The Brilliance of The Indie Animation Renaissance

[@Birdyboys]

One thing I appreciate about Goose is that she doesn’t let the fame go to her head and takes criticism with stride. She even holds her fanbase accountable when they harass shippers and critics.

[@Haphu15]

Yeah she is great, she didn't deserve the dumb people trying to sabotage her and those sick idiota that doxxed her along with viv during the glitch livestream

[@Jdudec367]

@@Haphu15 I'm sorry they got doxxed???

[@Haphu15]

@jaydenc367 yes gooxe and viv both, during the glitch livestream people were spamming the doxxed information of them both on chat and thus the chat had to be shutdown

[@jamiethecringequeen]

Same

[@Jdudec367]

@@Haphu15 Geez...that's horrible. That's like the second time it happened to Viv I think too.

[@lightanddarkbros6646]

Nice to see monkey wrench getting the attention it deserves

[@ConceptOfCreat10n]

It always warms my heart whenever I see appreciation for Monkey Wrench. It’s personally not my most favored show out there, but the animation work and storytelling is incredible beyond belief! Everyone working on the show deserves more credit than they’re getting, honestly. You can tell they put in so much work and effort into this show, and that’s the main reason why I love it.

[@aninamated3984]

I know right?! Monkey Wrench deserves way more attention!

[@cosmicspacething3474]

It deserves to be up there with the amazing Digital Circus, and HH/HB

[@numbuh1507]

How about Scorchwater Valley?

[@Xenderman]

It's my favorite of the indie shows

[@CaptainKotetsu]

Let’s be honest; No creator, artist or writer(myself included) wants to be under the thumb of some corporate machine that controls all your actions. Getting paid to do what you love and being your own boss is literally a fantasy come true.

[@Hypogean7]

Your audience becomes your boss directly. And we all know how 'grateful' audiences can be.

[@violetthebat8810]

*I AGREE!!!~* 😎💜🎖️

[@drewo.127]

@@Hypogean7definitely a double edged sword! On one hand, actively engaging with your audience can be great! You can actively update your audience on your projects, you can actively take part in fandom discussions, etc. But of course, all of that is also dangerous if not careful. Obviously there are those crazy fans who want to involve themselves in everything you do, and can spread rumors which get people angry or overhyped, and of course…we all know how fandoms can turn from wholesome and welcoming, albeit a bit goofy, to toxic and dangerous in all the worst ways! It’s all a balancing act. You can’t let fandom control your life, but you also can’t completely ignore them either, if you want to let people know you’re not Batman or whatever.

[@kingofcards9]

The glories of entrepreneurial capitalism.

[@Matay000]

@@drewo.127another thing: by having a studio distribute your project, it lets you have a bigger budget with more talented people but with less control. However independently you can have full creative control but you have a smaller budget and you might not get the most talented people to work with

[@helpilostmyiguanadon]

I am an animation student and often in class we talk about how much we dread eventually joining the industry. But the indie scene is always brought up as a shining light of hope

[@jskywalker58]

i really do think its best if future animator's stay indie cause, cause recently a,lots companies have been showing multiple times they can't be trusted with animation.

[@ScooterCat64]

@@jskywalker58 and the more people who join the indie scene, the more powerful it is. The Digital Circus's success has probably surpassed any animated show made by a major studio in the past 5 years

[@mariastevenson9227]

​@jskywalker58 going indie doesnt cover rent lol

[@ScooterCat64]

@@mariastevenson9227 Does Glitch and Vivziepop not pay their animators or...? Lackadaisy also recently raised 2 million for their season

[@JohnDoe-df7bl]

​@@ScooterCat64Cough Invincible cough. But yeah I get it.

[@smileeface]

Y'all want a fun fact about Zeurel? The funds for the 1st episode were originally going to be a trip to Japan, but when covid came around, he was working on Monkey Wrench (the comic) and wondered "What if I make this comic a series with my Japan trip funds?" And he's already on funding Episode 4

[@thedarkest9]

Monkey Wrench is easily my favorite on this list. It has so much life to it and feels like a slightly more adult version of a early 2000’s Saturday morning cartoon

[@DeadlyComicsYT]

Amazing video!! Thank you for the kind words :)

[@TayumeTheMuffinMan]

Honestly, I'm just glad that a major KZbinr is talking about Monkey Wrench. That show is amazing, and doesn't get nearly enough recognition.

[@kingkirby1394]

As an aspiring cartoonist battling depression from a lack of encouragement and loneliness in life (mainly wanting to write and having the credentials to supervise animation projects) it is quite inspiring to see these people rise out of the woodworks and make a name for themselves

[@rickyrackey7930]

Keep going.

[@phoenixiscul]

Definitely keep at it!

[@Acorn905]

It really is great to see i know evrything has a bad side but I'm really happy animators get to have fun and shine and get applauds for their works. I hope you keep having fun and work hard to get what you want ons day. Good luck! ♡

[@JestKartoonsStudios]

From one animator & cartoonist to another, you got this. If I can start up my own indie animated web series all by myself, than you definitely can be an inspiring cartoonist for your very own projects. Plus, there is a whole animation community out there full of talented people who you can gain inspiration and advice from Keep reaching for your dreams.

[@puzzledartist1232]

I get what you mean; I have so many cool ideas I want to do, but due to the state I'm in; not having the right equipment to make them, let alone enough money to even afford it, keeps putting me down and mentally drained all the time. But when seeing these indie-animation projects coming to reality through it all gives me a a bit of motivation to keep going, thinking that if they can do it, so can I.

[@LuprinaWolf]

I feel like the comments on Lackadaisy were a bit too harsh. I had no previous knowledge of the comics before I watched the pilot, but I still cared about the characters because of just how charming they were. I feel like the slower, more banter focused direction they went worked better for me. Its honestly my favorite indie animation that's been released so far.

[@Randomyoutuber-4831]

Unfortunately while I do genuinely enjoy the animation, the general unprofessionalism maintained by the crew and the rumors of transphobia swirling around one of the primary artists (not 100% sure if that's true or not) makes it impossible for me to put my support behind the series. I won't judge anyone that does but you won't see me giving Lackadaisy another penny of support.

[@fellowspacemarine]

I find it totally awesome that you managed to enjoy it, but as someone who also had no previous knowledge of Lackadaisy as well as being a film major, I think it's one of the worst pilots I've ever seen. I had absolutely no idea what was going on outside of basic on screen actions and had no idea what the characters were like or what they wanted. For me you don't get a pass in character creation just by showing em acting crazy and blowing stuff up with a big goofy smile, or being scared timid and shy, or another acting suave direct and professional. All that you can get across in still images drawn by a 12 year old. So to finally have the ability to give us a small introduction into who they really are without needing a thesaurus worth of information, you need to go beyond the basics of "here's the crazy one, here's the scared one, here's the edgy one" which normally wouldn't matter AS much in a pilot, but in the case of Lackadaisy where I'm expected to immediately be hooked by the atmosphere and characters, it does matter. It's the difference between something like Ed, Edd, n Eddy and something like Steven Universe: One's very basic, fun, simple, and goofy with little to no arching storylines while the other is emotionally driven, complex, and overarching with nearly all of it's characters and stories. Lackadaisy falls into the second category with a pilot that falls into the first, leaving the audience with a choppy and mashed together product

[@Xenderman]

@@Randomyoutuber-4831 it was actually a complete nonissue. Vivzie shouldn't have gone public with lackadaisy pulling her credit and should have instead messaged tracy. Also the director is trans masc and I counted multiple trans and non-binary people in the staff. This "drama" was of a person liking 2 tweets cause i guess they forgot about bookmarking. The actual animator themselves came out to say that sports shouldnt be gendered in the first place and should include people of all gender identities. The rumours about transphobia were entirely false and basically just people making a mountain out of a molehill. never trust random twitter users information to be true

[@Xenderman]

@@fellowspacemarine The way you called Lackadaisy a "product" made me cringe in agony

[@Randomyoutuber-4831]

@@Xenderman She did message Tracy. But things didn't work out and her only option was to explain what happened publically, otherwise people would have started accusing her of pulling her support for one reason or another and that the original donation was only for clout. Secondly, while the transphobia claims are debatable it doesn't change the fact that the same artist not only made accusations that Viv was only donating to Lackadaisy for clout and publicly called the HB/HH fandom 'Viv shits' with screenshots to prove it. Both of which are WILDLY unprofessional behaviors. As did Tracy's blocking spree that soon followed.

[@customarymagic]

I'm so happy to see Big Top Burger getting some recognition. I rarely see it brought up when folks talk about indie animation, and it's one if my absolute favorites. The characters, animation, and music have so much care put into them and I love it so much.

[@MinecraftWorld1954]

As someone who's hoping to get into the animation scene with an original film project idea, this animation renaissance is definitely gonna be used as a massive motivation to keep pushing forward.

[@Yuginkai12]

Same goes to me. There are so few mainstream animation projects right now that seeing many of these has reignited my interest in the medium

[@drewo.127]

Same here! I recently bought a second laptop tricked out with 1 TB of memory, PLUS an expansion card with an additional 1 TB, to use in tandem with my regular MacBook Pro and iPad to help me work on projects that may be too processor heavy for just one computer. (I.e. something using Blender’s Cycles Render engine…and maybe some interactive gameplay components built in Godot! (Pronounced “Guh-Doh”)

[@pedrosaabedra5653]

I too want to learn but I need alot of work and help from others.

[@nerizepansit1032]

Same too! I can't wait for the indie renaissance to flourish and hope that animation will rise again!

