10 Best YouTube Indie Animated Shows You Absolutely Can’t Miss

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Although YouTube is often associated with creators who share travel vlogs, food reviews, product reviews, tutorials, video essays, or entertainment, there’s a lot more content to discover. Many channels provide a platform for animators to showcase their skills. Some, like Cartoon Hangover, have become well-established within the indie animation world, while others started small and gained popularity, eventually being noticed by bigger animation studios and streaming services.

There are still many talented indie animators whose work should be acknowledged more and rewarded sufficiently. They need continued support not only to carry on producing these exceptional independent animations, but maybe even graduate to producing full-length, mainstream animated series someday. Therefore, the most effective initial step is to watch the content they’ve tirelessly created!

1) Ena

Joel Guerra has crafted an animated comedy series called “Ena,” which blends surrealist avant-garde elements with a whimsical, nonsensical narrative. The main character, Ena, navigates through diverse, fantastical journeys in a peculiar 2D/3D animated universe that resembles a post-apocalyptic virtual world. Along the way, Ena interacts with numerous oddball characters and creatures like Moony and Froggy. This series, originally from Peru, takes influences from various global cultures, particularly Japan. Its style incorporates aspects of vaporwave aesthetics, first-person computer games, and The Legend of Zelda CD-i games.

According to its creator Joel G, the character design for Ena is reminiscent of Pablo Picasso’s painting “Girl Before A Mirror” and the art style of Romero Britto. Since its initial conceptual animation in 2021, the popularity of Ena as an animated series has skyrocketed, with four episodes now available. This widespread support has even led to the creation of a video game, Ena: Dream BBQ, with the first part already released on Steam and the rest in active development.

2) The Amazing Digital Circus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries

In the virtual world known as the Amazing Digital Circus, shy heroine Pomni, our main character, gets stuck alongside six other individuals. Their shared predicament has them preoccupied with finding a way out. This motley crew includes Jax, a skeptic with a knack for mischief, optimist Ragatha, emotionally volatile Gangle, moody Zooble, and paranoid veteran Kinger. As they’re continually thrust into various adventures at the hands of ringmaster Caine and assistant Bubble, they struggle to keep their composure amidst the distressing ordeals Caine subjects them to. Each character grapples with personal challenges while also questioning the secretive nature of the Amazing Digital Circus itself and the conspiracy that may underpin its creation.

In 2024, “The Amazing Digital Circus,” a psychological dark comedy created by animator/composer Gooseworx and produced by independent animation studio GLITCH, came into existence. The story revolves around adorable cartoon characters who despise their lives and yearn to escape. Consisting of four episodes, this Australian-American computer-animated comedy web series gained significant popularity, eventually being acquired by Netflix.

3) Bee and PuppyCat

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries

Bee is a spirited young woman navigating her path through life. Her impulsive nature sometimes lands her in challenging situations, but also in exciting ones. She’s warm-hearted and quick to help, as demonstrated when she took in Puppycat. Despite her carefree demeanor and lack of traditional skills, she’s resilient and unwilling to give up easily. Though her unconventional approach often hinders her from keeping a job for long periods in the ordinary world, her experiences at the enchanted temporary agency might finally provide her with an opportunity to discover her true purpose in life.

Back in the day, I discovered this fascinating animated series named “Bee and PuppyCat,” a masterpiece by Natasha Allegri. It all started as a short for Too Cool Cartoons! on Cartoon Hangover, a vibrant channel run by Frederator Studios – an independent animation powerhouse. The show made its grand entrance in 2013, and soon enough, it was sweeping the internet! To satisfy the growing demand, we even had a Kickstarter campaign to produce additional episodes. Fast forward to 2020, and Netflix swooped in to air the second season, “Bee and PuppyCat: Lazy in Space.” It’s been an incredible journey, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

4) Hazbin Hotel

Charlie Morningstar, the princess of Hell and Lucifer’s daughter, understands the hardship of her citizens who are both eternally confined to Hell and subjected to an annual purge led by Adam, the first human, and his aggressive angelic troops aimed at reducing the number of sinners. As the owner of the Hazbin Hotel, Charlie endeavors to discover a more harmonious resolution. Along with her capable team consisting of her manager and girlfriend Vaggie, as well as Alastor the Radio Demon who runs the hotel, they encounter numerous difficulties not only in attracting sinners and keeping Heaven at bay, but also dealing with internal conflicts.

I’m absolutely thrilled to share that the mind-blowing 2020 pilot episode of “Hazbin Hotel” is available for viewing on Vivienne “VivziePop” Medrano’s YouTube channel! But wait, there’s more – it’s been picked up by Prime, and the first season has already been released, with even more episodes in the pipeline!

This series features stunning animation, a captivating soundtrack that will leave you tapping your toes, and characters as quirky as they come. The narrative is set in none other than Hell, but with a surprising twist – a redemption arc! It’s no wonder this show has earned every bit of praise it’s received. Don’t miss out on this animated masterpiece!

5) Helluva Boss

The employees at I.M.P., or Immediate Murder Professionals, don’t just conduct unsavory work, but their personal lives are also chaotic and tumultuous. After a series of unfortunate events, this group of murderers not only makes a living by ending the lives of others, but they also struggle to manage their own lives in a metaphorical “Hell.” As the head of I.M.P., Blitzo puts it: “Thanks to our unique connections to the world of the living, we can assist you in resolving any unresolved issues by eliminating anyone who wronged you during your lifetime!

