Ranking 23 Indie Animation Pilots; Worst to Best

After watching a video from @Char0Ring about the top 9 most popular indie animation pilots being ranked, I decided to craft a ranking of my own.
Please let me know what you thought of this ranking, and comment down below how you would've ranked these pilots.

[@bfdixiifanVicenteCases]

23) Rolling Stock: 0:46 22) Welcome to Showside: 2:02 21) Satina wants a glass of water: 3:12 20) Becky Prin: 4:12 19) Dead Shift: 5:08 18) Hullabaloo: 6:07 17) Gods School: 7:12 16) Kyle: 8:41 15) Punch Punch Forever!: 9:42 14) Obituary: 10:43 13) Sunset Paradise: 11:53 12) Super Science Friends: 12:57 11) Hazbin Hotel: 13:41 10) Helluva Boss: 15:22 9) Alpha Betas: 16:13 8) Monkey Wrench: 16:52 7) Hidari: 17:39 6) CliffSide: 18:18 5) Long Gone Glutch: 19:29 4) TADC: 20:38 3) Godspeed: 22:06 2) Lackadaisy: 23:13 1) Murder Drones: 24:28

[@bfdixiifanVicenteCases]

I guess Ranking times are top comments.

[@bella_daze3092]

Murder Drones being number one actually shocked me 0-0 for some reason I was expecting Lackadaisy to be number one. This is a really enjoyable video.

[@MagicMars.]

Why was this the first comment that popped up? Now I know what is #1 😭 Im still gonna watch the rest of the video anyways lol

[@bella_daze3092]

@@MagicMars. I have no idea- 😭😭 I love murder drones as well but for some reason I thought I’d be number 2 idk

[@braxbsjoan]

same, I was wishing for it to be number one but i didnt think it would actually be number one lol@@bella_daze3092

[@Lazyanimator]

We can't just judge the series by its first impression, it only released its first episode, we're not sure if the series will develop to be good or just.. Neutral [not good not bad]

[@bella_daze3092]

@@Lazyanimator very true. Very VERY true

[@McQueenStan]

My favorites are Helluva Boss, Hazbin Hotel, Lackadaisy, The Amazing Digital Circus, and Murder Drones.

[@ShanaStudios-mf4hy]

You just legit names all my favourite and only indie animations I’ve seen 😂

[@XCrivesourX]

Same bro here

[@XCrivesourX]

Sound strack best Is MD

[@AtlanticCranberries2]

I think Hazbin And Helluva were sidelined a bit (says the person with the alastor pfp) but I agree that they’re not the best out there. But still.

[@Wubz_Official]

Same

[@eikosi-ena]

I'd definitely disagree about Vivziepop's animation not holding up over the years, it's still gorgeous. Although we might have seen a rise in CGI or 3D animation, that doesn't detract from how skillful and dynamic the animation remains for her pilots. I just wish that I liked the contents a little better instead of just the animation lol

[@muserweaver]

It has just changed, I too enjoyed it more when it was just about silly murder but that aspect of the show peaked in "Truth Seekers" anyway.

[@olleselin]

My favourite is Lackadaisy! Because not only does it bring back classic hand drawn animation. It also tackles a Godfather esque story....

[@leah3435]

1:17 “We got Thomas and friends at home!”

[@artimator4714]

".. Can we watch at your house?"

[@NUMBER77725]

0:46 DISAPPOINTMENT IN THE GAME OF LIFE I love how this video is inspired by Shaff's ranking video's

[@TheRealLifeKillerMoth]

Personally I'd put "Punch Punch Forever!" a lot higher up on the list. Like I'd even say it's better than Helluva Boss' pilot. The jokes in Punch Punch Forever were so GOOD.

[@idle_animator]

thank uuuuu !!!!