[@FrankSodog]

same

[@Vexcited_]

Indie Animation is one of if not my favorite thing, you can tell how much passion and love was put into these projects

[@OfficialR3M1X]

It's refreshing to *finally* see someone talk about Monkey Wrench and Zeurel in regards to indie animators. I've been a long time fan and have loved the HUGE raw talent and potential the man has since Robo Western in 2013 and how the man even managed to introduce me to other creators like Lythero and Vinesauce Joel over the years with the animated skits n shorts. But it does pain me how the man gets absolutely blindsided by the algorithm, I only discovered Zeurel back then because of his collab with Tomska on the video 'Mr. Cat,' and it really shows that most creatives in art and animation HAVE to network to build up an audience in order to see success with their work. Man's a genuine inspiration, to be at it for this long is phenomenal to me.

[@LarrySol-wg8fm]

I heard a good way to tell the difference between lackadaisy and hazbin. Hazbin is like the first episode spongebob if Nickelodeon felt the need to introduce sandy, krabs and plankton's rivalry, and the entirety of bikini bottom in one episode. Lackadaisy is like if they cut out 90% of the introduction and cut straight to the chase. Overall I believe that absolutely nobody is going to read this comment but i love both.

[@kailevil3444]

Interesting view!

[@user-x7dc2pq7n]

I feel like both are fairly flawed ways to do it. Unless they had their extremely high quality animation to back it up, the pilots would have likely been forgotten

[@vanoss_jr]

I’m hyped and exited for Lackadaisy cause not only did I donated for their animation project, but I also bought a plushy so now I look forward to their future projects and their first season.

[@Murr248]

Honestly it’s kind of sad that I was initially turned off by the idea of TADC. Solely because it felt like it was going to be the “Garten of Banban” of KZbin or SMG4 in that it wasn’t good but used colorful characters to lure in kids, and “deep, scary lore” to have older fans starting around for theories. Having watched it myself and seeing how it has those elements but does a much better job with them and is actually good. makes me ashamed in both myself for pre judging and the internet for dulling my expectations so bad. I am very excited to see how the rest of the series goes even if I find it a tad bit overrated to an extent

[@ivanpastorino2069]

I don't think you were wrong for prematurely judging something, we all do. But we must be open minded enough for changing our judgement later on.

[@Shadowwolf-1337]

i couldn't care less about the show for similar reasons until i watched it I had no idea it was gonna be an existential horror type thing and i was pleasantly surprised i most certainly wish to see more from them still don't get why it got as popular as it did though

[@vienpham947]

I kinda feel bad for Skibidi toilet man…the shit literally got 12 billions fucking views made by 1 dude just casually carried the entire indie animation on its back as a whole yet because people are acting like who you used to be it got misunderstood and not being treated as an “indie animation” but rather “garbage” like you said

[@angel_of_rust]

i was initially turned off by the "terminally online" way it had going on, on top of its vaguely horror-mascot-adjacent aesthetic. like as if it had one foot in Helluva Boss/Hazbin Hotel territory and the other on FNAF knockoff territory even if it wasn't a game. even after watching and liking it it still has that terminally online feel

[@yulee3266]

@@angel_of_rust can you explain the terminally online feel?

[@ConceptOfCreat10n]

So glad Monkey Wrench is finally having some light shed on itself. While not my most favorite show, it does have the best animation. Just like you said, the lines are so crisp and clean, the colors are bright and eye-catching, and the story is fantastic! You can really feel all the life and love that was poured into Monkey Wrench! There’s just always something happening, always someone moving, and that just goes to show how much passion the team has for their little idiotic stick in the mud. (Spike) Just… I adore how much the Monkey Wrench team values this project, and I know how hard they all work on each episode. I have nothing but gratitude and respect for them all and I hope one day this show leads them to owning several mansions and piles of wealth. (Or whatever they desire) It makes me so happy to see that others appreciate Monkey Wrench as well.

[@HealyHQ]

*Shrike.

[@BlueMaroonAnimations]

Another pilot you should keep an eye out for is Ramshackle by Zeddyzi. I worked with her professionally while she interned on our animation team about 5 years ago now. She's an extremely talented animator. I'm not to sure what her writing skills are like but I'm sure the pilot will be a good time when its out! Hopefully this comment will help get a few more eyes on her work, she definitely deserves it.

[@АскарКульчанов]

Digital circus’s B plot introduces us to the inner world of a show. While Pomni’s POV is of a outsider’s, other characters just let us see what is routine in this world.

[@meloncholywitch9979]

Literally how did he miss it 😭??

[@ern1609]

I feel like thing I'm taking from Lackadaisy, as with the other examples being shown, is that they're pilots, or starting out as pilots. I do enjoy getting hooked into a show/series within the first episode, even if it is "sensory overload", but what the H-Series and Digital Circus made me interested, was just having a premise. For the Lackadaisy portion, if I were to watch and barely get any information on the characters, to me, as long as its interesting, is fine because starting off a slow pace would pay off in the long run. For some people, getting information is important as to know everything that's to come, and others, showing them one idea and basically saying "here's what's this thing is going to be about/expecting to be about", helps them get invested for the next to come. As some taking animation classes in college and wanting to be an indie animator in the future, depending on what someone makes, slow or face paced, information overload or giving information over time for what's to come, is mostly up to preference and what the creators want to make.

