Aqua Teen Hunger Force season 12

The twelfth season of the animated television series Aqua Teen Hunger Force premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network's programming block Adult Swim on November 26, 2023 and concluded on December 17. It was first announced on January 25, 2023 and consists of five episodes, making it the shortest season of the series. It is notably the first time since season seven that the series aired under its original title and not an alternative.

The show is about the surreal misadventures and antics of three anthropomorphic fast food items: Master Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad, who live together as roommates and frequently interact with their human next-door neighbor, Carl Brutananadilewski.

Production
In April 2015, series co-creator Dave Willis announced that the series would end after its eleventh season, explaining that the decision was made not by either him or Matt Maiellaro but by Adult Swim. Both Willis and Maiellaro first learned about the series' cancellation from the employees of the animation studio halfway during the production. Explaining the decision, Willis said "We were told it's over. If it were our decision, we'd still be making it." Maiellaro expressed confusion over the decision, saying "It's actually quite shocking and a bummer at the same time. [...] The show does well, it generates a lot of revenue, it's not too expensive to make. So for them to let it go is just a bit odd."

In 2017, Adult Swim was asked why they don't make more episodes, to which they responded "we might" with a bump. Willis also expressed interest in doing a Kickstarter to fund Death Fighter, a scrapped sequel to Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters.

In May 2021, Adult Swim announced plans to release direct-to-video films based on its series. Among the first three films in the line included films based on The Venture Bros. and Metalocalypse, in addition to a second Aqua Teen Hunger Force feature. The film, Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm, released in November 2022.

In a December 2022 interview, Maiellaro revealed that he had begun working on scripts for five new Aqua Teen episodes. In January 2023, in part to the positive reception of the Plantasm film, Adult Swim announced a five episode order for a twelfth season of the series. In a press release announcing the season, Willis and Maiellaro said while joking about the tone of voice being similar to ChatGPT, "We are thrilled to be making more 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force' episodes for a new generation of fans, building upon the most impressive collection of IP ever assembled. Success is optimal and leads to quality." The decision to order the season came when an executive at Warner Bros. Discovery approached Willis and Maiellaro after discovering leftover funds.

A preview of the season was shown at New York Comic Con 2023, and a trailer released on October 26, 2023. In a May 2024 tweet, Maiellaro indicated that future seasons were unlikely for the time being, describing the show as "cancelled."

Animation
This season marks a change in the series' animation style. The previous seasons were all animated using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, and Apple's Final Cut Pro. Beginning with this season, the series switches to more conventional Flash animation, animated by Floyd Country Productions. The season features a noticeably more detailed art style.

Music
The season features a remixed version of the original theme song performed by Schoolly D. The remix was used instead of the original theme due to budgetary restrictions, according to an interview with Maiellaro and Willis.

Main cast

 * Dana Snyder as Master Shake
 * Carey Means as Frylock
 * Dave Willis as Meatwad and Carl Brutananadilewski

Guest appearances

 * Eric Bauza as Borf, Game Announcer
 * Dan Fogler as the Emperear, Christopher, Zenwa Surveyor 7019, Hyper Toaster 8019
 * Brian Cox as Anubis
 * Gary Anthony Williams as the Situpon
 * Maurice LaMarche as the Zenwa Clean Machine 1019, Zenwa Bean Machine 4019
 * Danny Trejo as Dewey
 * Lance Henriksen as Vanessa
 * TJ Hassan as Wesley Snipes
 * Leslie Sharp as the Glorfinoids
 * Robert Webb as the Glorfinoids
 * Susan Bennett as the GPS
 * Brandon Zachary as Glen
 * Tim Andrews as the Zenwa Caffeine Machine 2019, Zenwa Groundskeeper, Zenwa Lawn Ranger 9019
 * James Austin Johnson as Zenwa Steam Machine 3019
 * Peter Mark Kendall as a Situpon agent
 * Ronnie Neeley as store clerk
 * Jim Fortier as the Leprechaun
 * Diallo Riddle as the Illuminati
 * Bashir Salahuddin as Terry the Singing Tank Engine