Electric City (web series)

Production

Animation services for Electric City were provided by 6 Point Harness in Los Angeles under the direction of Joel Trussell.

Development

Tom Hanks, Josh Feldman, and Bo Stevenson, all of whom voice characters, began writing Electric City in 2003 without intending it as necessarily a web series. Tom Hanks wrote the first story in 2003 on an Olivetti Lettera 22 typewriter. Tom Hanks said that during the development the idea was just worked and reworked at Playtone, Hanks' production company, without a production or distribution plan until Yahoo! purchased the distribution.

Plot

In a post-apocalyptic setting, mankind is reduced to small settlements whose main business is to produce electric power. With fossil and nuclear fuel sources mostly depleted, the communities are dependent on naturally created electricity, be it by air, water, or muscle power (the latter of which is used as a punishment for criminals and other undesirables of this society). Under the motto "All in service to all" everyone must contribute to society's welfare.

Electric City is actually a collective name for several geographically separated precincts. Central cultural and social administration takes place at Central Stations. Other precincts include:

The precincts' main connection is by their power cables and a wired radio service, but free communication, trading, and traveling has been made illegal, since it entails the wasting of precious electrical power reserves as well as the gradual loss of influence for the "knitting society", a matriarchal group of war survivors who founded Electric City and are ruthlessly trying to maintain their power base. The Tap Coders, an underground movement of free-thinkers trying to circumvent the current social restrictions by establishing an illegal communications network, especially present a considerable thorn which they seek to eliminate.

Technology

There appears to be a limited use of technology in this new society, wood seems to be the primary construction material instead of metal or plastic. Also firearms appear to be absent. Some conveniences are shown, such as electric light and electric heat. There are no horses or other pack animals, but bulk transportation appears to be available by freighter boats that traverse the canals. The Skytrain appears to be a crude electric tram system that runs on an elevated suspended cable. The Walking Post delivers interpersonal communication, but it seems to be of limited use, and does not carry parcels. The Wire Service is a form of radio that is broadcast to sets that are hardwired into the main studio at Wire Central. Electricity is generated through several sources, but the city is powered down overnight to conserve energy, except for the Wire Service. Citizens are discouraged for and punished if they are found to be tapping off of the Wire Service power supply. The use of recording wire is also seen, a technology that largely disappeared in the 1950s with the advent of magnetic tape. A newspaper is published called The Daylight, but it appears only in the old "broadside" format, posted in kiosks in town squares and no subscribers or single issues sold.

An encampment on The Outside is shown to have a full library of vinyl records, as well as stereo players, supposedly salvaged from "the lost cities."

Geography

Little is known about the actual location of Electric City, though some references have been made to the "swollen lakes" which could be a reference to the Great Lakes, which could place Electric City somewhere in Michigan or Wisconsin, or somewhere in the American Midwest.

Cast of characters

Tie-ins

Along with the release of the web series, the mobile application was also released for iOS and Google Android. In addition to the 20 episodes, it includes 2 comics, a behind-the-scenes sneak peek, and character profiles. In addition to this, there is also a game called Electric City: The Revolt. It allows the player to become a key character as he attempts to undermine the power of the knitting society and restore people's freedom.

Electric City: The Revolt

Electric City: The Revolt is a role-playing iOS game based on the animated post-apocalyptic science fiction web series Electric City. It was developed by Jump Games Pvt. Ltd. and released on Jul 17, 2012.

Critical reception

The game has a Metacritic score of 39% based on 4 critic reviews.

Pocket Gamer UK wrote "A not particularly impressive experiment in cross-platform storytelling, Electric City: The Revolt has its moments, but they're too few and far between". 148Apps said "There's a fascinating storyline underneath the poor gameplay". Gamezebo wrote "It's just a shame the actual game aspect is nearly unplayable." SlideToPlay said "This part of Electric City needs to have its power turned off, as it truly is the most Revolting thing attached to the series."

Reception

Electric City won the Streamy Award for Best Animated Series.