[@michaeljaymarshall]

Way to shout out indie animators. I love this stuff.

[@TheDigitalApple]

A shame that most these indie productions fandoms are absolute hell holes.

[@bazzfromthebackground3696]

Most fandoms are if you delve deep enough. The bigger the IP the less digging is required.

[@AlOstosman]

​@@bazzfromthebackground3696no shit if you dive deep enough everything becomes shit but we're talking about how the shit part in the idie stuff like these are usually on the surface

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

So does pretty much every fandoms in every forms of media. There are always be bad apples that rots the barrel.

[@jskywalker58]

you know something a lot of people don't bring up is that some of the poeple who hate on fandoms are a bit toxic themselves@@poweroffriendship2.0

[@IndexInvestingWithCole]

@@poweroffriendship2.0no? What are you people talking about lmao

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

The world of web animation shows how much creative freedom the creators have to express their unique and diverse styles of animation and show their passion on the Internet. Plus, Worthikid really deserves more love. Aside from Bigtop Burger's success, there are other projects that resembles a Rankin Bass stop-motion look (Hatbox Troubles and CAPTAIN YAJIMA), which is made in Blender.

[@swordheartstudios]

I've been a huge fan of the indie animation industry when GLITCH Productions was first created that introduced me to the world of indie animations. As I've been expanding my range of indie animated shows that different creators have to offer. I love seeing how indie animation has taken its stand on the animation industry and I can't to see how far it goes in 2024. But awesome video!

[@daddydwaved]

Hello sword heart

[@miciarokiri5182]

About Lackadasy, that pilot was more for the previous fans who made this happen and was less about bringing others in

[@Crona_Gowther_Kanato]

okay before I point out why that's HORRIBLE I won't bc honestly if you don't see what's "wrong" with that inherently I would just be wasting my breath.

[@rinisannoyed3991]

@@Crona_Gowther_Kanato Uhh you can disagree with that approach, I do as well, it creates so many holes in the storytelling aspect- but creating a pilot with your target audience already being established isnt as horrible as you claim. thats like saying a song written to thank fans has weak writing simply bc it doesnt do anything beyond expressing gratitude. You should evaluate someones creative work based on what they were trying to accomplish, and how well they managed that. Lackadaisy accomplished exactly what the animators intended it; a love letter to fans that brought beloved comic characters to life. I havent read the comic, so I share similar confusions and critiques with the episode. Ignoring artists intent is one way to analyze things- a very popular evaluation method for writing especially since many great authors died before stating their intentions. when it comes to indie animation I feel this evaluation method falls apart, as the intentions and goals of the artist are generally integral to getting the full picture. From something produced from a small community of people, understand the goals of those people should be a factor in how you critique their work.

[@RockySamson]

“With animation, you can…” - Harry Partridge, 2013

[@windraizou]

Zeurel is one of my favorite animators. I followed him way back in my deviantART days (early to mid 2000's), and his style is super recognizable to me. I'm so glad there's so many Indie Animations out there. I hope the indie animators and creators all know how much we appreciate the hell out of them

[@yinyangyt8749]

Yeah. I agree. Indie Animation is evolving and I am so happy about it. There are so many talented people out there

[@eli2637]

im genuinely so happy you mentioned monkey wrench as i feel it has to be the more underrated and least talked abt series here which really upsets me as someone whos seen the other indie shows that are online, wrench is the best when it comes to its artstyle and just overall animation to where it looks way better than helluvas yet nobody hardly gives it much credit for it given its sadly low view count, i genuinely hope this series gets more fame and attention cause damn i get tired of every indie trying to be somewhat similar

[@metallicsnake.]

Hey I just saw a truly indie animation. It's going for an early 2000s anime feel its called the mutant Busters versus Bird Death #1

[@MidnightNautil1]

Gah it’s so great to see Cool Times and Monkey Wrench being talked about! For how well they’re both constructed, they definitely seem to fly under the radar. I would love to hear you talk about and give more love to different indie animated projects you enjoy!

[@ieatgrass1913]

Monkey Wrench absolutely slaps I hope it gets to see the same popularity as Hazbin/Digital Circus/etc.

[@blucanyon]

A LOT of the backstory of lackadaisy is in the webcomic. When I saw the trailer on KZbin, I went and read the entire comic in two days, about 5 months before the pilot came out, and I loved it alot

[@Harrymation-productions]

This indie animation renaissance has helped me keep hope out for animation as a medium, and inspired me to make my own independent motion comic series that’s still in the works. Edit: TADC also got me to check out Gooseworx’s channel and I love it

[@bazzfromthebackground3696]

I also have been following Goose for years, it's awesome seeing her blow up like this! I wonder if she'll throw easter eggs of Runmo or Elaine into ADC, or some of the characters from her music.

