The US animation industry is in tumultuous straits. With major studios like Disney prematurely shelving series, attempting to ram AI into the creative process and oust animators, and putting animators through the wringer in terrible conditions, craven capitalism threatens the livelihoods and well-being of animators everywhere who work diligently for the love of their craft. Considering all this, the win of the independently produced Flow for Best Animated Feature Film at the 97th Oscars is a beacon of hope for animators feeling the boot of capitalism. It highlights how independent animators and their projects can see the highest levels of success.
A wordless animated film about cute black cat and their animal friends surviving a post-apocalyptic world won above Pixar’s Inside Out 2 and Dreamworks’ superb The Wild Robot, along with the melancholic Memoir of a Snail. Hopefully, many more independent animated films and series will achieve their due among the great studios. Independent animators are creating stunning work with their limited resources. We’ve compiled five, some released and some still in production, who you’ll not want to miss.
Get BWT in your inbox!
Get BWT in your inbox!
Gods’ School: The Olympian Gods
Director: Gaylord Libessart
Writers: Gaylord Libessart, Brandon Jay, and Jenny Yokobori
Gods’ School: The Olympian Gods is a French series that began production in 2018 with nine episodes so far that have released slowly since its initial release. Gaylord C. Libessart reimagines the Greek Gods as teenager deities going to high school together on Mount Olympus. While there are various nods to the traditional Greek myths, Libessart and his team have achieved a unique depiction of the famous deities, including a unique perspective of Eris, the Goddess of Discord, as the main character we follow.
While certainly having semblances to ‘90s Disney Renaissance animation, and certainly 1997’s Hercules, Gods’ School: The Olympian Gods stands out on its own with its beautiful animation, excellent voice work, diverse skin tones that reflect ancient Greece, and poignant storytelling. It all makes each episode worth the long wait.
Where to watch: YouTube
Deep Space Discounts
Director: DeepBlueInk
Writers: DeepBlueInk
Imogen “Immy” is an anxious human starting a job at an intergalactic electronics store for felons all across the universe serving out their sentence. While mundane, it’s not as punitive for Immy and her new friends as they support each other through their sentences. Deep Space Discount is a hopeful series of found family and community care among these designated criminals, with fittingly quirky and cute animation. Ultimately, you’ll find yourself relating to these inmates as they, too, must deal with the repetitive mundanity that capitalism inflicts on all of us.
Where to watch: YouTube
Pretty Pretty Please I Don’t Want to be a Magical Girl
Director: Kiana Khansmith
Writer: Kiana Khansmith
Aika, AKA “Star Guardian,” is completely over her magical girl duties. Khansmith has made a rather distinct premise, as the magical girl archetype is typically portrayed with steadfast dedication to their responsibilities, with some wavering but frequently snapping back to save the day. But here, Aika is worn down almost entirely and wants to live a normal teenage life. While she makes a new friend in Zira, her new friend is obsessed with magical girls, making the transition to normal life even harder.
However, trouble strikes at school when the villainous Eclipse attacks and Aika must reconnect with her guardian, Hoshi, to transform again into Star Guardian. The 11-minute pilot by Khansmith encompasses so much character worth and promising animation and action, making fans eager to see Pretty Pretty Please I Don’t Want to be a Magical Girl be picked up to a full series, whether by an independent studio or otherwise. Hopefully, they get the chance.
Where to watch: YouTube
The Ebony Witch
Director: Poppihin
Writer: Poppihin
With the support of Kickstarter, animator Poppihin is creating the tale of Ebony “Bonnie,” a witch who lives in a land where magic is forbidden, and the penalty is death by dragonfire. But Bonnie, secluded in the woods away from the villainous queen, has grown into a skilled witch determined to defeat the evil monarch and restore magic to the kingdom.
Viewers can already see via the existing YouTube shorts that The Ebony Witch makes a strong impression before its official series release. With its exciting premise, fantastical setting, and unique protagonist, Poppihin is creating a story that warrants everyone’s eyes.
Where to watch: YouTube
Knights of Guinevere
Director: Dana Terrace, Zach Marcus, John Bailey Owen
Writer: Dana Terrace, Zach Marcus, John Bailey Owen
The Owl House is one of Disney TV’s most beloved and acclaimed series of recent years. However, because the series didn’t fit the “Disney brand” (i.e., the Disney executives likely scolded at the inclusion of prominent queer and non-binary characters), it was canceled early. Its third and last season was reduced to only three long special episodes. The executives gave creator Dana Terrace a short-thrift, irrevocably souring a working relationship with one of their best animators.
Thankfully, Terrace is back, along with her fellow Owl House alumni John Bailey Owen and Zach Marcus, for the independent studio Glitch Productions with Knights of Guinevere. Only one trailer has come out but it looks wonderfully bizarre. We see a serene and mysterious female robot asleep in a whimsical fairy tale land about to wake up, only to cut to the robot, torn down and lashing out viciously at the scientists around her, apparently waking up. It’s a striking premise in such a short teaser and promises the same boldness for which fans love The Owl House. We can’t wait to see what Terrace and her team have cooked up.
Where to watch: Glitch
Do you disagree with us? Do you have a recommendation that would be a perfect fit for this list? Let us know on Bluesky at @butwhytho.net.
