The term independent animation refers to animated shorts, web series, and feature films produced outside a major national animation industry .
103-502: Meta Runner (known as Meta Runner: The Final Season during its third and final season) is an Australian independent-animated web series created by Kevin and Luke Lerdwichagul. Produced by Glitch Productions , with funding support from Screen Australia , Crunchyroll , AMD , and Epic Games , it premiered on YouTube on July 25, 2019, with season 2 premiering on the channel GLITCH on October 16, 2020. The third and final season premiered on July 22, 2022. The series takes place in
206-583: A trans woman named May Marigold, voiced by Kdin Jenzen. Nomad of Nowhere , another RoosterTeeth show, released in 2018, featured a lesbian protagonist named Skout, who had a crush on Captain Toth, her superior. In addition, Hazbin Hotel , by Vivienne Medrano , centers around a bisexual princess of Hell named Charlie, with a girlfriend named Vaggie, with the series also featuring an asexual character named Alastor, and
309-597: A chance of seeing airtime on more normal and expensive forms of mainstream broadcasting on most television networks, which still continue to function on a more traditional distribution matrix). Annoying Orange , which started off as a series of viral quasi-CGI animated comedy shorts on YouTube , quickly gained a cult following and an excess of 100 million views online. It is an example of an animated web series to transition between Internet and television distribution successfully, as an animated series on Cartoon Network . Recent independent animations released on YouTube include
412-452: A coma and was unable to recover due to parts of her consciousness being missing, having been lost to the server or merged into the AI that Sheridan was developing. He reveals that Tari herself is that AI in an artificial body, which she confirms, having learned this from the remnants of Lucinia that were in the server. Thus, the only way to revive Lucinia would be for Tari to sacrifice herself. However,
515-414: A few weeks before season 2 was completed, before being formally announced on November 29, 2021. A teaser trailer was released on May 6, 2022. The teaser confirmed that the third season will be the final season and will be released the summer of the same year. On June 24, 2022, the official trailer for season 3 was released, confirming it would begin on July 22, 2022. It ended on September 9, 2022. Although
618-540: A fourth "Xtrawave" sometimes occurs, where players team up to defeat a King Salmonid. By successfully meeting the quota of golden eggs for all waves in a shift, the player can increase their rank within Grizzco. Next Wave adds the ability to throw golden eggs along with new enemies and new "Known Occurrence" events. Salmon Run is also no longer limited to certain times of day; players are able to access Salmon Run at any time, even during Splatfests. A new addition to Splatoon 3
721-476: A full season was ordered. Nico Colaleo's animated web series, Too Loud , the first season which ran from July to August 2017, and the second season which aired from September to November 2019, includes an LGBTQ+ character. In the episode "Slumber Party Sneak-In," Desiree plots with her sister, Sara, to dress up as a girl in order to go to a slumber party. The rest of the girls find this out, then console her, accepting, and deciding they like her no matter whether she
824-485: A futuristic society where entertainment and lifestyle are based around video games and esports . The best of the best gamers in this society replace one of their arms with a cybernetic arm in order to optimize their gameplay performance, and are known as "Meta Runners". The series focuses on an amnesiac girl named Tari, who discovers that she has the ability to warp inside video games, and comes across and helps an undercover group called MD-5 in their mission to expose
927-530: A gay pornstar named Angel Dust. Medrano's other series, Helluva Boss , featured various bisexual characters, such as a demon named Moxxie, and a pansexual demon named Blitzo. My Pride: The Series , which premiered in February 2020 on YouTube , follows a "queer, disabled lioness" named Nothing who is trying to heal the world. Yssa Badiola of Recorded by Arizal hosted a RTX panel, on September 21, 2020, and stated that there would be LGBTQ characters if
1030-648: A giant coho salmon ), defeats Mr. Grizz and destroys the rocket. Agent 3, Little Buddy, and Octavio return to Earth with the Great Zapfish, and Mr. Grizz is seen floating in space during the credits. Splatoon 3 was developed by Nintendo EPD , with additional work done by Monolith Soft , who also assisted in the development of previous Splatoon games, as well as SRD and Bandai Namco Studios Singapore & Malaysia . The game makes use of NLPN, Nintendo's in-house server system, which supports expanded lobby features and better matchmaking . At E3 2019 , after
1133-560: A home computer, using software such as Flash , and distribute these short films over the World Wide Web . Independently produced Internet cartoons flourished as the popularity of the Web grew, and a number of strange, often hilarious short cartoons were produced for the Web. In the late 1990s, an independent animated short film called The Spirit of Christmas was produced for under $ 2,000 by two artists, Matt Stone and Trey Parker . This film
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#17330861619161236-556: A love letter to the Andrews Sisters and 1940s animation . First conceived in 2008, he released online in 2015 the opening sequence that was in progress before shelving it after being hired by Disney in 2011. Other notable animated indie efforts of the 2020s include Marcel the Shell with Shoes On , Ninety-Five Senses , War Is Over! and My Year of Dicks . LGBTQ+ representation in independent animation has increased over
1339-415: A memory card, he threatens to destroy him if MD-5 causes trouble again or Tari starts to show signs of disloyalty. Lucks lets MD-5 go and leaves with Tari, who promises that she'll be fine. All episodes were written by Jasmine Yang and directed by Luke Lerdwichagul. By exploiting the game's glitches and working together, Tari and Theo eventually manage to incapacitate Evelyn and reach the flag, thus beating
1442-603: A number of animated films, starting with Heavy Traffic a year later. Ralph Bakshi became the first person in the animation industry since Walt Disney to have two financially successful films released back-to-back. Alongside Bakshi came other independent animated features of the 70s and 80s (some made by former Disney animators) such as John David Wilson 's Shinbone Alley (1971), Don Bluth 's The Secret of NIMH (1982), Vinton's The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985) and Jerry Rees 's cult classic The Brave Little Toaster (1987). Notable award-winning films also from
1545-404: A sniper rifle, and have long range for sniping opponents but are less effective at painting the ground. Splatoon 3 expands upon this by adding new main, sub, and special weapons to the game. Main weapons are chosen by the player, and sub weapons are assigned to main weapons and act as secondary weapons that use up more ink, and special weapons are also assigned to specific main weapons and require
1648-432: A tearful Sofia arrives just in time despite Masa encouraging her not to. Lucks takes her tablet containing the server data and has his scientists clear it and destroy any backups. When Sofia says she just wanted to know what happened with her sister, Lucinia, Belle reveals the footage of the explosion, against Lucks's orders. Sofia breaks down and asks why Lucinia was with Sheridan, and Belle says to ask Tari, pointing out that
1751-498: A version of Earth set far in the future after the extinction of humanity and almost all mammal life, suggested to be due to climate change , where much of oceanic life has evolved to live on land. Splatoon 3 takes place five years after the events of Splatoon 2 in the Splatlands, a sun-scorched desert inhabited by battle-hardened Inklings and Octolings, and Splatsville, a city of chaos that seems to have developed rapidly since
1854-545: A video titled "The Making of Tari" uploaded by Luke and Kevin Lerdwichagul on 14 February 2019 on the YouTube channel SMG4, the concept of Tari's character started when Kevin and Luke asked their younger sister, Tish, who was drawing in her sketchbook, if she had any ideas for a new character to add to their channel's titular machinima series; she drew a " gamer girl " character who would become Tari. The first early design of Tari
1957-426: A year afterwards. Oscar-nominated animator Andrew Chesworth formerly worked at Disney (being animator on Wreck It Ralph , Frozen , Get a Horse! , Big Hero 6 , Feast , Zootopia and Moana ) and Netflix (on the 2019 Annie Award for Best Animated Feature winner Klaus ) while working independently on his passion projects including his 2023 Oscar-qualifying The Brave Locomotive ,
2060-421: Is "Big Run", an event where Salmonids invade the city of Splatsville. Players defend Splatsville by fighting invading Salmonids on an online competitive map, instead of the unique stages typically used for Salmon Run. After a few days, the event ends and participating players receive a prize. This event occurs every few months. There is also another Salmon Run event called "Eggstra Work", where teams compete to get
2163-501: Is a trans girl named Desiree or as a closeted boy. In September 2019, Colaleo later described the episode as important, described it as his favorite episode of the show's second season, and a "pro-transgender episode." Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman's Apprentice (2020), featuring Canadian Inuit characters, won Best Independent Short Film at the Festival Stop Montreal. African American animator/filmmaker Ayoka Chenzira
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#17330861619162266-483: Is able to eat and destroy some of the ooze, allowing passage further into the crater. They fight Octarian enemies mutated with fur, which Cuttlefish believes are responsible for once again stealing the Great Zapfish that powers Splatsville. At the crater's base, Octarian leader DJ Octavio accuses Cuttlefish of taking his Octarian warriors. After defeating Octavio, he denies taking the Zapfish despite having previously done so in
2369-518: Is arriving now, forcing Sheridan's attention away. Tari decides to use the machine in the lab to sacrifice herself and restore Lucinia's consciousness, bidding a final goodbye to Sofia. Marco bursts into Sheridan's hideout and hooks Sheridan's own control bugs to his body, electrocuting Sheridan to death and destroying his server, thus freeing the Meta Runners. Sheridan's Lucks AI hints to Tari that she might be able to restore Theo before being deleted with
2472-402: Is controlled when it is 70% covered in a teams ink, and if the map has two zones both must be controlled for the timer to count down. Tower Control functions similarly to Payload from Team Fortress 2 , requiring a team to escort a moving tower. When the tower is controlled by one team, it moves toward that team's goal line, stopping to clear checkpoints along the way, with a team winning when
2575-458: Is forced to fight Lucinia as she attempts to bring her back to Sheridan's virtual lab. Sheridan and Sofia fight for control over the server, assisting Lucinia and Tari respectively by providing various video game items for them to use. Though Sheridan seemingly gets the upper hand, Tari manages to reach the lab with the help of Sofia. Sheridan tries to freeze Tari in place, but Sofia reveals she has tracked Sheridan's location and given it to Marco, who