[@darrelsam419]

Thanks for shouting out various indie creators and animated series, both big and small. Also, Monkey Wrench mention!! Let's gooo!! :D I really hope that one day indie animation like this can defeat giants like Disney. Honestly I haven't felt much joy or whimsy watching Disney movies for about 8 years now, things like TADC (and Smiling Friends though it's not exactly indie) was what brought the same joy and whimsy back.

[@theorangerowlet]

Worthikids has been one of my favourite youtubers for a long while. I quote big top burger with my friend often, and worthi's animation and music skills are insane.

[@libertyrose2486]

I am said friend and I can confirm this statement 🐝

[@misterzygarde6431]

I actually remembered watching SMG4 when I was younger and seeing the Amazing Digital Circus makes me interested in Glitch Production's other works like Murderdrones. Also the pilot to Hazbin Hotel, Lackadaisy, and Amazing Digital Circus endeared me to Michael Kovach's voice work. He especially did well as Jax in the latter.

[@kingofcards9]

Who else does he voice?

[@misterzygarde6431]

@@kingofcards9 Apparently on Death Battle he voiced Goku Black and Asta

[@haydennolke]

​@@kingofcards9Rocky in Lackadaisy, angel dust in the hazbin pilot, N in murder drones... HE DOES ALOT.

[@Sylv_the_Weirdo]

DARLY BOXMAN LOVED BUT FORGOTTEN

[@psychie8625]

​@@kingofcards9If I remember correctly, going beyond what others have said, he voiced SMG0 and Niles, both halves of Zero from SMG4. And he was phenomenal as Niles.

[@invertedcolors9881]

Kinda wish you detailed A Fox In Space, but loved the analysis of each of these shows! Looking forward to what the future of indie animation has to offer :D

[@emmanuelcarter3551]

Well, it's technically a parody of Nintendo characters from an intellectual property, and Star Fox character are not Matthew's own character. However, an original independent project Matthew wanted to do is called The Violence after he's done with Fox In Space Episode 3. he said it himself that he doesn't always want to make a cartoon based on a already existing franchise. He wants to be original.

[@AverageInternetButterfly]

Animation is easier said than done. Which makes me respect the craftsmanship of a lot of independent animated content. I'm hoping to get into that once again (I used to make a shit load of stop motion animations back in 2019 but a lot of those assets are unfortunately deleted)

[@Xeorboom]

I'm currently working on my own show! it's all wrote, voiced and animated by me and it's taken years!

[@wrenwry]

1:26 Enter: Nick DiLiberto, an animator that made 2 feature-length films with just his pencil and 60,000+ sheets of paper per movie. Dude is absolutely mental and I love him for it, give the man his flowers.

[@avragepinkobbsessedgirl]

@Just Stop, I love how you take the pros and cons in every video, you make it so entertaining and also spew out facts paster than john can eat at a dinner table.

[@Kai_Xero]

As someone who has loved indie animation for years I am happy to see people who are passionate to create amazing things.

[@zakuraiyadesu]

Love when you give creators the spotlight. Really inspires me to continue on my projects.

[@thatmtgnerd]

Finaly someone brings up big top burger, Every joke lands, it doesnt take its self to seriously but still has dignity and is my personal favorite indie series on KZbin. Lackadaisy is also amazing, and its really cool seeing a comic I loved being turned into a full animation.

[@SwaggyG_2102]

I didn't even know that indie animation was going through a Renaissance. I never recalled there being a "dark" era for indie animations to even begin with.

[@duckles9784]

I agree, to me indie animation was always a place for bangers

[@Khazar321]

I don't think it's meant for quality and more for how many eyes are on them. And the financial viability of course

[@Croissantum]

The closest ”dark era” for indie animation that I can think of or feel fits the title would prob be when youtube switched from valuing the watch time of a video to how many videos you put out in a certain amount of time, which in turn killed alot of the animators on youtube since animation takes a long time to make and by the time they got something out the animation wouldnt perform so well since they hadn’t been uploading anything else during the time they were making the animation.

[@SwaggyG_2102]

@@Croissantum Don't you mean when KZbin changed the algorithm from favoring videos based on how many clicks it got to how long it was watched by the viewers?

[@Croissantum]

Yeah that might’ve been it actually, my bad. But as for the change in algorithm to focus more on frequent uploaders I do think that is something that still affects animators on youtube to this day

[@bratwurstcat]

As a (sort of) indie animator myself, it’s so nice to see indie animation finally get the spotlight it deserves

[@spaarcine]

It’s a shame that no matter how many of these videos come out that discuss the indie animation scene, none of them seem to mention the series Interface by umami. Interface as a series is a unique experience and has interesting concepts that revolve around mortality and the idea of what it’s like to truly be alive. The series itself is about a man who had to watch various generations of his family live and die, all while never aging a day. Definitely my favorite indie web series of all time and it had some scenes in it that genuinely made me cry. Sure the art isn’t for everyone but if you can ignore how silly it looks at times, it’s more than worth watching and deserves as much attention and love as some of the others main stream projects.

