For decades, animation has been done by the same big studios — Disney, DreamWorks, Pixar, Illumination, and a handful of others — deciding what stories get told and how they should look. However, this is starting to change, not because of new technology or trends, but because of independent animators. With the rise of platforms like YouTube, social media and crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter has paved the way for a fresh generation of indie creators who are disrupting the conventional system and transforming the animation landscape.
Take Hazbin Hotel, for example. What began as a small indie project by creator Vivienne Medrano, also known as Vivziepop, exploded online with a pilot episode published on October 28, 2019, garnering over 116 million views as of today and a loyal fanbase on YouTube. The series combined edgy humor, a unique art style, and mature themes — things mainstream studios would likely never green-light.
According to an article on The Mirror News, Medrano animated most of the pilot herself with help from freelance artists funded through her Patreon, proving how far independent creators could go without studio backing. The project’s overwhelming success eventually led to Amazon Prime picking it up as a full series on August 7, 2020, having its first episode after the pilot released on January 19, 2024.
But Hazbin isn’t a one-off. The Lackadaisy animated pilot, based on a webcomic series first created in 2006 by Tracy J. Butler, raised over $2 million through Kickstarter to fund a full season. According to an article on The Beat, the campaign attracted more than 12,000 backers and continues to grow, showing how indie creators can now finance high-quality animation directly through fan support, bypassing traditional studios entirely.
Then, there is The Amazing Digital Circus, a surreal, chaotic CG-animated series created by Gooseworx that went viral after its pilot episode premiered on Glitch Productions’ YouTube channel on October 13, 2023. The pilot alone has garnered over 373 million views, while the second episode, released on May 3, 2024, has surpassed 148 million views. Due to its overwhelming popularity, Netflix entered a licensing deal with Glitch Productions to release the first three episodes on October 4, 2024 — the same day the third episode premiered on YouTube.
According to an article on Cartoon Brew, Glitch Productions retains full ownership and creative control, emphasizing that episodes will always debut on YouTube first and that the series will continue to be independently funded. This model offers a new way for indie creators to expand their reach while staying true to their vision.
What all these projects have in common is that they reflect their creators’ unique voices — unfiltered by studio mandates, test audiences, or market research. They’re bold, personal, and often deeply weird in the best way possible. They’re also connecting with massive audiences in the process, and that’s no accident.
This is more than a trend—it’s a transformation. Indie animation isn’t just a quirky internet subculture anymore. It’s the future of the medium, and it’s redefining what animation can be: more daring, more diverse, and more creator-driven.