2678-550: Is known for his independently-produced features Piercing I (2010) and Art College 1994 (2023). Independent cel animation made in South Korea during the 1980s-90s included Lee Yong-bae's award-winning tale of Sleeping Buddha Wa-Bull (1994) and powerfully political efforts from Choe Jeong-hyeon. In 2016, Alê Abreu 's Boy and the World (released in 2013) won the first Annie Award for Best Animated Feature – Independent at
2781-461: Is known for making independent efforts such as the 2021 feature My Sunny Maad , which was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film . Other legendary Czech independent animators include Jiri Trnka and Jan Svankmajer . Estonian animator Priit Pärn is known for his crude drawings, dark humor and satirical absurdist tone on such films as Breakfast on
2884-891: Is known for the 1984 satirical animated short Hair Piece: A Film for Nappyhead People , which was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2018. Another example of independent African-American animation is Bruce W. Smith 's 2019 Academy Award-winning short film Hair Love . The 2016 autobiographical stop-motion short Deer Flower , made by Los Angeles -based filmmaker Kangmin Kim, mines his childhood in South Korea for themes. Independent Italian animators include Ursula Ferrara (who used techniques similar to animation pioneers like Emile Cohl on her 1986 film Lucidi Folli ), Alberto D'Amico, Saul Saguatti (known for his 1995 series Short Splatter Collection ) and Bruno Bozzetto , known for
2987-457: Is rigged to explode and cover the entire Earth in Fuzzy Ooze, reviving mammal life at the expense of all other life on the planet. The Captain rehydrates Cuttlefish with their tears as Mr. Grizz launches the rocket into space, and Deep Cut provides Agent 3 a lift onto it using their tamed eels and shark. Agent 3, with help from DJ Octavio and Smallfry, who transforms into a "Hugefry" form (resembling
3090-408: Is sidetracked trying to get revenge on Masa, and after getting eliminated, he sets out to destroy Sheridan’s server to ensure the safety of the warped Meta Runners. Meanwhile, Theo confronts Evelyn by himself to buy time for his friends. Evelyn makes Theo disintegrate by essentially squeezing him to death and gloats to a distraught Tari about it, but this brings Masa’s mind back. He strangles Sheridan in
3193-837: The Splatoon series following Splatoon 2 . Like its predecessors in the Splatoon series, the game consists of online multiplayer ( player versus player and player versus environment ) alongside a single-player campaign, both featuring combat based around ink-firing weapons. The game was first revealed in a teaser trailer on 17 February 2021 and was subsequently released on 9 September 2022. The game received generally favorable reviews, with praise for its additional maps, single player campaign, customization options, and gameplay mechanics, but criticism for its matchmaking and disconnection issues and lack of new content. As of 31 March 2024, Splatoon 3 has sold 11.96 million copies worldwide (2.64 copies in
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3296-700: The 43rd Annie Awards . Two years later, Tito and the Birds would be nominated in the same category. Pato Escala 's 2014 debut short film, Bear Story , won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short . As a result, many animators such as Fernanda Frick ( Here's the Plan ), who worked on Bear Story , and Hugo Covarrubias (the Oscar-nominated Bestia ) made their own animated shorts in Chile . Michaela Pavlátová
3399-655: The Animated GIF to overcome these limitations and create early web-based animation viewable through all browsers. Independent animation in the 2000s included animated features such as Paley's Sita Sings the Blues , Christiane Cegavske 's Blood Tea and Red String , the CGI-animated features Hoodwinked! and Barnyard and Indiewood director Wes Anderson 's first foray into animation territory: his 2009 stop motion adaptation of Roland Dahl 's Fantastic Mr. Fox . By
3502-467: The International Tournee of Animation (which existed between about 1965 and ended in the late 1990s), Spike and Mike's Classic Festival of Animation (1977 to 1990) and Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation since 1990. Contemporary independent animators, including Steven Subotnick , Bill Plympton , Don Hertzfeldt , Nina Paley and PES have also made work outside of
3605-441: The adult animated web series Helluva Boss , and pilots for Hazbin Hotel , Long Gone Gulch , Murder Drones , Lackadaisy and The Amazing Digital Circus . While Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel are made by independent animator Vivienne Medrano , Long Gone Gulch was written and produced by Tara Billinger and Zach Bellissimo, who had worked on animations for Cartoon Network , Adult Swim , and Disney+ . At
3708-584: The 1976 feature Allegro Non Troppo and the 1990 Academy Award-nominated Grasshoppers . One of the earliest feature-length animated films was The Adventures of Prince Achmed , made in 1926 by Lotte Reiniger , a German artist who made silhouette animation using intricate cut-out figures and back-lighting. The BFI funded around thirty pieces of experimental animation between the mid-fifties to mid-nineties (notable examples: The Quay Brothers ). Another major contributor to independent animation in Britain
3811-571: The 1978 adaptation of Watership Down by American filmmaker Martin Rosen , was also made independently as well. Examples of French independent efforts include René Laloux 's Cannes-winning Fantastic Planet (1973) and Marjane Satrapi 's own 2007 adaptation of her graphic novel Persepolis . Kōji Yamamura , Masaaki Yuasa , Yoji Kuri and Kihachiro Kawamoto have been prominently acclaimed Japanese independent animators known for their artistic qualities. Animation director Liu Jian
3914-455: The 2000-Year-Old Mouse , a series of educational shorts paid for by Encyclopædia Britannica . However, Bakshi was uninterested in the kind of animation he was producing, and wanted to produce something personal. Bakshi soon developed Heavy Traffic , a tale of inner-city street life. However, Krantz told Bakshi that studio executives would be unwilling to fund the film because of its content and Bakshi's lack of film experience. While browsing