[@catbatrat1760]

Oh, I forgot about that one! I kinda floated away from it for a while, but I still like it. It's so creepy, and I love that! Also, Mischief is an absolute blast.

[@LittleGoldRose]

I’m so excited with this Amazing Era that we have upon us! Lackadaisy is what I’m especially invested into! Honestly Lackadaisy revitalized my desire to Create. I’m actually in the process of creating my own series thanks to the inspiration I got from The Pilot! I’m so Excited too keep working hard to share My Story and Characters! 💛😻💛😻💛😻💛

[@Maxler5795]

Ive loved watching glitch content for a while and seeing them evolve in real time is genuenly fantastic and actually inspired me so that next year im actuakly going to study animation and videogame design. also someone please for the love of god if someone talks about digital circus or murder drones talk about SMG4, sunset paradise and meta runner PLEASE

[@jackcrabbit]

I can’t wait for a potential part 2!

[@idavid8391]

I am always happy to see Bigtop Burger representation.

[@KaitlynInSpace]

I'm an indie animator myself, and the love and appreciation growing towards indie projects is truly amazing! I'm glad that the indie scene has expanded as of recently, it gives creators like myself more of an opportunity to put forth stories within our own visions without the restrictions of a corporate machine.

[@beeboi6677]

I'm very happy that people are finally slowly but actually starting to talk about Monkey Wrench Its actually what made me want to watch your video in the first place because I saw shreik on the thumbnail

[@mechajay3358]

The possibilities for a creator to get into independent animation is endless.

[@jimmymushrooms420]

Indie animation has got to be one of my favorite artforms of all time, i have so much respect for the genre and it's so insane what people can do with it! I hope to one day make an indie cartoon of my own, but for now, webcomics and weezer music videos are where I'm at currently XD here's to hoping! Love, Jimmy Vukovič Beansworth

[@BestOneEver247]

i really hope this rise of indie web animation can start a revival of indie Cel-Animation on the internet

[@drewo.127]

Fritz the Cat was released in the 70s… It was both independent, and X rated… And it was a commercial success, which finally opened the doors for full length indie projects for the first time!!! And I’ve recently been interested in 70s related stuff! Cars, films, music, etc. And while I don’t know if I’ll ever watch Fritz the Cat, the aesthetic of its rough yet clean animation is kind of appealing to me. So… Hmmm…🤔🤔🤔 (I’m an aspiring indie animator btw!)

[@deputyrustart]

I’m so happy to see a more comparative big name KZbinr in animation brining up Monkey Wrench. Zeurel is one of my biggest inspirations all the way back since 2011, seeing his characters that started at characters that competed in Original Character tournaments and his commissioned work for Tomska, Sanity Not Included and now Lythero to having a kick ass indie series is amazing. I really can’t wait for episode 3 but point being, really appreciative seeing him mentioned by you, Monkey Wrench needs the support and visibility.

[@hammermandan8264]

Good GOD has it really been 4 YEARS since the Hazbin Hotel pilot came out!? Man, I feel old.

[@CompressionMan]

There's so much fun animation out there! Loving the landscape these days, I sure hope it continues to grow!

[@lollikabosso.w.n7153]

Monkey Wrench is really good and I am very pleased I got to see it. Thank you for covering this masterpiece

[@godfreygraphics8727]

Finally some talks about Monkey Wrench!

[@yever4635]

It was very good to hear a critique of Lackdaisy from a newcomer's perspective. As a longtime fan, I knew exactly what everything meant, but I now see how it could leave more to be desired. Even then, I did feel like some characters didn't quite shine as they do in the comics, but I believe that was more due to time restraints of making a pilot so naturally some characterization, especially with a huge cast, will get lost. Hopefully, with more episodes on the way they'll get the breathing room they need!

[@hamishstewart5324]

Have you heard of David Armsby? He’s an independent animator here who’s made three original series on his channel Dead Sound, Autodale, Dinosauria, and Sauria (which is still in production). He’s got this really cool style with 3d models coloured and textured like 2d drawing.

[@wrenwry]

Love Autodale and Dinosauria, and Sauria is shaping up to be pretty great too!

[@JordanErwin-b5s]

Yep it's cool to see indie animation is getting better

[@ajaxfightsback1560]

Thanks for all the recommendations, great video!

[@sinistermrz]

the second i saw Bigtop Burger i had to watch and so i have to say thank you for talkin about such a important thing as independent animation and animators works outside of major studios!

[@muggz7752]

Wish Bridge Kids was mentioned or talked about.That series is seriously underrated.

[@SirBlackReeds]

And Freedomtoons, and Tutweezy and co.

[@ImmOmega-dv6yf]

If you make a sequel to this video I highly recommend No Evil, its a webseries that is about animal spirits inspired by indigenous and early American folklore dealing with four powerful world ending artifacts in a world resembling late 1880s America and all the issues issues involved including but not limited to a pair of villages referencing the Hatfield and Mccoy villages, four world ending artifacts inspired by Aztec Mythology, a land of the undead led by a Sprite of necromancy, a scaley boi dealing with magical DID, and an all consuming black ick.