[@Ray-wz8sg]

tbh I'd put it in the top 5 on the animation alone, easily the best looking of all the pilots on the list

[@Nykki_is_not]

spittin fax

[@WishxFish]

19:42 I thought this pilot was gone forever in memory, I'm SO GLAD you covered it, underrated, it'd be amazing if it got picked up or they just made more episodes in general!!

[@redstreak9430]

11:56 TBF concerning Sunset Paradise, they kinda expect you to have some knowledge of the SMG4 lore to appreciate what’s going on, especially considering what happened in The Anime Arc episodes ties into the series. It’s definitely the only Glitch animation that basically requires context as even Meta Runner (whose main character is also featured in SMG4) can be enjoyed on its own.

[@hisupwassup]

I'd disagree, you still can enjoy Sunset Paradise even without SMG4 background. Sure, you wouldn't exactly get Dark Meggy or even regular Meggy, but still.

[@pedrosaabedra5653]

I wish to join with the Indie animation show, its an action/slice of life show made for kids and adults to enjoy, I also want to stand out from most of the adult indie animations on KZbin, I planned an pilot movie introduction to our 6 heroes and the pilot villain, starting with Kenyon (out main character, the name sounds dumb but I'm one person without anyone by side helping me) he'll meet the other five heroes one by one, it will have a pilot villain, the pilot will lead into the series, I think its only fair there to be another kids pilot for everyone to watch and enjoy.

[@sprangles-ze1ox]

That's cool I'm making one to!

[@pedrosaabedra5653]

@@sprangles-ze1ox awesome you too, hopefully we can make our dreams come true.

[@sprangles-ze1ox]

@@pedrosaabedra5653 I hope so and I'll be making some videos on my channel basically doing test animations and do rants and stuff btw my show is an action/comedy thats a bit gruesome and here's a summery ( the story takes place after the awakening event changed earth dramatically and killing off humanity) the main protagonist helian was a creation made by the humans he is a Mutated sunflower that has the abilitys and DNA of almost every lifeform on earth including extinct ones and humans he was a super weapon made by the scientists and he was afraid of his power but once the awakening event happened 10,000 years ago he was able to make his own company with a bunch of anthropomorphic animal employees but he sometimes has to face great threats like a king of an ancient universe and the embodiment of chaos

[@ShadeRave]

I also want to stand out in the indie animation industry too. I like a lot of these known indie animation projects but I feel like what is missing from most of these are a slice of life type of concept that has good morals and great lessons like Fillmore!, Hey Arnold, and Recess

[@pedrosaabedra5653]

@@ShadeRave those are good cartoons shows you brought up, My show is going to have good morals, its going to have those "show don't tell" episodes, besides the action episodes, the series will include episodes focusing on the main heroes with their own episodes, even the 2 female heroes will have their own episode.

[@cortomaltese5206]

I love the Schaffrillas inspiration in this video, specially in the editing part.

[@PlaguedFailure]

I thought Satina was a short series like Suction Cup Man and not a full show like Murder Drones.

[@bdariamihaela]

I don't really think about Satina wants a glass of water as the series's pilot

[@Char0Ring]

Intresting take. Very cool to be mentioned. Ay man keep it up.

[@xbertron]

Seeing animation vs animator not here on the list was a missed opportunity but this series was an legendary masterpiece

[@onyxshellhole7808]

My favorite is definitely hazbin hotel as ive been obbsessed with it ever since it came out, i feel like out of all the piliots ive watched its got the most character and feels more alive, and im also just a HUGE fan of musicals so i love the music, the animation is also beautifully done and in my opinion all the characters are pretty memorable besides some of the ones without lots of screen time like cherri bomb and nifty. And i also love the art style sm it just is so nice to look at! Definitely my favorite. Helluva boss's pilot is definitely not as good as hazbins imo, but its my second favorite, then lakadaisy, then murder drones, then the amazing digital circus, they are all so good

[@Yeewen88]

Some recommended ones not shown here Atlas and the stars, Mechwest, Port by the Sea and Earth Guy. Some before this except Godspeed initially hadn't watched and few more going to watch after some stuff. Have vid partway

[@Joey7Z7Horror]

Congrats to Murder Drones for first place here :)

[@user-tw3rh9po4t]

Nice Schaffrillas-style entry jingles.

[@Joey7Z7Horror]

Somehow I could immediately tell who were the creators of Kyle the moment I saw the animation. I recognize that animated movement anywhere

[@Joey7Z7Horror]

Same case with Monkey Wrench (though understandably that's cause I've seen the characters before on a Cheech and Chong animatic by the same creator)

[@NUMBER77725]

Came back after seeing the pilot for Godspeed, and my god it's so good!! The animation reminds me more of the Carmen Sandiego Netflix series, and this is coming from someone who's seen Netflix's Carmen Sandiego

[@misssrose]

Murder Drones definitely deserves the first place.

[@Indignant_dAnndelion_Annie]

Ikr

[@SerialDesignationNKoala_]

Correct! :D

[@WilliamGuan-zm6uu]

yeah

[@Ladon189]

Totally agree

[@superdjack5538]

fr

[@soysaucestudios3863]

I was just sitting here the whole time waiting to see where murder drones ended up in your opinion, in I got so friggin hiped!! I friggin love that show so much, and lackadaisy is so amazing

[@EclipseVenexus]

Man only 200 subscribers? Well i'll be damned you deserve more.

[@yuxyuxyuxyuxuxuyxyuxyuyxyyxyx]

This reminds me schaffrillas productions' ranking videos

[@NUMBER77725]

That's what I noticed

[@Toxicocean350]

I feel like it’s obvious Alastor is not the villain

[@REDTAILCATFlSH]

GODSPEED MENTIONED RAAAHHh!!!!!!!

[@jul1thehst-bf1ex]

Safe to say, as one of the fewer people who understands murder drones on a first watch (purely because it's literally right up my alley, perfect for someone like me- I see lots of people confused after watching it, some still confusing J and V etc) I am not disappointed, lol

[@JerryCan101]

I personally enjoyed lackadaisy more than I did with murder drones. I also believe that helluva boss got better after the pilot episode.

[@muserweaver]

"Godspeed" is what I wish to Godspeed and it's creator, thank you for mentioning it.

[@joltingonwards2017]

Alan Rogers is truly an inspiration. Final Space did not deserve being discontinued and it really was one of my favourite ever shows

[@KeeeKeeedemon]

My favs are Helluva Boss, TADC, Hazbin Hotel, and Far Fetch'd.

[@MapleMilk]

I think this is an interesting concept for a video but I hope to see you go into more detail in the future I really wanted to see why someone would have Punch Punch Forever specifically in the lower half of the list but I didn't get much out of the explanation It is what it is, tho

[@rjd-kh8et]

I genuinely love how Schaffrillas Productions' style of ranking with an audio clip leading into each entry caught on with other KZbinrs.

[@moved_channel123]

hey, have you watched ongezellig? I think you should've added it in the list

[@FiredUpFiron]

I just watched Ongezelling, and if I had to rank it, it would most likely be 7.

[@moved_channel123]

@@FiredUpFiron damn! i never knew you'd enjoy it that much! but it is a heavily underrated series !

[@ShadeRave]

You should review these three animation pilots titled “Madtown” “Dark Harvest” and “The Earth Guy”, they’re all decent and all has an interesting concept

[@user-cu7dq8up9t]

I LOVE the Ramshackle pilot. Maybe one day you'll do a part two?

[@refrigerated_cookie1927]

The second I shifted through this video, seeing Murder Drones at the top, I was ecstatic.