4017-830: The 70s and 80s included Dale Case and Bob Mitchell's The Further Adventures of Uncle Sam (1970), Ted Petok's The Crunch Bird (1971), Frank Mouris 's Frank Film (1973) and Jimmy Picker's Sundae in New York (1983). Animation historians John Canemaker and Michael Sporn also made independent animation in New York, both earning Oscar nods for their work (only Canemaker won in 2005). Other animators like Candy Kugel , Jeff Scher , Joanna Priestley , Kathy Rose, Suzan Pitt , Robert Swarthe , Vince Collins, Barrie Nelson , Eli Noyes , Sky David (aka Dennis Pies), Steve Segal , Mike Jittlov , Paul Fierlinger , Adam Beckett , Lillian Schwartz , Larry Cuba and George Griffin also made experimental and personal animation during
4120-506: The Butcher , and the collage works of Winston Hacking. Independent animated efforts from Israel include the aforementioned Waltz with Bashir and Tal Kantor 's 2023 Oscar-nominated short Letter to a Pig . Splatoon 3 Splatoon 3 is a 2022 third-person shooter video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch . It is the third game in
4223-576: The East Side Book Store on St. Mark's Place , Bakshi came across a copy of R. Crumb 's Fritz the Cat . Impressed by Crumb's sharp satire, Bakshi purchased the book and suggested to Krantz that it would work as a film. Fritz the Cat (1972) was the first animated film to receive an X rating from the MPAA, and the highest grossing independent animated film of all time. Bakshi then simultaneously directed
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4326-573: The Grass (1988) and 1895 (1995; the latter spoofing cinema's impact on perceptions of history, identity and nationality filled with cinematic references, cultural stereotypes and inside jokes). Jonas Poher Rasmussen 's 2021 animated documentary Flee was nominated for three Oscars: Best Documentary Feature , Best International Feature Film (the second Non-English-language animated film after Ari Folman 's 2008 Israeli war documentary Waltz with Bashir ) and Best Animated Feature (becoming
4429-497: The Great Zapfish and Octarian army, proving Octavio's innocence. Mr. Grizz explains that he aims to restore mammal life to Earth by converting other life into mammals by using the Fuzzy Ooze. After using the treasure to assemble a cutting device and reaching the rocket at the center of Alterna, Deep Cut confronts the Splatoon again and after being given the treasure for free (as the team no longer needs it), explain their intention to sell
4532-521: The Nintendo Direct, the game is set to receive both large-scale paid DLC and two years of support via free updates. On 25 August 2022, a Nintendo Treehouse Presentation was broadcast which showcased the single-player story mode and the multiplayer lobby, alongside weapons and multiplayer maps. The pre-launch Splatfest World Premiere event was held on 27 and 28 August 2022 with a rock-paper-scissors theme, which Team Rock won in all regions. The game
4635-552: The Project Blue logo is also Tari's logo. Masa's trust in Tari diminishes, but she insists she knows nothing. Lucks prepares to imprison MD-5 for life, but Tari offers to join TASCorp on the condition that Lucks lets everyone else go. Lucks reveals that he discovered MD-5's plan by using Theo as a spy camera via the corrupted Ultra Jump Mania cartridge. After Lucks traps Theo in a frozen state in
4738-674: The Splatfest winner was decided. In a Splatoon 3 Direct on 10 August 2022, Nintendo confirmed that the game would receive two years worth of updates releasing every three months using a seasonal approach, which would feature the addition of more stages and weapons, as well as large-scale paid downloadable content (DLC). Splatoon 3 was announced with a teaser trailer in a Nintendo Direct on 17 February 2021. The trailer revealed items, weapons, abilities, and an apocalyptic design. More details were revealed later that year in September, including
4841-479: The Squidbeak Splatoon is there for the same reason. Aided by an artificial intelligence named O.R.C.A., they explore the city in search of Cuttlefish, but are repeatedly led to signals from the members of Deep Cut and forced to fight them over the "treasure", which appears to be junk. It is revealed that Mr. Grizz, CEO of Grizzco and organizer of Salmon Run, has kidnapped Cuttlefish and is responsible for taking
4944-463: The Ultra Signal, it will summon a "Sprinkler of Doom", which will automatically ink a portion of the map's area for that team. The co-op player versus environment (PvE) mode Salmon Run returns, titled Salmon Run Next Wave. The main goal is to collect Golden Eggs, obtained by splatting special enemies known as "Boss Salmonids", and depositing them into the egg basket. Salmon Run Next Wave uses
5047-481: The announcement of Splatoon 2 ' s final Splatfest, "Chaos vs. Order", Splatoon producer Hisashi Nogami stated that a third entry in the series was not in development. In an "Ask the Developer" interview on Nintendo's website, it was revealed that the direction of Splatoon 3 ' s world was decided after Team Chaos won Splatoon 2 ' s final Splatfest, with the developers planning for both outcomes before
5150-400: The cartridge, but the data has already been released to the public with the news spreading quickly through the city, and an arrest warrant has been issued for Lucks. Masa fights Lucks and takes his gun, saying everyone will now know that Lucks is responsible for Lucinia's death. However, Lucks reveals that Lucinia is still alive, the explosion having only injured her. He explains that she entered