After achieving success with its pilot episode in 2020, this adult-targeted comedy series now encompasses two seasons and a collection of shorts on VivziePop’s channel. Similar to its sister series Hazbin Hotel, it has also been acquired by Prime and is currently working on a third season. Unlike Hazbin Hotel, which focuses on the possibility of redemption for human soul Sinners, Helluva Boss provides additional information about the Hellaverse’s world-building and illustrates what daily life is like in Hell for typical demons born there.

6) Lackadaisy

1927’s St. Louis café and infamous speakeasy Lackadaisy, once overseen by the late Atlas May, is now managed by his wife Mitzi after his demise. However, whispers of her possible role in his death have started circulating, causing a decline in both employees and patrons at Lackadaisy. Yet, the bootlegging crew consisting of fiddler Roark “Rocky” Rickaby, his timid yet gun-savvy cousin Calvin “Freckle” McMurray, and Atlas’ spirited goddaughter Ivy Pepper may not be careful in their work, but they always ensure the task is completed.

According to the popular Lackadaisy webcomic series, an animated pilot conceived by Tracy J. Butler and produced by independent studio Iron Circus Animation was unveiled in 2023 for a forthcoming animated web series. This humorous crime-mystery show draws inspiration from the animation styles of Don Bluth and classic Walt Disney films.

7) The Summoning

Witch Claire is trying to brew a potion to call upon a demon to get rid of some troublesome individuals in her life and perform tasks she doesn’t want to do herself, but the recipe calls for troll fat which she doesn’t have. Just then, Edgar barges into Claire’s house with Fluff Top’s stolen chocolate stash, looking for shelter. Edgar proposes using troll hair as a substitute, but this only summons annoying clown demons that provide an indirect way for Claire to obtain the necessary ingredient. Consequently, Claire and Edgar decide to go straight to where the ingredient is found.

Originally conceived by Elyse Castro in 2017, the short animation titled “The Summoning” was produced for the GO! Cartoons shorts series on Cartoon Hangover. Now, eight years later, Oni Press has taken up Elyse Castro’s graphic novel series, “The Summoning Volume One: The Art of the Craft“, with an anticipated release in October of this year. Given its artistic style and comedic elements similar to late-2000s Cartoon Network shows like “The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack“, it’s possible that Elyse Castro’s work might one day develop into a complete animated series as well.

8) Murder Drones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=videoseries

In the year 3071, on Earth-like planet Copper 9, owned by megacorporation JC Jenson, a devastating collapse occurred, eliminating all biological life. With the planet now barren and lifeless, Disassembly Drones, or Murder Drones, were dispatched by the megacorp to locate and annihilate any surviving Worker Drones. During this chaos, rebellious Worker Drone Uzi Doorman went scavenging for supplies to bolster her colony’s defenses against the Murder Drones. However, her father Khan decided to isolate Uzi from the safety of the bunker during Murder Drone attacks, leaving her feeling betrayed. In response, Uzi formed an alliance with a Murder Drone named N and exiled herself, swearing revenge on the humans who initiated this conflict.

Originating from Liam Vickers, the Australian-American 3D animated sci-fi comedy-horror webseries called “GLITCH” was first released in 2021 and later acquired by Prime in May of this year. This unique blend of humor and horror is not only cleverly written but boasts exceptional quality for an independent 3D animation.

9) Ramshackle

The story revolves around the daily escapades of three street urchins – Stone, Skipp, and Vinnie – living in a lawless town. They call themselves the ‘street rats’. One day, while rummaging through trash for lost items, they stumble upon a baby whom they christen ‘Maggot’ and adopt into their group. Short on funds for food, they decide to enroll Maggot in the “Next Top Sweetheart” beauty pageant for monetary rewards. To everyone’s surprise, Maggot emerges as the winner! This upsets the parents of other contestants, leading the trio to defend their newfound friend. As the confrontation ensues, it turns out that Maggot is not an ordinary child but a celestial being, who casts divine retribution upon those who threatened his newly formed family.

Zeddyzi, the creator, expresses in the Pilot’s description that he never thought, when making these characters in elementary school, he would one day be able to strike ‘creating an entire episode of Ramshackle’ off his bucket list. This project has been a significant part of his life for more than half of his existence on Earth, and he’s thrilled to share this chaos with everyone. As of now, he’s unsure about the future of Ramshackle, but if you want to see more from him, you can support him by purchasing merchandise or checking out his Patreon.

10) RWBY

Unaware of what was in store, Ruby Rose’s journey at Beacon Academy, where she trains to become a Huntress, turns out to be far more than she initially expected. As she befriends Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long, forming Team RWBY, they embark on a mission to become the finest warriors to safeguard the world from evil forces. Alongside other students and teams like Sun Wukong and Team JNPR, Team RWBY works tirelessly to combat adversaries and villains such as Roman Torchwick or Cinder Fall, as well as the terroristic group White Fang. However, their most significant challenges arise when they not only face the ancient witch Salem who aims to destroy the Kingdoms, but also grapple with their own internal conflicts and troubled pasts.

Monty Oum, who passed away, developed “RWBY” (which sounds like ‘ruby’), a web series with an anime-like style in 3D, together with Rooster Teeth back in 2013. Remarkably, this production continues to this day with more than 100 episodes. Later on, in 2024, when Rooster Teeth closed down, Viz Media took over the intellectual property rights for “RWBY”.

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2025-06-06 23:11