In my last article on independent animation, I mentioned the anticipation and buildup to the premiere of a new upcoming show from Glitch Productions, “The Amazing Digital Circus,” which follows humans trapped in a virtual computer world where they are subject to the whims of AI and their own trauma. Since I wrote that article, the show premiered on October 13th to huge audiences, surging in popularity across the internet. For context on how popular the show has been, the pilot for Glitch’s other show, “Murder Drones,” sits at 25 million views two years after premiering. “Digital Circus,” has smashed 55 million in two and a half weeks, setting a record for one of the best premieres of a new indie animation on YouTube. According to statistics provided by SocialBlade, a site that provides analytics for video-sharing sites YouTube and Twitch, Glitch’s total monthly channel views went from five million in September to 150 million for the month of October, as well as doubling their subscribers in two weeks. In addition, the show has also spawned a huge fandom overnight. Over on TikTok, “#theamazingdigitalcircus” has been used more than 1.3 billion times in videos on the platform, with people often sharing highlights, theories, & memes of the characters. In an interview with Forbes, Glitch CEO Kevin Lerdwichagul said of the show’s success, “We had no idea the show would get exponentially popular this fast. We are incredibly proud of our team of producers, writers, voice actors, animators, and artists who worked hard to bring this show to life, and it’s clearly paid off.”
In my opinion, I consider “Digital Circus” a perfect example of how an indie show can take the internet by storm. As a follower of Glitch’s projects for several years, I know their attention to detail and perfection really helps their projects become successful and strike a chord with all audiences. Since they never rush their projects, they clearly spared no expense in making the “Digital Circus” pilot, with each aspect of the project having a lot of hard work put into it. Headlined by a stellar cast including voice actors like Lizzie Freeman, Michael Kovach, and Sean Chiplock, the characters have wonderfully expressive and fitting voices, with the comedic writing also having impeccable timing. In addition to the talented voice cast, the 3D animations & models in this show are vibrant and pop with expressive movements and color. Every shot in the pilot has beautifully detailed backgrounds and objects and gives off the vibe of a 1990s video game. Not to mention that the score of the episode, composed entirely by the show’s creator and producer Cooper Goodwin, is perfectly composed to fit the mood of the scene, with sudden and unexpected changes in tone handled very well and complementing the voiceover. All of this mixes together perfectly to create a wonderful experience for the viewer.
When asked if more episodes of “Digital Circus” would be on the way, a Glitch Productions spokesperson said nothing is confirmed at this point, but funds from merchandise sales and YouTube ad revenue will help fund the development of future episodes. Given that all their merch products are sold out until 2024, and that they have clearly found a series that intrigues and reaches all audiences, I believe that there will likely be more episodes in the future. The pilot keeps growing in terms of views and continues to be featured on video platforms across the globe, creating more and more fans of the show while critics are meeting the show with unanimous acclaim. In the meantime, updates will likely be announced on Glitch’s social media accounts on YouTube and Twitter.
