So I saw this great video by Saberspark on indie animation last night, offering great insight into how indie animation developed and its potential in the future, as well as being honest about the challenges that indie animators face.
It has come at a big time for us. BlueIke recently completed Reynard City Chronicles issue 7 and is currently hard at work on issue 8. Issue 8 is significant as it will be the first in a two-part finale for the Reynard City Chronicles series.
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- Artwork by BlueIke
A common question people have asked is “What will you do when the comic series ends?” And this is where the issue 7 animated trailer comes in.
We are working with head animator Jimferno , test animator Mercenarymaster, our awesome regular voice cast and guest star Christina Roberts to produce an animated trailer for issue 7. Previously we have had voice acted trailers for the other issues but they weren’t animated (Available below!)
Why is this important? Because this will be a big test to see if people are interested in a Reynard City animated project. At time of writing we are 77% on our animated trailer Ko-Fi fundraising target (more info here)
Indie animation would be our preferred route because (as Saberspark points out) this would allow for more control in terms of how we can tell the story. With both the original webcomic series and Reynard City Chronicles, there are enough stories to create compelling seasons of animation.
Also some people have asked about the backstories of characters, something we could also further explore in an animated series. There are possibilities with this but one thing that has been made clear is that you need a lot of support to make it happen.
Inspirations
Lackadaisy
One of my all-time fave films is The Sting, while when I was young I used to love watching All Dogs Go To Heaven (albeit with some classic Don Bluth dark moments!) I love how this pilot has such a well-realised world and the animation is really impressive. On top of that, the characters feel very compelling. Definitely worth a watch!
Sonic Satam Team Season 3
Sonic is something I grew up with and it’s been amazing watching the dedication of this fan team working on this massive project, essentially a followup to the Sonic Satam (second Sonic cartoon) series. There is some incredible talent behind this one!
AK Girl Ducktales reboot style by Clarissa Arts
Ducktales reboot
Okay it’s not indie but I do feel it’s important to keep things balanced- modern cartoons can not only be good but also great. This one builds on the original and adds more character, lore and fun. Really recommend.
X-Men 97
Again, I realise it’s not indie but I had to talk about this. We did a series review for our Patreon and Ko-Fi backers but I wanted to post a quick word here.
Lenore Zann, Julia and Eric Lewald (XMenTAS ) have been amazingly supportive of Reynard City, which has been inspiring given that the original X-Men animated series was a big influence on the comic.
Sure enough, X-Men 97 comes around and somehow manages to be more profound, more action-packed, better animation and somehow managed to deliver hit after hit in 10 episodes. The original cast remain excellent but the new actors coming in all slot in seamlessly.
This is the challenge now. To create an indie animation that can have that kind of impact. There are a few simple things you can do to make this happen-
1. Donate to our trailer goal
2. Buy comics (digital and print) from our shop
3. Share our posts, videos etc. Let people know you want this (but please keep it positive!)
A massive thank you to everyone who has supported us so far and contributed to this project. We’ve already managed to achieve a lot because of you but with your support (and more) then we can take this even further!
Want to know more about our indie animation project and how you can support it? Please use the form and get in touch.