[@bella_daze3092]

10:49 I’m still wondering where this pilot went honestly

[@eluvi1583]

Don't know if you'll see this, but God''s school is a one person project (One guy does the animation, script and story telling) so I guess there is kind of an excuse for the production, though I'll say he has improved but it takes twice as long now with the episodes and their releases. Oh yeah, The creator is also French (I hope this holds some relevance)

[@Xenderman]

There's excuses for almost all of these productions. Indie animation has more excuses than production animation because indie can range from one guy doing everything to 100+ person productions. That's what lackadaisy was, and I was really thrown for a loop when they compared Lackadaisy to Rolling Stock, which is a show created by 1 passionate railfan who simply likes trains. Not a fair comparison if you ask me.

[@dsckriskris]

I LOVE SUNSET PARADISE

[@SantoCaputo]

I didn’t expect Kyle to appear here

[@Beepper]

Saying becky prim is a "beta version of uzi" is pretty silly. Its not like murder drones invented the angsty teenager trope.

[@wafflecats]

"Beta version of uzi"😭

[@malegender27]

There's a new one that came out not too long after this ^^ it's called Atlas and the Stars, if i remember correctly. I can already sense much lore from the first episode

[@cheeseballs9726]

Definitely agree with the top two, could go either way for me, can’t wait for MD episode 7 finally dropping this week.

[@Valentine--]

Omg I'm so happy Murder Drones got number 1! Everytime I see dome one talk about Murder Drones they always say it's amazing but I didnt expect someone to say this im so happy urieiwiwjwiwiwk

[@rattydust7210]

Used to watch Obituary lots of times when it came out, sad it never made it (I know there are comics, but I'm not into them). I also used to listen to the Cliffside soundrack a lot. You should make a video about less known pilots, such as Atlas and the Stars, Hugo's Mind Palace, The Earth Guy, Port by the Sea and others

[@Shockbucklin]

I didn't really like Digital Circus, to be honest. The plot wasn't coherent, the dialog felt stiff and robotic, and like... what now? They established a goal for the main character to reach (the exit door), treated it as the macguffin for the series to revolve around, and then subverted it in the same episode. I barely know the basics of story writing, but there are FUNDAMENTAL issues with the story. I think it would have been better off as a standalone film, with the plot adjusted accordingly in order to fit with the "no escape" theme. That's just my own opinion though, feel free to disagree.

[@broadwaydummy15]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way about Digital Circus. It's..okay to me. That’s it.

[@Indignant_dAnndelion_Annie]

I think that you guys have the most objective opinion on TADC, it's overrated asf

[@-victim.]

The characters and plot are the unique ones, but the whole story itself feels kinda bland. I just think of it as a overrated show tbh.

[@Shockbucklin]

@@-victim. SAO.

[@-victim.]

@@Shockbucklin also that.

[@scottvgamer1163]

One reason you might not get behind Sunset Paradise too much is the fact that it’s directly connected to the story of SMG4. Meggy is a character from that series who goes through various other story and character arcs, one of which leads to her going on vacation to relax and figure out what she wants to do with her life. Or maybe you ARE aware of this and even have seen all of that beforehand. If that’s the case, oh well🤷🏼‍♂️ Your opinion is still valid either way.

[@FiredUpFiron]

The series is fine, just the pilot itself didn't capture my interest that well. Thank you for the feedback, though.

[@scottvgamer1163]

@@FiredUpFiron you’re welcome👍

[@heatherperez6454]

I am actually so happy to see someone include becky prim in a indie animation ranking video because of how underrated it is😭 shouldve probably been ranked a little higher though

[@sprangles-ze1ox]

That talking plushie named char0ring literally mocked and disrespected me in his discord

[@thelasttoknow]

I would liked to see your thoughts on the offshoot and metal family pilots next time.

[@Number1_Cainefan]

22:01 i might be overexaurating this one scene but VANNAMELONS VIDEO IS IN CLIP❗️❗️

[@The_break_the_rule_guy]

I thought schfrillas did this video cuz of the thumbnail

[@NUMBER77725]

It's looking similar

[@mrsir6901]

Damn I was looking forward to seeing gulf city on the list, not the best in terms of animation or plot but it introduced so many interesting and unique characters and had a really nice sense of humour

[@SilkLilyBloom]

Most of these I didn’t know, also what’s the background song for hazbin, also you missed spooky month

[@Arikiranix]

Nice video!!!

[@EmpyrealtimeKC]

Funfact: the creator of Godspeed actually was a director for a (now deleted) Netflix series, Final Space! Owen Rodgers deserves it

[@cherylcrane84]

I first saw rolling stock on KZbin kids now I'm 11 and I still like it it was just like thomas and friends but I respect your opinion

[@hcanimation4102]

Murder Drones definitely deserves to be number 1 😁. I love the characters, the lore, the mystery, the dark story, the action, the comedy, the strong horror vibes, the character designs, the environments, and the score of the show so much. Best show on KZbin, in my opinion. 🖤💛🩶🤍💜🔪 I'm beyond excited for episodes 7 and 8 coming out in the spring.

[@2hot2think]

it’s giving schaffrillas productions

[@NUMBER77725]

Same here

[@Lummi3dits]

Now you need to include Ramshackle

[@Deluxe2004]

I was expecting "Welcome to hell" from Erica Wester Such a simple yet compelling and wholesome pilot with a super interesting plot. I highly reccomend it

[@user-iv6zw8gw9m]

Our spellcasting lies

[@remadotea4535]

Honestly I think hazbin hotel is better than helluva boss,bc the reason of the pilot is way more interesting and visible potential upon it,in fact helluvaboss only show how the character bond,the reason to watch it is unknown. And also Laisy have a good start,the violent sound make me remind of the old music and taste,it’s really good 👍🏻 ,but the pilot still have the same problem,is that why do we have to watch it?

[@FiredUpFiron]

I... can't disagree with that.

[@Xenderman]

I respect your opinion on all of this, but you seem like you're ranking these as if you were ranking studio productions. With indie animation, you just can't do that. First off, there are multiple points where you talked about the animation being bad. But while that might have been acceptable on a studio output, it's worth remembering that animation is just extremely difficult and indie animations are likely made by 1 or 2 people. But then you also compare the animations of Hazbin to things like lackadaisy. Here's to put that comparison into perspective: Hazbin had only 4 people animating on it, and it took 4 years and it's 30 minutes long. Contrast that to the 100+ people crew lackadaisy had and 3 years of production time. Those are not equal. But also calling any of these pilots out for bad animation, you're not getting just how difficult making one really is. Even the Thomas the tank engine one probably took someone a year. 10 minutes is so much time. Another thing is that you said that murder drones puts rolling stones to shame. Yes, a studio of people will make better animation than someone learning animation. I would encourage you that if you ever did something like this again, that you'd think about the differences in production, skill, and time taken as well as how many people were a part of ot. Because you're holding many of these pilots to extremely high standards visuals-wise when that just can't be the case.

[@Xenderman]

Correction: you compared rolling stock's animation with lackadaisy. Of course a production with over 100 people would look better than 1 person who loves trains and is just learning 3d animation. You can't compare the two, So why did you try to? Indie animation ranking can't be anywhere near as simple to rank as things like DreamWorks for this very reason.

[@kylieciancio7143]

Glad to see Godspeed getting the recognition it deserves.

[@MorriStockYT]

Did suoresnu animate punch punch forever?

[@markvo3137]

speedosausage

[@AllMyDreamsAreLucid]

Dude was actually starting to cook until he placed Hazbin Hotel and Hellvua boss so low. Never let him cook again

[@Geometry-Dasher101]

“Clone drone in the danger zone” Ahh yes. One of my favorite games got in.

[@unobtainableone2533]

I agree with you on everything, even with the murder drones one since im a big fan.

[@Ritoanonimo]

8:48 I really like how this one looks. It's a weird but nice mixture of beginner looking art with not so bad animations and shots. 22:15 That comparation is a bit of a stretch my guy

[@CosmicRosery]

You should watch Welcome to Hell as well as Atlas And The Stars. I really liked those two and I feel you would too with the top ten.