5253-575: The corrupt company TAS Corp. A pilot for a spin-off show titled Ultra Jump Mania , based on the fictional video game of the same name in the show , was released on 4 September 2020, but it was not picked up for a full season. In Silica City, all media and entertainment are mostly based around video games, not just serving as entertainment, but also jobs in live streaming and lifestyle. Among members of society are Meta Runners, individuals who have replaced their limbs with cybernetic arms that allow them to boost their gaming performance. The series tells
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#17330861619165356-437: The date for the game's Splatfest World Premiere, a limited time demo Splatfest. Nintendo announced that the game would have amiibo support, with several new figurines that can be used to take photos with the characters in-game and receive special gear items, similar to past Splatoon titles. It introduced three new " idol " characters known as Big Man, Shiver, and Frye, collectively referred to as "Deep Cut". Also announced in
5459-549: The first animated film ever to be nominated in all three of those categories). Bill Kroyer 's 1992 feature debut Ferngully: The Last Rainforest , featuring the voice of comedian Robin Williams as Batty, was also made independently (under his own studio Kroyer Films , which also made the 1988 Academy Award-nominated Technological Threat ) as an Australian-American co-production later to be distributed by 20th Century Fox . Independent animation entirely from down under includes
5562-416: The first independent animated film to win an Oscar with John Hubley 's Moonbird which was also produced by wife and collaborator Faith Hubley using limited animation to tell their own personal stories. Jordan Belson , Robert Breer and Stan Vanderbeek made groundbreaking experimental animation during this time. Avant-garde animator Carmen D'Avino 's Oscar-nominated Pianissimo (1963)
5665-576: The first three days of launch, becoming the fastest-selling video game of all time in Japan (surpassing the previous record holder Pokémon Black and White ) at the time, as well as one of the best-selling games on the Nintendo Switch . Shares of Nintendo were noted to have increased by 5.5 percent on the Tuesday following the announcement, the largest increase since December 2020. Splatoon 3 debuted at
5768-616: The first week alone), making it the fastest-selling game in the franchise and one of the best-selling Switch games . Like its predecessors in the Splatoon series, Splatoon 3 is a third-person shooter . Players choose to be either an Inkling or Octoling as their player character . Both wield weaponry that uses colored ink as ammunition. Weapons are diverse in ability and imagery, with most resembling household objects. For example, Rollers are large paint rollers that can cover large amounts of area in ink but are generally limited to close-range combat, while Chargers are weapons which resemble
5871-523: The game's story mode to the Mario franchise , saying that while it evoked some of the best parts of Super Mario Sunshine , the abstract nature of the levels failed to meet the best Mario levels. Kotaku ' s Patricia Hernandez lamented the amount of disconnections while matchmaking and playing online, saying that it is "inexcusable". Brian Shea of Game Informer praised the larger amount of content available at launch compared to previous entries in
5974-449: The game. Theo escapes the cartridge, but Tari is visited by the purple glow, which reveals itself to be Lucinia, and she tells Tari about her past. Back in the real world, with both Tari and Theo in Lamar's car, Lamar rams into the side of TASCorp's van, but is less successful than the last time he did so as they have upgraded their vans. Lucks holds Masa at gunpoint and demands that Tari give him
6077-407: The glitch despite Belle's efforts to stop her. Back in the real world, Masa and Theo commend Tari, while Lamar urges everyone to evacuate the arena. The group tries to escape, but they are cornered by a furious Lucks and the TASCorp security personnel, who subdue Tari, Lamar, and Theo. Lucks yells for Sofia to show herself, shooting off Masa's cybernetic arm and threatening to shoot him in the head, but
6180-476: The ground; for example, Splat Bombs that explode a second after contact with the surface and Burst Bombs that explode upon impact. When enough ground is covered in a player's ink, they may use a special weapon, which are primarily used to attack the opposing team. Weapons and other forms of attack can deal damage to opposing players; when enough damage is given, they will "splat" their opponent, forcing them to restart from their starting location. Whichever team covers
6283-446: The group still blames Lucks for everything he has done and tell Tari they value who she is now. After Masa considers shooting Lucks, the others convince him not to, but his Meta Runner arm suddenly starts malfunctioning and shoots Lucks anyway, killing him. Belle stays with Masa and urges the others to run, but they are offered a ride by Marco. Tari and her friends face off against Evelyn and the brainwashed Lucinia, Masa, and Belle. Marco
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#17330861619166386-450: The hideout, praising Tari for keeping MD-5 together. Sofia then eagerly takes Belle and Lucinia to their “initiation” into MD-5, to Belle’s annoyance and the others' amusement. Independent animation In America, working independent animators included Mary Ellen Bute , John Whitney , Harry Everett Smith and Oskar Fischinger alongside earlier efforts of what would later become UPA . In 1959, The Academy Awards witnessed
6489-442: The lab, who breaks free and stabs him in the neck with a screwdriver before Masa’s arm explodes, causing the device hooked to Belle to stop working. Belle helps Tari defeat Evelyn once and for all, and Sofia urges Tari to revive Lucinia before Marco destroys the server. Tari jumps through the gateway with Lucinia in pursuit. Sheridan recovers and is about to stab Masa with a knife when he realises Tari has made it into his server. Tari