[@KITSUMOX]

OH MY GOD I LOVE NO EVIL... ITS SIMPLY GORGEOUS

[@alienalien3609]

I love Zeurel. I've been following this guy back in his DA days, when OCTournaments were a thing. I loved his entries, and always wondered if his Monkey Wrench OCs were gonna be used for anything big. When I saw one day on the youtube sidebar he actually made an animated episode with them It was like a blast from the past

[@aninamated3984]

This was such an interesting watch! I'm definitely gonna check out some shows you mentioned I hadn't seen before. Really exciting to see so many passion projects out there. And as someone who recently created a pilot and working on a new episode, I appreciate the encouraging words at the end!

[@GeraldEatsSoup]

My favourite Indie animation id Ongezeilig. Its a dutch animation with 1 episode split into 6 parts. None of the parts have even surpassed 1 million views yet which is kinda sad because its criminally underrated. Also the fanbase can be really unhinged despite how small it is

[@sonicfanboy3375]

They're 4Chan users ,what did you expect?

[@classysansy]

Yessss I’m not the only one who loved Bigtop Burger…found season one, watched it, loved it, forgot about it for a bit, remembered awhile later, and then couldn’t remember the title and couldn’t find it again, tysm for the reminder!! I’m totally going to have to rewatch it now 🩵

[@Cejilmeister]

Indie is very important, since that's how everything starts. You don't just become a big studio overnight, you need the experience, time, and (unfortunately) money if you want to slowly get bigger and bigger. It's videos like these I'm more than happy to watch, because indie isn't being pushed around by higher-ups, they have the freedom to be as wild as the team wants it to be, and I respect that.

[@fyrewatermelons]

Thank you for addressing the issues with Lackadaisy. I just couldn't get into it and I didn't have the words to explain why until now.

[@kuitaranheatmorus9932]

I love Indie Project in general just brings in a special place to me when it comes to animation, my only biggest hate is usually their fandoms.. God this video showed everything, very well done as always; Just Stop.

[@jskywalker58]

what's wrong with the fandom's

[@poweroffriendship2.0]

@@jskywalker58 Well, it's everything. Toxic fandoms have been a thing for years.

[@jskywalker58]

care to give an example@@poweroffriendship2.0

[@TheBrotherGrim]

Worthikids is so damn good. Their Captain Yajima short could easily be a series itself, Free Apple makes me laugh every freakin' time, and clown borgor show is a total delight. Easily one of my favorite animation channels

[@fyrewatermelons]

I appreciate the effort you made in the intro to try to dissuade certain fan bases from trying to attack you over this video.

[@CatMario100]

Thank you so much for giving Monkey Wrench recognition. It feels like an actual crime how much that series has gone under the radar for how incredible it is. It reminds me of something you could see on Toonami or Adult Swim. Like a lot of these other series mentioned here, I really want to see this get the attention it deserves.

[@heihogreenzx4704]

Honestly, if you ever do a follow-up to this video, some recommendations I have for review are Spooky Month and Murder Drones. Great video!

[@Nidhiflix]

Yess

[@GreenBunnyTNT.]

I think bfdi doesn’t get enough credit, it started 13 years ago by two 12 year olds and it still is running to this day more successful then ever

[@board-qu9iu]

It is unfortunate. It seems underdiscussed compared to other popular web animations for some reason. It's community is large but it hasn't spread as far

[@Dots321]

@@board-qu9iudidn’t expect to see you here

[@board-qu9iu]

@@Dots321 Oh hello Dots. Nice seeing you here

[@ExtremeWreck]

Glad to see someone mention it. There's also Inanimate Insanity, Brawl of the Objects, Object Terror, among others.

[@board-qu9iu]

@@ExtremeWreck ONE should probably be watched at some point after watching a few object shows

[@fennwenn3317]

No Evil by Betsy Lee! No Evil by Betsy Lee is an absolutely fascinating study in a creator absolutely ignoring the main industry and just doing her own thing in her own corner all dedicated-like. And honestly doing it really well, considering the lack of resources she has compared to even most indie teams.

[@DiamondG489]

I've watched almost all of them and each of them are so good and amazing in their own unique way, it makes me so happy to see so many animators getting the opportunity to try out their shows/pilots/etc in today's time without needing to have a big company to back up your series let alone to go to higher degrees of animations just to get in the field. But I do agree that some have their flaws here and there, but most of them are just pilots so alot of things may or may not work since they only got enough time and effort to do so. However, that doesn't mean they shouldn't try

[@dodsonboys]

I'm so glad you talked about Deadly Comics first, they've been a favorite of mine for a long time and they deserve more recognition for how good his work is

[@GrandleJams]

Whatever I hear something about indie animation, I always end up thinking about BFDI, and how well the show's been getting over time, especially within the past few years, where they just finished their recent season, BFB, and started on their new season, TPOT, while also continuing their old, discontinued season BFDIA along side it. BFDI is a really interesting series, especially in the world of indie animation, and I'm always interested when people talk about it.

