eyes pop out, the perpetually chill Caduceus is shocked and shouting, Caleb cries profusely, Fjord is in Troubled Fetal Position sucking his thumb, Reani and Jester are clinging together.
  • Dani claims in "The Sword and the Angel" that the Mighty Nein "diplomatically broach the prospect of peace talks." Beau pipes up immediately, with her typical Brutal Honesty: "Honestly, the Bright Queen just wants her fuckin' beacon back."
  • "Weird Magic":
    • Astrid tells Caleb that he can find anti-scrying amulets in the Sanatorium he was locked up in. Caleb remarks that this sounds like a great idea and they definitely won't run into Trent Ikithon while there. Smash Cut to a black screen with the title card "SCENE MISSING" with sounds of screams and explosions, with the next scene following up by revealing that the Nein accidentally led Ikithon and the Volstruckers right to their families.
    • After the Nein successfully spring a trap on Lucien, Fjord triumphantly declares "We got you!" Lucien immediately teleports away.
• Kazoos Mean Silliness: The opening theme is a kazoo melody reminiscent of a few bars from the main series theme, "Your Turn To Roll", except off-key. Crit Recap Animated is more wacky and condensed than Critical Role altogether.
• Kill It with Fire: Fjord dumps his pact blade, the Sword of Fathoms, (from Uk'otoa, a water-based creature) into boiling lava. This causes it to melt.
• Locked Out of the Loop: After she's been snapped out of the Laughing Hand's mind control, Yasha has no idea what Traveler Con is when Jester brings it up. This enables Jester to explain it to her and the audience.
• Mic Drop: In "Family Ties", Caduceus tells Trent Ikithon "Respectfully, I hope you can find someone to mourn you when you're gone". He then drops a microphone and disappears in a puff of smoke.
• Misery Poker: Caleb launches into his tragic backstory of brainwashing, Tyke Bomb training, and patricide in "The Gentleman's Bargain". Beau and Nott share their own tragedy ("I was shipped off to the Cobalt Soul for being a problem child." "I was a torturer's assistant.") in somewhat misguided attempts at sympathizing with him.
• Only in It for the Money: The party hesitates at helping the town of Alfield with their gnoll problems up until the townspeople hold out gold pieces.
• Pragmatic Adaptation:
  • The party's entire plot of disguising the humans in a human-unfriendly environment is cut, so Caleb's passionate "I am no friend to the Empire" speech is delivered in his normal costume instead of the canonical "BDSM gear".
  • Some of the beloved NPCs had to be cut for time. Spurt the kobold inventor, for example, gets a single "R.I.P Spurt" message in Xhorhas.
  • The battles are largely glossed over, save for one or two really important moments. Instead, still images of what happened are interspersed on the screen over the course of a few seconds to give the audience an idea of what happened.
  • Lampshaded in "Family Ties", where Beau's conspiracy corkboard, which includes various pieces of information not referenced in the recaps, has a piece of scrap paper on it that reads "Stuff we didn't get to on Crit Recap Animated (sorry!!)".
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Doubling with Mind-Control Eyes. When she's under Obann's control, Yasha's eyes take on glowing red rings.
• Running Gag:
  • Characters would quote "That's rough, buddy." after a party member reveals their tragic backstory. The Running Gag Stumbles when Fjord tries to do the same and Nott snaps back, cutting him off mid-sentence: "I know it's rough!"
  • An episode-contained gag: Nott exasperatedly asking "Now can we go save Yasha?" after every side quest in "The Sword and the Angel". It's only after Yasha rejoins the party, Fjord dumps the sword from his warlock pact with Uk'otoa into lava, and the party manages to get the war to come to a temporary standstill that the Mighty Nein can finally do that.
• Schmuck Bait: In a case of "Exactly What It Says on the Tomb", Obann willingly opens the box that says "Warning: This tomb contains the Laughing Hand. Bad News! Do not open!" It is bad news, but for the Mighty Nein. Fjord gets wounded, they are forced to flee from the Hand and leave a Brainwashed and Crazy Yasha behind.
• Share Phrase: "That's rough, buddy." Said by a member of the Mighty Nein to another member when they describe their Dark and Troubled Past.
• Shout-Out:
  • "That's rough, buddy." is a Share Phrase among the Nein whenever someone reveals their traumatic backstory.
  • "The Sword & The Angel":
    • The Mighty Nein strike a pose that is reminiscent of the Ginyu Force. Jester does Sailor Moon's "I'll punish you!" pose.
    • Beau holds a book skyward and shouts "To the library!", just like Sokka.
• Signing-Off Catchphrase: "And now you're all caught up on episodes [X] through [Y] of Campaign 2!" This is followed by something terrible happening, with Dani adding "Oh, Mighty Nein..."
• Single Tear:
  • The Bright Queen sheds one as the Beacon is returned to the Dynasty after Caleb pulls it out of their Bag of Holding.
  • Yasha sheds one after she gets brainwashed into a Face–Heel Turn, and the Mighty Nein are forced to seal her in a cavern with a demon at the end of "The Other Side".
• Sure, Let's Go with That: This exchange in "Adventure on the High Seas":
  Avantika: Together, we can free him, our patron, The Great Leviathan, Uk'otoa!
  Fjord: Right. Free him. Yep. Totally my goal, hoo! Same page.
• That Poor Cat:
  • When Jester chucks the abyssal anchor to one side, a pained meow can be heard - presumably she hit poor Frumpkin, Caleb's feline familiar.
  • Another cat is the casualty of Trent chucking a Beacon aside.
• Tears of Blood: Following Obann and investigating a creepy cavern underneath Bazzoxan, the Nein walk past rows of winged statues weeping blood.
• Tears of Joy: Everyone's crying in Veth and Yeza's reunion scene once the Mighty Nein rescue Yeza. Even Dani, who had said she wasn't going to cry.
• Tears of Remorse: Yasha cries as the Nein close the chamber door in on her, as she's fighting Obann's mind control from the inside.
• Tempting Fate:
  • Nott indulges in this as the party approaches Felderwin to check up on her husband and son.
    Nott: At least things can't get any wo- (screams as she sees the town in ruins, including the Brenatto Apothecary)
  • After successfully negotiating with the Bright Queen, Fjord cheerfully says, "Well, things are finally looking up for us!" Smash Cut to the Nein closing Abyssal Rifts, with Yasha, Beau, and Jester all looking very heroic - except Fjord, who makes a very undignified expression as he gets jabbed by a monster's stinger.
• Troubled Fetal Position: While the Nein all cower in the corner in this position as they watch the Plank King snap Avantika's neck, Caleb has his hands over his ears while rocking back and forth - he cast Wall of Fire earlier and was feeling the effects of a traumatic flashback. Later, as the party exits the Happy Fun Ball, Jester gets a turn at this.
• Uncle Sam Wants You: The Bright Queen wants you... to close the Abyssal Rifts, according to a poster found by the Mighty Nein.
• Voice of the Legion: Kiri the kenku, in an adorable take on the trope. Due to a curse on her species, she can only mimic other people's speech, so the lines she repeats has this sound effect.
• X-Ray Sparks: Yasha suffers this when she gets hit by the lightning elemental in "Adventure on the High Seas".

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