6592-526: The largest portion of the field at the end of the match is declared the winner. Once a player gains enough experience points to reach level 10, they gain access to a ranked mode called Anarchy Battles, featuring several different battle types. A game lasts for a maximum of five minutes plus overtime if certain conditions depending on the game mode are met. Clam Blitz is an invasion game with elements taken from basketball and football . The game mode sees players collect golden clams and deposit them in
6695-458: The last Splatfest, Chaos vs. Order. The game's design is themed around chaos due to the outcome of the last Splatfest. The story mode of Splatoon 3 , titled Return of the Mammalians, is set in a new location called Alterna, a large, snowy area littered with incomplete structures and hazardous Fuzzy Ooze, an ink-like substance mostly covered in brown fur, with a rocket at its center. It focuses on
6798-465: The late 1960s, animator Ralph Bakshi and producer Steve Krantz founded Bakshi Productions, establishing the studio as an alternative to mainstream animation by producing animation his own way and accelerating the advancement of female and minority animators. He also paid his employees a higher salary than any other studio at that time. In 1969, Ralph's Spot was founded as a division of Bakshi Productions to produce commercials for Coca-Cola and Max,
6901-564: The mid- to late 1970s through the early- to mid-1980s. In the 1970s, independent animator Sally Cruikshank (known for the 1975 cult short Quasi at the Quackadero alongside animated segments for Sesame Street ) continued to explore independent and D.I.Y. distribution options, but were still largely met with rejection even though her work is now considered ground breaking. Collections of independent films have been gathered for theatrical viewing, and video release, under such titles as
7004-479: The mid-to-late 2000s YouTube and the Internet and like-minded online video distribution, in addition to independent broadcasting sites that followed, proved to be a dominant form of independently distributed, broadcast, edited, and produced animation TV shows, anime, feature films, music videos, retro animation, commercials, trailers, original online animation content, and web exclusives (which would otherwise not stand
7107-399: The most golden eggs in a predetermined shift consisting of 5 waves. A digital collectible card game based on Turf War in which players build a deck of collected cards. In Tableturf Battle, each card can be used to apply a pattern on a grid, and after a "special attack" is charged, it can be used to place a pattern overwriting the opponent's patterns. The Splatoon games take place on
7210-476: The murder charge against Masa is dropped. Marco’s workers repair Masa’s Meta Runner arm, and Marco holds onto it for safekeeping, looking forward to a true rematch with Masa in the future. Sofia, Lamar, Masa, Belle, and Lucinia all return to the MD-5 hideout, where they mourn the losses of Tari and Theo. Masa places a picture of Tari and Theo, as well as Tari's hoodie and Theo's newly acquired cartridge courtesy of Belle, in
7313-410: The name of Splatoon 3 's single-player mode, Return of the Mammalians. A trailer for Splatoon 3 's co-op mode "Salmon Run" premiered in a Nintendo Direct on 9 February 2022. On 22 April, Nintendo uploaded a video to its YouTube channel showing gameplay of the "Turf War" game mode, as well as providing an exact release date of 9 September 2022. Additionally, Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion
7416-403: The opponent's goals. A Power Clam is needed to break open the opposing basket to score, which is created by collecting eight regular clams. The team who deposited the most clams by the end of the match or has depleted their remaining score to 0 is declared the winner. Splat Zones plays similarly to king of the hill ; two teams aim to control one or two "splat zones" for a set amount of time. A zone
7519-407: The opponents ink with their own color. When walked on, the opposing team's ink slows movement, gradually deals damage and prevents the use of the player's swim form. Each player is equipped with a weapon set, chosen before each match, and each set comes with secondary and special weapons in addition to its main weapon. Secondary weapons provide alternative methods of attacking the other team and inking
7622-434: The player to cover the ground with a varying amount of ink in order to charge up their gauge to deploy the special. Inklings and Octolings have the ability to morph into a squid or octopus form, respectively. This form is referred to as the "swim form", and can be used to climb ink-covered walls or swim through ink faster than the humanoid forms can walk. Weapons have a finite amount of ink ammunition, and submerging in ink via
7725-587: The previous two games. The ground breaks open, and Cuttlefish and Agent 3 fall into the remains of the underground city Alterna, which the fuzzy Octarians have turned into a base. In Alterna, Agent 3 meets Callie and Marie of the New Squidbeak Splatoon, as well as the Captain, the player protagonist of the first game , and realizes that Cuttlefish has gone missing. They are approached by the idol group Deep Cut, who are searching Alterna for treasure and believe
7828-569: The reappearance of mammals , which have been long- extinct . The Side Order DLC story is set in the Order Sector, an alternate world based on the Inkopolis Square area from Splatoon 2, which has been drained of color. Upon following the elderly squid Craig Cuttlefish into a crater covered with lethal Fuzzy Ooze, the player is recruited by Cuttlefish into the New Squidbeak Splatoon as Agent 3 along with their pet Salmonid Smallfry. Smallfry
