Computer games from the ‘90s and early 2000’s are now regarded as an ancient relic whose graphics have been long forgotten in the age of high definition, 3D rendering and virtual reality. However, Glitch Productions’ new indie web series, “The Amazing Digital Circus” calls to mind these older video games and imbues a horrifying concept: What would happen if you were to be stuck in one? The pilot episode of the series was released on October 13, 2023, and as of late November, it has amassed over 130 million views on Youtube and garnered a myriad of fan content and theories. The series’ massive success comes from the animation, the premise of the show, its intriguing characters, and of course, the stellar soundtrack behind it all. Here’s a look at some of the tracks from the pilot episode that have propelled the project to immediate success.
*Slight spoilers ahead! Watch the pilot episode here if you are interested :) (It's wild, have fun.)
Starting with the opening song, “The Amazing Digital Circus Theme,” the beginning feels more digitized, with a lower quality sound mix, until we shift into the more high definition graphics of the scene, and the music becomes higher quality to match. The song is very cheerful sounding for the most part, with a zany circus-feel and an upbeat tempo to match the sing-song nature of the character introductions.
The main melody and sound font of the opening are especially reminiscent of the “Super Mario Bros.” tune, and this striking, undoubtedly deliberate resemblance elicits nostalgia from the audience while also transforming this nostalgia into a subtly darker feeling as the theme goes on. The light-hearted, fun singing sounds like an ordinary children’s show until we get to the unsettling, slightly-too-long repetition of “day after day after day after day after day” which gives us a sinister feeling—we get the impression that something bigger is at play than just a silly video game. Then comes the line, “we fly past the moon and the sun and we don’t know why” which also hints at the deeper questions about a trapped existence that the show brings throughout the episode.
This opening theme is catchy and upbeat, but it also strikes the viewer with slight unease compared to the more lighthearted video games that the melody emulates. But if you ignore the uneasy feeling, the song is light and fun; it’s easy to imagine it as just a main menu theme or a background theme for a character screen.
After the opening song ends, we get to know the main character, Pomni, who has just materialized into this digital world after putting on a headset (presumably in the outside, human world). Her confusion and apprehension to the new world is played off by other characters (other humans who have been stuck in the game for a while) as a normal circumstance that she will get used to eventually.
While she is understandably distressed, Caine, the artificially intelligent ringmaster, gives her a tour of the digital circus and provides an adventure to occupy all the characters and to get Pomni acquainted with this new world. At this point, tracks like “XDDCC” and “Today’s Adventure” sound a lot like the type of mini-game soundtrack in a Mario Party game, with its whistles, chiptune synths, and “whoo whoos” thrown in. The chill and carefree nature of the song jarringly juxtaposes the horrifying situation that Pomni has been thrown into while this lighthearted music is playing in the background, maintaining a surface level appearance that all is as it should be. The lively and sporadic nature of each song serves as merely a distraction, or rather, a side quest, from the darker realities of the characters in the game.
As the episode progresses, the tracks “Kaufmo the Clown” and “Wrong Doors” signal a departure from the silly, video-game style of music and give way into a more cinematic and chilling score, revealing the darker mysteries of the series and giving the viewers an uncomfortable feeling. Kaufmo’s theme is especially dark and menacing, as it reflects the torment that he went through in his final stages before finally losing his sanity and “abstracting” into a large monstrous figure, showcasing the ultimate fate the characters seek to avoid. Pomni’s goal throughout the episode is to find a way to escape the digital circus, and when she finally comes across an exit door, she seizes the opportunity. Unbeknownst to her, however, escaping is not as simple as it seems.
During this scene, the eerie track “Enter Exit” accompanies the imagery of never-ending exit doors that lead her through a haunting maze of liminal office space. It is this scene in which the existential fears and dread start to set in for both the viewers and for Pomni.
The unease and tension build up in the track titled “Going Nowhere,” and, reflecting the title, the dissonance of the soundtrack combined with the endless loop of doors starts to feel like a desperate and empty journey to nowhere. The tone is deeply haunting, striking fear and dread into the viewer as the hopelessness and anxiety of the scene sink in.
The jumble of discordant noise finally amounts into a climactic moment of transcendence as Pomni opens a final exit door, leading to a void at the edge of her digital existence and a revelation of the truth— there truly is no escape. This crossing into a final, infinite boundary is reflected in the change of the soundtrack which finally obtains a discernible melody— a transcendental piece of instrumentation which seems triumphant at first, while barely concealing the chillingly hopeless undertone within.
After Caine brings Pomni back to the circus grounds, snapping her out of her disillusionment, the leitmotif used in the beginning theme song appears once again, but in a much more dramatic, orchestral version of the song titled “Your New Home.” Starting with singular piano notes and gradually incorporating strings, the tune is played in a slower and more emphatic way to accentuate the finality of the small arc we have just seen. The strings build up into a crescendo of strings and a chorus, beautifully capturing the the point at which questioning reality and one’s sanity becomes the point of defeated acceptance.
While the song is still highly digitized, the synth orchestra calls attention to the video game nature similar to the theme from the start of the episode. The grandiose choir of voices singing combined with the orchestral melody heightens the dramatic tension and highlights the performative, audience-centered aspect of circuses and video games in general. The song ends by building up a cacophony of sound into a grand orchestral flourish followed by a scream-like cry from the choir. The end of the song gives only a slight resolution to the horrors introduced in the episode, and as the title states, it is only a reflection of Pomni helplessly coming to terms with this new home.
This dramatic rendition of the theme from the beginning adds a new depth and emotional layer to the once lighthearted, cheerful leitmotif, telling the viewer that this is only the beginning. From the soundtrack of just the pilot episode alone, the viewer is left grappling with the feelings of insanity, futility, and grandiosity of the adventure that is yet to come— and there is no going back now.
Link to the pilot episode!
Listen to the original soundtrack here!
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