The story of Long Gone Gulch began in 2010, but the world didn’t learn about the project until 2016, when Tara Billinger and Zach Bellissimo launched a Kickstarter campaign. Tara is known for her work in Disney shorts, and Zach is a storyboard artist on shows like Rick & Morty and Victor & