As we said in our 2024 predictions, we are entering the age of the Indie animation.
In ten years, the next generation of animators won't want to make the next Simpsons, they'll want to make the next Hazbin Hotel.
And over half way into the year, that prediction could not be more true. As the industry struggles due to the writers strike, budget cuts and shows being removed from streaming (all largely the fault of corporate greed from mega companies), viewers have began the swap over to Independent animation, where they can pick and choose the stories and artists to directly support and invest in.
Over the next few blogs we'll explore what makes a great independent pilot, how to maximise your own and the history of the art form, but to get started, let's highlight and showcase a few of our favourites, some obvious, some less-so.
We'll compare and contrast these pilots, to see patterns, trends and how these are both funded and how they intend to continue, to explore the routes into turning an independent animation into a viable IP.
Disclaimer: We're talking about indie animated pilots specifically, things that are designed to be the start of an IP or series (either in-house or to be picked up externally). There are loads of amazing short films and clips out there, too many to mention, which is why we're focusing on just this one expanding area in the industry.
The Amazing Digital Circus
This one needs no introduction, as the obvious choice and the closest franchise so far to being considered a true competitor to industry shows. Like Hazbin (more on that shortly), we knew it was something special when people bought merch and drew fanart of this series after just the pilot was released.
Created by Glitch Productions over in AU, the studio have been creating indie content for a while, starting originally as just two brothers making video-game inspired stories and comedy, and eventually expanding that into series, kickstarted by backing from Screen Australia. Now moving into their most known series, TADC, which has over 300 million views. The company has chosen a different direction from shows like Hazbin, ignoring any form of co-production deal with a streamer or channel in favour of self-funding it themselves. I would argue this has yet to happen on such a scale, and though 300 million views is a very rare feat, it's an amazing sign for being able to fund based on ad revenue and merch sales alone, with a follow-up coming just six and a half months after the original, with more to come quicker.
In terms of story and themes, there are few worth mentioning as you'll see them recur throughout:
A mix of comedy and horror elements, with both disturbing and whimsical elements.
A strong focus on online or social-media heavy interests like Video Games, niche aesthetics and SCP inspirations. These engagement-heavy fandoms can help drive online discussion.
A strong lore, backstory and a sense of mystery under the surface. These can help people engage and theorise with the show, which is essential during long breaks during production periods.
A dark or edgy tone but an aim at younger viewers or teenagers: these make the show feel 'taboo' or 'edgy' to the most online generation, which helps with viewership and engagement. Kids tend to distance themselves from childish things very quickly (especially in a social media space), which is why franchises like Five Nights at Freddy's (which is both for kids and also dark and edgy) succeed so well.
Port by the Sea
A newer example, and a lesser viewed one (comparatively to the above example) with 600k views. Port by the Sea features two friends (and their pet crab) who travel via boat to a mysterious island and have an adventure. Funded via Ko-Fi and Patreon donations, it's unclear what route the show will take going forward, though this one is a much better fit for being picked up by a studio, as it's very similar to shows like Gravity Falls or Over the Garden Wall in tone.
Comparing the elements of this story to the others, it still has the whimsical-but-dark tone, to a lesser extent this time. The show features a great hook for deeper lore and worldbuilding, but with a shorter episode and younger-skewed characters (and an anthology-leaning setup), perhaps it didn't hold as much discussion-worthy content to drive engagement and hook social-media heavy audiences. I think also the age of the characters and the relatively mild darker moments stop this from being a 'taboo watch' for kids, which may have hindered it's viral-ability. It's much more in-line with a traditional industry production (again, not a negative at all). Perhaps that familiarity in both tone and content meant it did not have the special element to jump out as much as the others.
Sublo and Tangy Mustard
A brief mention to Aaron Long's Sublo and Tangy Mustard. A very unusual inclusion and by far the oldest one - it's very much a bridge from the Newgrounds era (you can very much see the conversational element of Smiling Friends here) to the modern era of Indies. Sublo and Tangy Mustard is less of a indie series than the others, simply because it's largely made by one person, and is not looking to be bought by a streamer or become the next big super-IP. It's a good reminder that animation is a passion, and not everything in the indie world is going to be about becoming bigger and better at the expense of everything else (that's streamer mentality).
Still, the show's (minor by comparison but also still good) success can give us a few clues about trends that work in this world: It was pioneering conversational-slice of life comedies before Smiling Friends or Tuca and Bertie or Day Job did so, but elevated the genre with larger-than-life, unique characters, and touched some deeper themes, but not in an edgy way like the Amazing Digital Circus or Hazbin Hotel. It's easy to see why people like myself would love it, with it's commentary on working a dead-end job, but that it would be largely missed by younger viewers and engaged online fandoms, as the lack of deeper lore didn't give people a reason to theorise and engage online with the program in-between episodes.
Hazbin Hotel
The most well-known example and the original blueprint, Hazbin is now a successful series on Amazon Prime. With a pilot jam-packed with absolutely everything you could think of, it's worth watching to analyse it's success, and see how a single episode was able to create such a massive fandom, and how the worldbuilding was able to sustain that fandom for over two years (!!!) before the next instalment was released.
A story about the princess of hell, Charlie, as she creates a hotel to rehabilitate the demons of hell, Hazbin Hotel is a masterclass of covering topics, themes and ideas you wouldn't get on regular animated TV. It's crude, with sex, drugs, violence and depravity, but with a Disney princess at it's core. It drops you so deeply into it's world that exposition doesn't feel like exposition, and it never takes the breaks off, with sometimes blink-and-you'll-miss-it details about characters and the world. It has a really unique style - parts 90s cartoon meets Tim Burton, with some really appealing character designs.
Some trends to note of here:
Deep lore and worldbuilding - gives people things to speculate on.
Edgy tone and themes, perfect for an online generation.
Fast pacing, jumping from beat to beat way quicker than traditional TV.
Iconic, in-your-face characters who are well defined
A look and story you wouldn't find on traditional TV
Monkey Wrench
Another hugely successful indie pilot, Monkey Wrench is a sci fi series that's now three episodes in by itself. Like previous trends we've assessed, we can see these same ideas across this pilot: It has a morally grey protagonist who curses and doesn't care for others (at least, on the surface) and a more morally grey world than you'd usually see in a cartoon (edgier-than-TV stories). This worldbuilding leads to the central duo having run ins with multiple factions, all of whom you can expect to get fleshed out as the series goes on (deep lore appeal) that can counterbalance the adventure-of-the-week aspect nicely.
Finally, it has a retro look and feel - this time in line with late 90s/early 00s cartoons and games (think Invader Zim or Ratchet and Clank). That unique tone and look is seen once again, and looks to be a key element of helping your pilot stand out.
Honorable Mention: Gruff
Not an indie pilot by any means, but an example worth mentioning for a few reasons: Gruff, created by the Rightious Robot, is a short film that's recently reached indie animation levels of attention, which is very rare for a short of this kind. Using it's papercraft style and technique as the main draw, RR created many short-form videos documenting the creation of the film, from set design to character rigs to the 'animation' itself.
Partially self-funded and partially backed by patrons, RR used Gruff almost as a finale to a series, despire being the only film he's actually made. By highlighting the technique first in a digestable format he was able to take advantage of online discussion and engagement in a different way from what I've presented in the above examples, and capitalised on industry animation's current lack of strong BTS content (mainly due to the lack of physical media with bonus content).
So, what makes a good indie pilot?
While obviously there's no one element that can determine if your independent pilot is successful, I'd say from the (albeit limited) range we've examined today, there seems to be a few reocurring trends and ideas. Let's boil them down into a neat list.
Give people something to talk about: With much bigger gaps between episodes, viewers need something to engage with and discuss online to keep interest in your IP. That can be ongoing mysteries, deep lore or engaging character arcs to keep everyone hooked.
Give people something they can't get via traditional media: Think about your story, characters, themes and style - can you provide something that traditional shows are not doing (or perhaps won't dare to do). From Monkey Wrench's 2000s video-game inspired look, to Hazbin Hotel's queer and religious themes. Find an audience that's heavily represented online but not onscreen, and utlise that angle.
Be edgy (maybe): Not a necessity, but do not underestimate the power of a young audience and their eagerness to watch engaging content that is just a little taboo or risky. When watching feels like a minor act of rebellion (compared to their usual shows), someone can hold your product closer than perhaps they would have otherwise. Combine that with a unique cultural element and deep lore, and this is now a story a young person wants to be assosiated with online.
Stretch your content: One pilot is a lot to balance all your time and money on. Breaking down your scenes, moments or even your work in progress / behind the scenes work can help you extend your work to increase it's engagement, longevity and reach. From TADC's seperately released soundtrack, to Gruff's many BTS videos, turning your pilot into a brand can help it stick around and make a splash.
Iconic characters: Not so easy to replicate, but a lot of these feature really well defined and memorable characters. Some speak like their audience, and some are over-the-top, but that's not always neccicary. Make your characters well-defined and people will connect with them.
Up the pace: Not a 100% requirement, but a faster pace can help you engage a generation that understands story structure incredibly well. It can also help you fit in more content, more punchy characters and more worldbuilding to keep people engaged. Viewers want to feel trusted, not guided. They chose to watch - they want as much out of it as they can.
So there you have it. Agree? Disagree? Let us know! We'll be covering more content on indie animation soon.