7931-529: The same basic gameplay as it does in Splatoon 2 , where the player, employed by Grizzco Industries, teams up with three other players to fight waves of enemies known as "Salmonids". If a player gets splatted, the game's version of getting killed, another player can revive them by shooting them with ink. If the quota for eggs is not met within the time limit or the entire team is wiped out, the shift ends. Each "shift" typically lasts three waves, though, in Next Wave,
8034-725: The same time, the all-ages web series, Sherwood , also released all 12 episodes on YouTube Originals , made freely available in April 2020. Alternative comics artist turned animator Dash Shaw 's Cryptozoo enjoyed critical success at the Sundance Film Festival to the point of winning the NEXT Innovator Award while it was also nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards
8137-569: The second wave including a new single player campaign called Side Order . This mode was later revealed to be a roguelite , and featured a new story with Agent Eight, the protagonist of Splatoon 2: Octo Expansion . Side Order was released on 22 February 2024. On 16 September 2024, Nintendo announced that the game would no longer receive regular content updates, although patches and seasonal events would continue. Splatoon 3 received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic . IGN reviewer Brendan Graeber called
8240-461: The series has concluded, it has been referenced in the primary SMG4 series, with the recurring leitmotif being heard in the SMG4 Movie "Western Spaghetti". The SMG4 counterpart of Tari was also redesigned to resemble her Meta Runner equivalent. After the finale on September 9, 2022, a comic series, entitled "Meta Runner: Source" was announced, appearing to go through the backstory of Lucinia Porter. It
8343-527: The series, as well as how the game blended new and returning content, calling it the series "best entry to date". He also praised the game's movement, saying that "few games match the smooth, intuitive mobility Splatoon gives you while submerged and cruising through a map". Wired ' s Reid McCarter praised the game's original, cartoony characters, as opposed to brand crossovers and realistic graphics. On 12 September 2022, Nintendo reported that Splatoon 3 had sold 3.45 million copies domestically within
8446-406: The server, and after telling Lucinia to say thanks and goodbye to her friends, Tari performs the surgery just in time before the server is fully destroyed. Belle, Masa, and Lucinia all wake up and are happily reunited, with Lucinia and Belle sharing a kiss. Marco forgives Masa for his debt, as Masa has already lost his Meta Runner arm again, and the group leaves. Evelyn is arrested for her crimes and
8549-520: The story mode was tailored for speedrunning . Martin Robinson of Eurogamer criticized the lack of significant new content, saying that even the largest new additions are not something "that can be applauded too enthusiastically", and other features "basic [ones] you'd expect of a contemporary online multiplayer game". However, he called the Splatoon series "one of the most polished, playable and impeccably executed series" from Nintendo. He also compared
8652-479: The story mode's lore, as well as its characters, while lamenting the reuse of enemies from previous games. He also reviewed Tableturf Battle, calling it a "lackluster card game" that "consistently ends with a whimper instead of a bang". Destructoid ' s Chris Carter also praised how Return of the Mammalians interacted with the game's multiplayer modes, by both teaching the player important mechanics and rewarding them with useful items, as well as appreciating how
8755-410: The story of Tari, a Meta Runner who was the subject of an experiment called Project Blue, led by Dr. Sheridan, a TAS Corp scientist. After waking up in safehouse in the alleys of Silica City, Tari finds herself in the city with amnesia . The last thing Tari can remember is a sudden accident causing an explosion in the lab that seemingly kills Sheridan and his test subject, Lucinia Porter. As revealed in
8858-401: The studio system. The rise of the Internet in the 1990s and 2000s saw an exponential increase in the production of independent animation which included personal independent works by Timothy Hittle, Janie Geiser , John R. Dilworth , Lewis Klahr and John Schnall. Personal computer power increased to the point where it was possible for a single person to produce an animated cartoon on
8961-434: The swim form replenishes it quicker than in humanoid form. All basic weapons from the prior Splatoon games return in Splatoon 3 . Returning from its predecessors as a playable online multiplayer game mode is Regular Battle, known as Turf War. In Turf War, two teams of four players compete to cover the most amount of the map's area in their respective ink color for three minutes. Each team can cover over an area covered by
9064-460: The third installment's multiplayer "more than just a simple upgrade", citing its additional maps, weapons, bosses, and customization, as well as its revamped lobby system. However, he criticized the game's lack of a "huge addition" similar to Splatoon 2 ' s Salmon Run. Reviewing the game's single-player mode, he appreciated the new take on the series' hub world , as well as the returning ideas from Splatoon 2 ' s Octo Expansion . He praised
9167-478: The tower reaches their goal line or making it the furthest when time runs out. The Rainmaker game mode functions similarly to capture the flag , in which players attempt to carry a weapon called the Rainmaker from the center of the stage to various checkpoints until they reach the opponent's side of the map. This game also sees the return of " Splatfests ", where players choose to join one of three teams (compared to
9270-401: The treasure for charity, and team up with the Splatoon to defeat Mr. Grizz; they also become Marie's employees, to the latter's dismay. Eventually, they reach the top of the rocket where Cuttlefish is being held and find Mr. Grizz having "dehydrated" the former for his "essence", seemingly killing him. Mr. Grizz, who is a massive bear and one of the only remaining mammals, explains that the rocket
