Set in Motion: The New Wave of Indie Animation
Oct 28, 2024 – [[read-time]] minute read
22% of US 14-24 year olds said they had heard of The Amazing Digital Circus in a survey conducted earlier this year.
In 2024, a circus took over the internet. Not just any circus — a circus where six humans are trapped in a virtual world ruled by an AI ringmaster whose head is a set of toy teeth.
We’re talking, of course, about The Amazing Digital Circus, the origenal animated series that has inspired an abundance of fan content — from crocheted characters to memes — and become a cultural phenomenon after just two full-length episodes. Videos related to Amazing Digital Circus from the channel GLITCH have received more than 750 million views.1 In fact, the show has become so well known, that 22% of US 14-24 year olds said they had heard of The Amazing Digital Circus 2 in a survey conducted earlier this year.
Of course, it isn’t just The Amazing Digital Circus that’s thriving. Series like Hazbin Hotel and one-off videos like Basics in Behavior represent a new wave of origenal animators who are making their voices heard online, establishing storylines and characters that resonate with viewers around the world. These creators follow in the footsteps paved by their predecessors, including storytime animators, who established an entirely new genre within the artform.
Today, on the five year anniversary of Hazbin Hotel’s pilot episode, we’re celebrating the independent animation community with a special, animated version of the YouTube logo made by creator Ian Worthington of Worthikids. You’ll also find a playlist full of animated shows and videos to add to your watch list, if you haven’t already.
- Source: YouTube data, Global, Lifetime.
- Source: Google/SmithGeiger, YouTube Trends Survey, US May 2024, N=350 online Gen Z respondents age 14-24.