Critics’ choice

Rick and Morty, one of the shows animated by Bardel, the animation studio created by Barry Ward and Delna Bhesania, recently won the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Animated TV series on January 11, 2018, as announced on the website of Animation World Network awn.com. Additionally two of its episodes were selected for two of the 35 Annie Awards announced on February 3, 2018 at the University of California’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. The Ricklantis Mixup episode won the "Outstanding Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production” and the Pickle Rick episode for "Best General Audience Animated Television/Broadcast Production.”

Top: popular TV series Rick and Morty; above: Bardel founders Delna Bhesania (far l) and Barry Ward

As highlighted on the Bardel website, "Bardel began animating Rick and Morty Season 3 in June of 2016. With a team of 75 people, the crew quickly jelled, becoming diehard fans themselves. The passion the team brought to their work is evident in this whacky show that has delighted fans across the globe.” Bardel’s contribution encompassed "all production which includes asset builds, backgrounds, layout, posing, animation through final composite.” According to them, "Rick and Morty’s third season delivered Adult Swim (the adult-oriented nighttime programing block of the American children’s cable network Cartoon Network, operating daily 8 p.m.–6 a.m.) its highest ever ratings, making the cartoon the number one comedy on television with adults aged 18 to 24 and 18 to 34.”
The serial that has been running since 2013 revolves around Rick, a sociopathic scientist, who after going missing for 20 years has moved into the house of his daughter Beth and her husband Jerry. He uses their garage as his personal laboratory where he creates a number of sci-fi gadgets, some of which could be considered dangerous. He also goes on adventures across the universe that often involve his grandchildren, Morty and Summer.
Having inspired video games, top-selling apparel lines at Spencer’s and Hot Topic stores, a virtual reality game and a comic book series, Rick and Morty’s fourth season is expected to debut in 2019.