[@Lexivor]

If I knew what any of those acronyms meant, your post might actually mean something to me.

[@GrandleJams]

@@Lexivor they're shortening of the season's names, because they're too long. Battle For Dream Island (BFDI) is the show in question, Battle For Dream Island Again (BFDIA) is the second season, Battle for BFDI is the fourth (BFB), and The Power Of Two is the fifth (TPOT).

[@loganshalloe5927]

Long Gone Gulch is my favourite from all these pilots. It's the only one that appealed to me with the comedic timing, animation style and the genuine moment of sadness and heart. (Lackadaisy art style is goated too but i wasn't sold on the story or characters)

[@thegamingteen44mc5]

Honestly yeah, I myself have become so invested with indie animation for the past goodness knows how long that I decided to become one of the many myself, although majority of the animations I have watched thus far have either been minecraft or wolves, for the most part its impressive just how well indie animators are able to take often low budget tech and use it to make high quality animations which tell stories that are often better than those made by big budget studios, while always keeping you on your feet as even if one animator uses a specific formula, its highly unlikely another will use the same formula and thus you get stories that are unique yet entertaining (and yes I admit, sometimes the breaks from formula end up making the film darker, wolf song is a prime example of that (the final battle scene anyways))and honestly I have to admit I myself have been so emotionally invested that it is upsetting to watch whenever a character dies for example, but hey, this is kinda how indie animation and in particular web animation works

[@alien-insomniac0532]

God I am so glad to see someone giving Monkey Wrench attention, I absolutely love that show lol If you do the part two, I would be interested to see you Review My Pride by Tribbleofdoom. People have mixed opinions about it so I’d love to see your view on it. Also would love to see you talk about ENA from Joel G

[@danisvircevich6208]

So, indie animation is going wild. TADC is at Hot Topic. Helluva Boss has made a return. Hazbin Hotel is a full series.

[@jacobcollins8891]

Great video, cool to see some independent artists pilots I've never heard of. That being said I was shocked to not have seen Purgatony or the Killer Bean series not mentioned in your video. Not sure if they count for what you were going for.

[@Paladin_Leeroy]

I feel like that Alan Becker and his several year series should have been mentioned as it does incredible work with just STICK FIGURES. He doesn't use crazy art or anything like that and there is no voice acting but he still manages to tell a good story through the stick figures motions.

[@leolpz-we9nk]

Gildedguy too

[@Sky-Queen]

If you're open to suggestions for more independent animation series to check out, I would highly recommend Alan Becker's Animator vs. Animation series. He started out waaaay back in the day and has improved so much since then, now having a full team. His newest stuff is nothing short of breath taking. Most of the characters are stick figures, and there's never any dialogue, but it is absolutely stunning how much story and emotion he's able to get across despite that.

[@StudioSnake376]

I really love this video and definitely shows you can create whenever the hell you want without studio meddling! Hell, even I’m creating and developing few projects in the works (**AHEM** First two will be anthologies)! Amazing and fantastic video Just Stop!

[@ad1kher0gaming71]

Honestly, as someone who picked up animation again after a 5 year break due to... reasons, it honestly terrifies me to see just how big and difficult this medium is to make. It is quiete intimidating but i'm doing my best to remain positive and confident and plow through no matter what. Despite being 20 and having to start all the way from the basics, I'm hoping to reach some accepteable level. I'm not really looking to do a cartoon or anything like that at all- just doing this for myself

[@OutcastRose]

Reccomending a few. Humans-B-Gone is a 3D animated show about a giant mantis lady and her titular business as a pest control agent for humans on a world inhabited by giant insects. Really interesting world-building and a plot that seems deeper than it lets on. Solid rec. Pangea TV follows dinosaurs on a island where the least popular species are periodically voted off. Only a few episodes have English subs, and it shockingly seems to be animated in MS Paint? It looks really good for what it is. Lightning round on a few more popular picks: Murder Drones (or really anything else by Glitch Productions aside from Digital Circus since that's already discussed in the video), A Fox in Space, Spooky Month.

[@Birdsflight44]

I feel like I should get an achievement for watching all of these. My desire to support indie animators has been affirmed

[@tyresepitts7594]

Ah indie animation how I love ye where limitless expression comes to fruition without any studio interference

[@chelsicampbell7739]

Another one I recommend for indie work is My Metal Family by Alina Kovalena. Bit slower to come out now for quite obvious reasons of due to the creator being from Russia and iirc recently having a child, but fantastic series none the less. Atm I think only the dub is available and some subs still left on youtube

[@Mankey619]

Indie animations are always going to show their love of work, and always will be. They're a lot of incredible indie animated shows or movies that did better than Dosney could think of. We need to show appreciation for these indie animators for their hard work.

[@silverscorpio24]

I am SO glad you gave Monkey Wrench some love❤ Also I hope you have time ro cover Cranbersher's Guide to Stop Motion in a part 2. And also CRASH.