Feb 23, 2024

First Look: Breakout Indie Hit "Amazing Digital Circus" Adds Nine More Episodes

Glitch Productions, the Australian company that produced last fall's wildly popular indie animated pilot "Amazing Digital Circus," has announced that it is working on nine more episodes of the show.

The pilot episode of "Amazing Digital Circus" was released on Youtube on October 14, 2023 and was an exceptional success. The episode became the most viewed animated pilot in Youtube history, with over 270 million views since its inception.

"Amazing Digital Circus" tells the story of Pomni, a woman trapped in an unhinged virtual world with five humans subject to the whims of an unpredictable AI. Like the pilot episode, the series is written, directed, structured, and showrun by Gooseworks, with Kevin Temmer ("Spies in Disguise," "Ice Age: Collision Course") as lead animator. Glitch founders Kevin and Luke Radwichagul will serve as executive producers.

Voice talent for the full season includes Lizzie Freeman, Alex Rochon, Michael Kovach, Amanda Hufford, Sean Chiplock, Ashley Nichols, and Marissa Lenti.

Glitch Productions has released some first look images of the new episodes.

Glitch CEO Kevin Radwichagul says of the full season order:

"I can honestly say that how this show has turned out, both in its quality and its global reputation, has exceeded my expectations. This is a huge milestone not only for "Glitch" but for the entire independent animation industry. We hope that the continued success of this show will show the entertainment industry as a whole what independent creators can accomplish and that people are hungry for more original animated stories. This is just the beginning for "Glitch". There is much more to come in addition to the main season.

It's easy to see why the pilot went viral in the first place. The episode has a twisted sense of humor and features jokes that are delivered as perfectly as frame by frame. The sense of humor is mature enough to appeal to an adult audience without being overly vulgar. The Amazing Digital Circus is accessible without being clichéd; the CG animation is bright and fun, recalling the early days of the art form, but it is sharp and clean, giving it a modern feel.

The pilot version of "Amazing Digital Circus" was not only Glitch's most successful film, but also his most technologically advanced. The pilot was produced using the Unreal Engine, and according to the studio, the production pushed creative and technical capabilities further than any previous work.

Season 1 of "Amazing Digital Circus" has no release date yet, but will be available on Glitch's Youtube channel as soon as it is ready. Last year, we spoke with Glitch producer Jasmine Yang, who told us that the company has no immediate plans to engage with traditional broadcasters or streaming platforms.

"We are a Youtube-first company," Yang explained. We strongly believe in the future and potential of Youtube in feature animation." Much of that comes from trends in streaming services, especially in animation. Without going into detail about the recent wave of churn and the general disdain for animation from the mainstream, we believe that Youtube is the best path forward."