The animation industry has been struggling to stand out as anything other than a niche directed only for children’s entertainment. Especially with the animators’ guild having to strike against the industry, due to having the animators overworked with little pay. However, something incredible was going on within the YouTube platform. Many artists have come together to create their own animation projects, from short films to web series; it started with something small and became something every artist wants to join in on this creative craze.
Of course, there is the case of financing their projects. Instead of pitching their projects to money-hungry, Hollywood producers, they stream their shows, sell merchandise, or depend on Patreon for an inside look behind production.
What’s impressive about self-production, is the amount of creativity and passion throughout the whole show from their characters to the plot. There are several indie series/production channels that I believe have impacted the animation industry.
Over the past few years, there had been a decline in good-quality animation, post-Covid, and with that, the art of storytelling through visuals was under threat of losing animators to AI technology. The entire niche could have been on the verge of losing good stories and art. However, with indie animation taking on the mantel of creativity and allowing audiences to see stories with world-building, this has gotten the attention of streaming companies such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.
Now, these two companies had different approaches to including indie animated shows on their official platform. One approach that Amazon Prime takes is having the creative rights based on a pilot series that has already been on YouTube for some time. Netflix has also made a deal with an independent animation channel so they could take the show only for streaming, but not be involved in the creative production process. The latter appears to be more beneficial to their production group, because the risks of having corporate power take over the entire production can lose their spark in the story (Ahem, Disney). And it’s devastating to know that a show with an excellent story with thrilling, realistic characters can be thrown out if either it does not add up to the corporation’s status quo or does not make enough money.
The reason why there is a decline in corporate film industries is the lack of good storytelling, as most of what these corporations release lacks the amount of compelling stories and characters. However, it’s the primary goal of repeating the familiarity, instead of trying to create something original with voice actors who are not unknown to the general public, and I do not mean Hollywood actors who think they can voice act (Keanu Reeves and Idris Elba are an exception to this). Indie animation provides a network for voice actors and talented artists who want to start their artistic careers while avoiding the uncertainty of money-hungry producers.
Hence, this phenomenon of creative genius and talents come together to create a good story through animation and acting, which entertains children and adults alike.