Since its inception in 2005, the streaming platform known as YouTube has grown into a powerhouse of constantly rotating content creators, independent filmmakers, and documentarians who all share a creative longing to firmly plant their own unique footprint on the first floor of the entertainment industry. Through hard work and dedication to the craft, some users of the website have actually gone on to do just that. First, a period of rapid growth with their audience. Secondly, a consistent amount of high views per video. Finally, and what is usually most desired by those who enjoy a career in uploading entertaining videos, the content creator finds numerous opportunities to burst out of the YouTube bubble from which they were born and take a step into the Hollywood space.
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Examples of this include past YouTube stars Flula Borg and Colleen Ballinger. Starting by just uploading various forms of sketch comedy, Borg not only went on to play Javelin, a cannon fodder type of villain in Warner Bros.’ 2021 rendition of The Suicide Squad, but he will also have a supporting role in the upcoming Pitch Perfect series that is slated to be released on Peacock in November 2023. Rising to stardom with her Miranda Sings character, Mrs. Ballinger not only starred in the Broadway play, Waitress, but also voiced a character made from her own persona in the Disney animated movie Ralph Breaks The Internet.
Besides real-life personalities perfecting their acting chops on the platform, cartoonists have also found a home on the website to hone their craft and showcase their talents. Now, a man by the name of Robert James Rallison is making considerable headway with his own significant contributions to the cartoon industry with Oddballs.
Origins Of Oddballs
Netflix
Rallison started his career in June 2012 by creating small comic strips that involved marshmallow-shaped people for his Tumblr page. By incorporating that same vibrant imagery later on down the line for his YouTube career, Rallison ended up using this artistic and imaginative technique as a vehicle to bring forth not only his own various opinions about certain subjects but to visually depict captivating stories from his childhood.
Four years later and within a very short span of four months, Rallison’s YouTube channel, called TheOdd1sOut, exploded in growth, going from one hundred thousand subscribers to one million. Within three years of that same milestone, his animation-themed channel multiplied tenfold, reaching ten million subscribers.
Amassing that big of a core audience in such a small and impressive amount of time, it wasn’t surprising that Hollywood soon came knocking on his door. In June 2022, Rallison released a video on his channel stating that his animated characters would soon star in their own animated Netflix series titled Oddballs. The show would be an expansion of the adventures already presented on the streaming platform, and viewers would follow the characters of marshmallow-shaped James, his crocodile friend Max and time traveler Echo who warns both of them about a future where food is no longer fun.
From YouTube to Netflix
In each episode, James will somehow find himself comedically struggling with whatever he finds to be super annoying in his life, no matter if the displeasure stems from the questionable satisfaction that comes with being handed a participation trophy or just not being able to eat off the kid’s menu any longer because you’ve reached a concerning age. With his two friends by his side, he will not only try to find solutions to these problems but cause a little mayhem in the meanwhile.
Premiering on October 7th, 2022, Oddballs features a spectacular voice cast. Besides James Rallison bringing life to the main character of James (just as he did for his original videos), the crafty Julian Gant steps in as Max, and the charming Kimberly Brooks voices Echo. Gant starred in the hit 2021 television show Call Me Kat alongside Big Bang alum, Mayim Bialik and played JT in the NBC comedy-drama, Good Girls. Most prominently featured in numerous South Park features and having credits in many DC animated movies, Brooks has starred in over 60 voice acting roles and doesn’t seem to want to stop anytime soon.
Given the fact that the chaotic and colorful bite-sized episodes all lead to a very silly yet intriguing season one cliffhanger, both original fans of Rallison’s work on YouTube and casual Netflix viewers alike are wondering about the possibility of a second season of Oddballs.
Though nothing has been confirmed yet regarding a continuation as of yet, this would not only provide some much-needed clarity to the overarching storyline but, more importantly, give hope to all the other animators and cartoonists who are just starting out and want to be recognized by Hollywood one day for their skills and talents just as Rallison did.
Given the widespread positive reaction to the show thus far and seeing it as a hit among Netflix subscribers, let’s cross our fingers that the animated series will be given the green light soon enough for a second run on the streaming giant.
