With the predominance of large animation studios such as Disney or Cartoon Network in the film and television industry, independent animation has had little to no chances to flourish at all, up until the past decade with the rise of YouTube and social media platforms.
The internet has breathed new life into independent animation, as it allows a much more direct connection between animator and audience. There is a much greater opportunity to see content unfiltered by large corporations with agendas, which have opened the gates for a new wave of creative and amazing animations, and even studios, to rise up as solid competitors to larger names.
The first and most recent example of a successful independent studio is Spindlehorse Cartoons, founded by Vivienne “VivziePop” Medrano, who produced two full-length pilot episodes for two of her own passion projects: Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss. Hazbin Hotel had been in production for roughly 4 years, and managed to create a full 30 minute episode with freelance animators and crowdfunds from fans of her work.
In just two days, the pilot received over two million views and became an instant hit for adult animation. The show also featured many different characters of diverse gender, race, and sexuality, as the creator had always intended for the show.
Much of the show’s success can be attributed to numerous livestreams that were held prior to the pilot’s release, which showcased the animators and the voice actors interacting with fans while working on the show. The interaction Spindlehorse Cartoons has with its fans is something larger corporations could never hope to achieve.
The success of Hazbin Hotel has also inspired other animators to begin producing their own cartoons, such as Ashley Nichols (who worked on Hazbin Hotel) who recently announced her latest project “Hell Puppy.”
Another successful and long-time veteran to YouTube is Corridor Digital, which actually produces live-action content with high-quality visual effects.
The channel was originally founded by Sam Gorski and Niko Pueringer, two friends who were passionate about making short films with visual effects. As of today, the Corridor channel consists of 9 employees, and has produced 2 television shows, 1 feature length film, 5 commercials, and hundreds of short films.
Corridor also created the viral video series “Bosstown Dynamics,” a parody of Boston Dynamics’ robotic engineering.
Many people were fooled to believe the video was real, with the impressive motion capture work they achieved using the skills they had been refining for the past 10 years. The channel has also found success with their new series, “VFX Artists React,” where they take popular movie and TV scenes and break down how the VFX shots work, or how they do not.
Social media has opened up a massive opportunity for new animators and filmmakers to make the content they’re passionate about, and not the same formulaic films seen in the past few years. Audiences are finally starting to see content they find relevant again, thanks to the direct connection they can have with creators.
With this new platform for creators, the future of independent animation looks bright.
https://www.corridordigital.com/
http://whatculture.com/tv/hazbin-hotel-review-the-surprise-indie-animated-hit-of-2019
https://www.outerplaces.com/science/item/19376-how-corridor-digital-created-a-viral-sensation
https://www.presspubs.com/st_croix/news/article_d25cec95-d3de-5ec0-b3b5-cc8dfc6fb26e.html
Yes! I love that you are bringing attention to these awesome creators and showing how powerful distribution is for independent content. I think we forget how, if we use it well, it is an amazing means of voice for young animators.
Awesome piece KC! I too strongly agree that YouTube and social media is an wesome platform for young and inspiring creators who want to share their craft and well known! Not only do these creators get to make and share their own content, but they also get to keep all the rights! Great job!
I love that Hazbin Hotel took off in the way that it did. It’s important for independent studios to start getting more attention. With the big corporations, stories get filtered and changed based on what the big guy says will make money. Independent animators don’t have that kind of restriction, and they can truly tell their own stories. It really is amazing how one piece of work can inspire so many!
I am so glad independent animation is starting to become more popular and feasible for people to create. I would love to work for a smaller studio and create unique content like this. I am curious to see what happens as time goes on and to see how the animation industry develops further.
Honestly I’m so glad Hazbin Hotel got the success it did, I feel like its really rare to see a show that is so diverse, adult-themed and yet also a musical! It’s genuinely incredible seeing all of these creators finally have a platform where they can share their unique stories, really inspiring!
Youtube has truly become the great new realm for all creatives to thrive. The animation that can be distributed on the platform opens up a whole new world for people outside the system. It is amazing how some many different niche programing can develop on Youtube.
Great article! Thanks to this I watched Hazbin Hotel linked in this blog and what a fun show the animation is so crisp and all the characters are so interesting. I hope that the trends listed here can continue. That there can be more successful independent animated shows, and the positive outlook of your blog makes one hopeful. Great research and analysis!
Love it! It is also interesting to see how streaming platforms are rising to the occasion and trying to compete in the animation department against giant companies like Disney. And even Skydance’s recent push for a new animation department seems to be positive in promoting new voices. Hopefully with more companies competing there will be room for more independent voices to be heard.
This was a cool read! As not the biggest animation know-it-all, I can definitely see how annoying it can be for Disney to constantly be dominating the market. It is really refreshing to know that animators are thriving on Youtube. I have been out of touch with Youtube lately, but am really interested to see what Hazbin Hotel is about, so I’ll have to check it out.
I’m glad that Youtube has become a platform where independent artists could showcase their work freely. I know there are no theaters with access to millions of digital works as Youtube does, so it makes me reflect on how significant online platforms are to artists. Maybe I will find opportunities through Youtube as well someday… 🙂