[@CosmicRosery]

Ramshackle as well.

[@Novamity]

Murder Drones highly deserves first place. The story, the visuals, and the characters are all amazing.

[@stinky_term4866]

I dont care if the soundtrack is overused as hell it sounds sick, and that just makes my brain tick in a good way.

[@PlanetCat]

What about pandemonium or audience?

[@JB-bz8md]

With the pilots that went into a series, are you saying they'er bad? This is just a question.

[@CubeShot-7]

Agreed

[@spooky_seagull]

I never even knew Becky Prim was meant to be a pilot 😭

[@hudamalaje463]

No song in the sky?

[@MetxsightseerRailfan]

I'm surprised you're not going to watch the Hazbin Hotel TV Series.

[@linhvo5665]

you just earned urself a sub from me for putting murder drones on 1st place. I t's the best pilot ive seen so far and im still waiting for episode 7 and 8

[@FlowBroVR]

Indie animation's taking over rn

[@tanishamuntslag6369]

I thought lackadaisy would be number one 😂

[@josiahcruz9314]

I was expecting meta runner to be in here and all of its seasons the pilot was alright though and does well to show the start of the world that they show us of it

[@Emerald.Faerie]

My favorite pilot is definitely Godspeed, but I don't blame you for putting Murderdrones in #1. Blew me away.

[@vixian7641]

on what number would far-fetched be

[@bullymaguire-cu7eb]

Was their any shocked of MD being number 1 it's easily my favorite indie animation pilot

[@trainfan32]

I think rolling stock actually has a lot of charm to it!

[@kwissed]

I can tell

[@aloe7053]

Satina should have been higher up because satina wants a glass of water wasnt the pilot

[@pietroscalera4470]

BRUUUUUUUUH there is a New one published like 2 weeks ago, is MechWest, its about robot living with cowboys check it out IS FREAKING AWESOME

[@GalaxyGoat07342]

Lets not forget, both Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss have 4 year old pilots.

[@BluDoodles6688]

I agree about helluva boss and Hazbin hotel even tho helluva boss is my favourite indie animation, the pilot was lacking some stuff. Tho I think the rest of the episodes are amazing and I love it so much. Godspeed was so good I totally agree with placing it at first place, same for tadc. Most of the other shows I didn’t really watch except lack a daisy which I again agree and ofc murder drowns, which I personally don’t like that much and don’t really think it deserves the number one spot, it is very good just definitely not my favourite. Other than that your rating was very legit and I love your content 🙌

[@EthanYZX]

-Gwain Saga left the chat

[@gusty7153]

to be fair regarding hazbin hotel, the whole point is that charlie is naive

[@DJLucas-xv7oe]

Unpopular opinion: Now you don't have to kill me, I really love helluva boss, but personally, I used to really hate it. In the pilot episode, most of the characters were dull and mean spirited, especially blitzo, and I used to think that the concept wasn't very impressive. It took me 5 episodes to see how interesting this series is.

[@frogdomofficial]

what about bigtop burger

[@felixowen2693]

There’s this pilot/series on KZbin called interstellar rangers by TheBrownTable. I’m wondering where you’d rank it amongst these other pilots because while not trying to be mean I don’t think it’s that good of a series. It has similar problems to that spider-man lotus movie of always trying to just have character moments and emotional moments without any build up or reasoning to why we should even care or value them. It’s also just kinda trope-y and has characters always blurt out information and how they feel about everything all the time. The designs for the cast are also a bit bland though the animation is pretty nice for a KZbin series. But idk maybe I’m just being harsh because the comments are usually all positive and it has like 3 episodes out so it’s being supported well enough. I’d like to here what you think though.

[@SharkBateLLC]

Our pilot dropped 3 months ago we are not included 🙁