====== Dootle Dots Episode 1: "Welcome to Dot City Spaghetti" ======

<WRAP infobox>
|  **"Welcome to Dot City Spaghetti"**  ||
|  **//[[dootledots]]// episode**  ||
|  {{https://file.garden/aNh3wqVR3HAdRpcG/oncinemawiki/?250%}}  ||
^ Created by | [[tim|New Amato]] |
^ Executive producer | New Amato |
^ Written by | New Amato\\ [[grok]] |
^ Animation supervisor | [[aidan]] |
^ Storyboard artists | New Amato\\ Aidan Boyle |
^ Music by | David Augusto\\ Amy Shein |
^ Original character designs by | [[gamato]]\\ New Amato |
^ Animation services provided by | Riverboat Digital Media |
^ Special thanks to | [[amatofoundation]] |
^ In loving memory of | G. Amato |
^ Premiered | March 15, 2026 |
^ Runtime | 6 mins. |
^  [META] Real credits  ^^
^ Written by | Annie Dolan\\ Katie Dolan |
^ Animation by | Ashley Brown |
</WRAP>

**"Welcome to Dot City Spaghetti"** is the series premiere of the American animated television series //[[dootledots]]//. Written by series creator [[tim|New Amato]] and [[grok]], the episode aired as a sneak peek on [[heinetwork]] on March 15, 2026, during the //[[oscar13|Last On Cinema Oscar Special]]//. In this episode, a new Italian restaurant opens in Dot City and [[rondot]], set to cut the ribbon in the opening ceremony, is nowhere to be seen.

Immediate responses during the special were mostly negative. It is unknown when, or if, there will be more episodes of //Dootle Dots//, following the negative reception and falling out between New and the animation supervisor, his son [[aidan]].

{{INLINETOC width18}}

===== Plot =====

===== Characters =====
  * [[sam]] (debut)
  * [[mel]] (debut)
  * [[cloud]] (debut)
  * [[baxter]] (debut)
  * [[enzo]] (debut)
  * [[rondot]] (debut)
  * Citizens of Dot City (debut)

===== Production =====
[[aidan]], the animation supervisor, was hired by New through Indeed, unaware at first that Aidan was his first son, when he was married to [[stephanie]]. Aidan, a graduate of CalArts with prior work on //[[wp>The Croods]]// (2013, 98 mins.), used Toon Boom Harmony to produce the series.

===== Reception =====
The episode has received mostly negative reviews from critics and animation fans. The //Dootle Dots// [[https://dootledots.com/|website]] was updated to allow viewers to rate the special, using //[[ocatc]]//'s traditional [[popcornscale|popcorn scale]] rating metric. The average rating, as seen during the special, was 1 bag of popcorn, the lowest possible rating. [[axiom]] and [[manuel]] at first called it "cool" and "great", but shortly after criticized the Italian stereotypes as seen in the Dot City Spaghetti chef [[enzo]] as "racist". Show creator New Amato also had some criticism towards the animation, supervised by his son [[aidan]], noting how Enzo's humanoid design fails to match with the rest of the show's art style. Near the end of the special, he more directly criticized his son's work, calling it, and him, a "disappointment".

On [[twitter]], the everything app, reception was slightly more mixed, with plenty of animation fans expressing confusion over the similarities between this show and //[[wp>Battle for Dream Island]]//, of which they accused the //Dootle Dots// crew of stealing art assets from the latter. Gold Coin (OSSP) called it "decent I guess",[(cite:goldcoin>[[https://x.com/gold_coin69/status/2033621735128633375?s=46]])] while FlannelFloofs stated that "it's a pretty good episode on its own," calling it "feelgood kids show content".[(cite:flannelfloofs>[[https://x.com/flannelfloofs/status/2033387776478257576?s=46]])] DooplissAnimate stated that they preferred //Battle for Dream Island// and //[[wp>Rocket Monkeys]]// over this,[(cite:doopliss>[[https://x.com/KirbyBenign/status/2033648727345320133]])] while 2026 Animation Hype (Mario Galaxy, Toy Story 5) and Jimmy (Johnson) stated it was better than two seasons of //BFDI//, //Elsewhere// and //The Power of Two//.[(cite:dylan>[[https://x.com/Dylan9427711221/status/2033638081342148971]])][(cite:jimmy>[[https://x.com/figurethejohn/status/2033651469296062817]])]

===== Trivia =====
  * This is the second original piece of animation in the overall //[[oncinema|On Cinema]]// franchise, after the //Decker// [[deckeranimated|animated pilot]].
  * The voice cast is currently unknown.

==== [META] ====
  * Annie Dolan and Katie Dolan are credited in the //Last Oscar Special// credits for actually writing this episode, while Ashley Brown is credited for the animation.
  * As mentioned above, this episode takes heavy influence from so-called "[[https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/object_show|object shows]]", of which //Battle for Dream Island// is the most well-known and influential series. The mouth movement on all the characters (save for Enzo) appears to be directly taken from //BFDI//, and the character design and backgrounds look incredibly similar.

=== Observations ===
  * With Grok "G" Amato being credited as a co-writer, one can assume all New did for writing was ask Grok for a premise for a cartoon episode.

{{wst>season16}}

{{tag>dootle_dots season_16}}