In the new era of fan made media and indie productions we are now able to create content that is both diverse and unique without the pressure of appealing to a mass audience or catering to the demographic of white males ages 15-35. In this new age of user created content, one could make movies, music, art and place them on the internet for anyone who is interested to come and see. One of the newest additions making its way into this new territory is animation, more talented, young, independent animators are producing their own content and getting it noticed by a hungry and grateful audience. The benefit of this is the allowance of female animators, long ignored by mainstream animation studios, to produce their own work about the kind of characters and stories that they would like to see. An example of that is Steven Universe, airing on Cartoon Network which is the first animated TV show created and run by a woman. Another example is Bee and Puppycat playing on the YouTube channel Cartoon Hangover. This show, created by Adventure Time alum Natasha Allegri, is about a young girl who meets a magical cat... or dog, who is able to traverse to another universe. The show was a huge hit when it first ran, despite the fact that in the beginning there was only one uncompleted 10 minute episode (released in two parts). That pilot alone spawned fanart, fan sites, cosplay, stuffed animals and clothing. It seemed that the pastel color pallet, the Vocoloid style music and the obvious nods to magical girl animes had made the show successful. The cries for more were immediate and fans waited to hear when the show would continue. After a Kickstarter crowdfunding raised over $800,000 of a $600,000 goal, the return felt imminent. A year later the news hit that Bee and Puppycat would be returning with a full staff and adjustments to the style and direction of the original pilot. I can't get enough of the show, I love the glittery pastel backgrounds and the random, childlike assholery of the main character Bee. It has obvious influences from Adventure Time, Sailor Moon, Card Captor Sakura, Steven Universe and 80's shows like She-Ra and Jem & the Holograms. While not expressively stated that it is targeted towards women, like myself, that are old enough to get all of those references it still feels like an animated love letter to me and my ilk. This marks a great move in female creators getting their work made regardless of how the industry stays in the past.
Pilot Episode
Episode 1// Episode 11Labels: animation
