A new era of indie animation

Art by Simone Modina

With the Calarts and many other animation school’s student films releasing just around the corner, here are a few indie animation pilots, shows, short films, and projects that might be right up your alley!

I wanna eat your guts

From silly doodles posted on Instagram to a planned out animation show, I wanna eat your guts is an upcoming indie animation show which revolves around the mischief and antics between two teenagers, Kate and Alex in the early 2000s. This project really stood out to me especially because of how a simple idea can be created into a full fledged show if you put your mind to it. Currently, a short episode is released on youtube under Shockwave Animation.

Pretty pretty please I don’t want to be a magical girl

Pretty pretty please I don’t want to be a magical girl, or IDWTBAMG is a pilot animation created by Disney TV storyboarder Kiana Khansmith. The premise of this show revolves around our 15 year old protagonist Aika who just moved into a new neighborhood. Little does anyone know, she’s actually a magical girl, who apparently hates being one. The pilot follows her first day at school, running into a new friend, and encountering her arch nemesis. If you’re interested in the magical girl genre, or a twist of any kind, this pilot is definitely for you!

Punch Punch Forever

If you’re a fan of anime, comedy, and karate, animator Speedoru has created an animation show called Punch Punch Forever! Punch Punch Forever is a parody on comedy shonen animes in the late 90s and observes the life of ten year old Matsumoto Gogo, who competes in a martial arts tournament against demons. PPF is a lighthearted comedy, but may be for a more mature audience.

Knights of Guinevere 

Knights of Guinevere is an upcoming show created by Glitch X productions, known for shows like The Amazing Digital Circus and Murder Drones. It is currently in the works by three amazing names in the animation industry. These names include Zach Marcus, John Bailey Owen, and Dana Terrace who all worked on the hit Disney Channel show: The Owl House. Although no further information has been released other than an amazing teaser, we do know The Knights of Guinevere will be sci-fi and psychological horror, and will be the first ever 2D animation show Glitch X productions has released on their channel. 

Special mentions: 

Calarts Short Film: The Twins

The Twins created by Michelle Tang follows a pair of twins, Lake and Lucas, who hate each other’s guts. Lake excels at school and is beloved by everyone, while Lake is on the opposite spectrum. However one day, their feud reaches a new level. This short film was selected for 16 awards within animation festivals.

Sheridan Short Film: under this luminous sky 

Directed by Emily Xu, Under this Luminous Sky tells the story of a bittersweet goodbye between friends in a controlling Kingdom. The story is very sweet and concise, and the music very well reminds me of Howl’s moving Castle “Merry Go Round of Life.”

GOBELINS Paris Short Film: Sundown

From Gobelins Paris, Sundown is a short film where a troupe of performers lose one of their members before they’re set to perform on stage in a few minutes. However, in searching for them, they all cannot remember his face. The short film is super funny and keeps the audience at the edge of their seats.