9373-405: The two teams in the previous games) over a particular theme, and over three days they engage in matches to gain the most points for victory. In Splatoon 3 , a new "Tricolor Turf War" mode can be played during the second half of a Splatfest, where one team of four players defends an "Ultra Signal" at the center of the map from two teams of two attacking players. When an attacking team takes control of
9476-449: The works of Felix Colgrave and acclaimed stop motion animator Adam Elliot , known for the Oscar winner Harvie Krumpet (2003) and his feature film Mary and Max (2009). Outside of NFB, independent animation entirely from Canada also includes Marv Newland , who is best known for his 1969 cult animated short Bambi Meets Godzilla , Danny Antonucci , known for his 1987 short Lupo
9579-450: The years, as many series have featured LGBTQ+ characters. Lizzy the Lezzy , which premiered on Myspace in 2006, included LGBTQ+ characters like Lizzy, a lesbian. Plum, a bisexual character, first appeared in the animated series, Bravest Warriors , a show which aired on Cartoon Hangover 's YouTube channel from 2012 to 2018, as confirmed by her crushes and by writer Kate Leth . The show
9682-411: Was Channel 4 , which gained an international reputation as one of the most adventurous broadcasters of animation featuring works from Joanna Quinn ( Girls' Night Out ), Alison de Vere ( Mr. Pascal ) Paul Barry ( The Sandman ), Mark Baker ( The Village ), Barry Purves ( Next ) and former National Film Board of Canada animator Paul Driessen ( 3 Misses ). Another British animated milestone,
9785-824: Was also promoted through a pre-video announcement for the third episode of SMG4's "Lawsuit Arc", "SMG4: If Mario Was In... Splatoon 3 ", released on September 10. A trailer dedicated to the comic was released on September 11 on the GLITCH channel. All episodes were written by Kevin Lerdwichagul and Jasmine Yang, and Luke Lerdwichagul served as creative director. Tari tells Belle she doesn't know how her abilities work, but Belle reveals she no longer cares about Tari's abilities and angrily interrogates her about Lucinia, thinking she killed her despite Tari's objections. Belle begins torturing Tari and Lamar considers giving up, but after encouragement from Theo, Tari agrees to tell Belle everything she knows to get her to stop, only to evade her and execute
9888-420: Was announced that Meta Runner would be funded by Screen Australia , Epic Games and AMD . On 20 July 2019, Glitch Productions announced that they had partnered with Crunchyroll to produce the series. On 20 April 2020, Screen Australia announced the funding of Meta Runner season 2. The second season aired from 16 October to 18 December 2020. A third season was announced by the creator Luke Lerdwichagul
9991-497: Was announced to be included with the Expansion Pack tier of Nintendo Switch Online . In July, Nintendo announced a special edition Nintendo Switch OLED model themed on the game, with a release date of 26 August 2022. In addition, the company announced a Splatoon 3 -themed Pro Controller and carrying case, which released alongside the game. On 10 August 2022, Nintendo broadcast a Splatoon 3 -focused Nintendo Direct, revealing
10094-509: Was distributed by none other than Amos Vogel 's legendary Cinema 16 . Other independent animators during this time included Charles Braverman , Gene Deitch , Fred Mogubgub , Fred Wolf and Will Vinton . The latter two would go on to win Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Film along with the works of the Hubleys and Ernest Pintoff starting in the late 1950s-early 1960s. In
10197-558: Was first teased at the end of the SMG4 episode, "War of the Fat Italians 2018" , depicting the character Theo and the date 5 December 2018. The months following had similar teasers of different Meta Runner arms before the official trailer for Meta Runner was uploaded on 5 December 2018. On 18 March 2019, it was announced that Meta Runner was one of many projects to receive funding from a $ 500,000 grant from Unreal Engine . On 25 June 2019, it
10300-509: Was for her to be a robot instead of a cyborg , an antenna on top of her head, headphones, a simple jacket with a love heart stitched onto it and a d-pad for her right eye. Eventually, Tari was redesigned as a human cyborg with a white vest with the Meta Runner emblem, which was based on the blue jay ’s wing. She was also given a blue hoodie with blue jay wing patterns on each shoulder starting from "Sequence Break" (episode 4). Meta Runner
10403-488: Was made by Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward and featuring Ian Jones-Quartey , who voiced the character, Wallow, while he directed his own show, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes which featured multiple LGBTQ+ characters. Although Plum had a crush on Chris, kissing him multiple times during the show, she is also madly in love with her doppelganger as shown in the comics. The Rooster Teeth animated web series, RWBY , which began in 2013, features lesbian characters, and
10506-410: Was released worldwide on 9 September 2022. In a trailer on 11 October 2022, it was announced that the Splatoon 3 amiibo would launch on 11 November. During Nintendo Live 2022 on 9 October, a Splatoon 3 concert was held starring Deep Cut. In a Nintendo Direct released on 8 February 2023, two waves of DLC were announced, with the first wave including Inkopolis (the main hub from the first game) and
10609-490: Was widely distributed on the Internet as a pirated cartoon, and its phenomenal popularity gave rise to the popular television animated series South Park . Limited 1990s bandwidth made streaming difficult, if not impossible. While some animators like Spümcø 's John K . opted to use Flash , it still required a plug-in making it unviewable in many early web browsers . Other early online animators like M. Wartella opted to use
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