Indie animated shows have been growing in numbers, with many being made in the last few years such as Glitch Production’s animated show “Murder Drones” in 2021. Collage courtesy of sophomore Milla Watts.

  Animated indie shows are a familiar form of entertainment at San Luis Obispo High School, with many students watching shows like “The Amazing Digital Circus,” “Murder Drones,” or “Ramshackle” in their free time. Indie animation has been around since the early 2000s but wasn’t as popular until recent years. But why is it only now that indie animation shows are gaining popularity amongst young adult age groups?

  “I really love all the variety of styles and storylines! It’s nice to have so many different shows instead of just the same old thing corporate puts out,” said freshman Rainbow Weddle. 

  Recent indie animated shows have been made for teens and adults rather than children with some rated as 13+, 16+, and 18+. Mainstream animated shows on the other hand, have focused on younger demographics in the past couple of years not allowing much creative freedom for creators to connect to different audiences. 

  “There’s a certain level of raw passion you can’t always get in shows that are helped along by corporate interests. Censorship, marketing, and the threat of cancellation can be just a few reasons why some artists feel so restricted when creating non-indie shows. It feels much more personal when watching indie shows because you can tell it’s not just a corporation taking advantage of and capitalizing on an artist and their dream,” said junior Ragz Neves.

  Mainstream animation studios such as Disney have had criticism in the past couple of years, from the recycling of old stories and the unoriginality of new stories. This has convinced public viewers that big corporations are only using animation for profit. When it comes to indie animation people claim that it brings passion and originality, which has been received greatly with large funding from their audiences.

   “I would really love to have a bit more love for smaller shows instead of bigger ones like ‘TADC’ or ‘Hazbin Hotel’. I do love these shows, but I think they are just as important as smaller, less funded shows,” said Weddle.

  The current accessibility of the internet has helped indie animated shows gain followings. Platforms such as Youtube have been hotspots for indie creators to post their content and with 2.70 billion users as of February 2026 it makes sense for creators to gain a following. Internet access also allows indie creators to promote and fund their projects to hire animators, voice actors, etc. 

  “[Indie animated shows] are surprisingly high quality, visually pleasing and entertaining,” said sophomore Charlie Gillmore.

  Many people online have referred to this rise in indie animation shows as “The Golden Age of Indie Animation” and with more access, large audiences, and more funding; It makes sense how the number of Indie animated shows have increased in numbers and in quality. 

  “It’s extremely inspirational as an artist to see someone’s passion project getting so many followers and being beloved just as much as mainstream shows,” said Neves.

  With the rise of indie animated shows in recent years, there are over fifty active projects for people to enjoy. Most are ongoing shows and their fan bases are still very active online and in events such as VidCon.

  Students are still waiting for the shows they love to release new content, as most are not completed stories. Go watch and join the hype!

Sources: globalmediainsight.com, hercampus.com