Why Wile E. Coyote Still Works After 75 Years
Warner Bros. tried to bury Coyote vs. Acme. Like the character at its center, the movie refused to stay down.
Animation
How Big Is Independent Animation, Really?
For decades, an animated series needed a studio executive’s blessing before it ever reached an audience. Ten independent studios and creators, from GLITCH Productions to the team behind Lackadaisy, have flipped that order by building their audiences first and letting Hollywood come to them.
The Rise of Independent Animation: Why Creators Don’t Need Hollywood Anymore
A new wave of independent animators — from Glitch Productions to Studio Heartbreak to veteran animator Michel Gagné — is proving that audiences, not studios, now decide which stories get made.
The Animated Short That Proved the Internet Could Build an Audience
Animation / YouTube / Creator Economy Brain Divided Animated Short How one viral YouTube film helped prove that independent animation could build a massive audience without waiting for a major studio. By David DerksJune 25, 2026 Filed Under: Animation | YouTube | Independent Film | Creator Economy | Pixar Originally inspired by a 2015 article […]
Animation Is Quietly Returning To Creator Ownership
Animation / Industry / The Shift Creator-Owned Animation Is Changing Hollywood The old gatekeeper era is weakening. YouTube, Patreon, merchandise, crowdfunding, Discord, and direct fandom have created a new path for independent animation. By David Derks DerksWorld · May 21, 2026 Filed Under: Animation · Industry · Creator Economy · Independent StudiosCreator-owned animation is reshaping […]
How Glitch Productions Built an Animation Studio Outside Hollywood
Animation / Culture / The Internet Glitch Productions and the Creator-Owned Future of Animation How YouTube fandom, creator culture, and internet-native storytelling helped build one of the most fascinating independent animation studios online. By David Derks DerksWorld · May 14, 2026 Filed Under: Independent Animation · YouTube Culture · Creator EconomyThe Amazing Digital Circus did […]
Animated Films That Changed Cinema
Every so often, a film comes along that doesn’t just succeed—it changes how movies are made. The same is true for animated films that changed cinema, pushing storytelling, technology, and style into entirely new territory. If you’re interested in how visual storytelling continues to evolve, you can also explore our latest articles on animation. You […]
Rocky and Bullwinkle and the Internet: A Cartoon Ahead of Its Time
There is something strangely familiar about Rocky and Bullwinkle when you watch it today, especially when viewed through the lens of Rocky and Bullwinkle and the internet. At first glance, it looks like a relic from another era—limited animation, simple character designs, and a pace that seems almost quaint compared to modern media. However, the […]
10 Cult Animated Films That Changed Animation
Cult animated films often fall outside mainstream success, yet they leave a lasting impact on animation history. Instead of breaking out at the box office, many of these films found audiences slowly through word-of-mouth, home video, festival screenings, and later rediscovery. At first, studios and distributors often struggled to market these titles. Their storytelling felt […]
The New Animation Studios: Why Brands, Toys, and Tech Companies Are Now Creating Cartoons
For decades, animation belonged to a small, well-defined group of companies. Today, a new wave of branded animation studios is beginning to reshape that landscape. Studios like Disney, DreamWorks, and Sony Pictures Animation did not just produce animated films and series. They defined the entire ecosystem. They controlled the pipelines, the distribution, and ultimately the […]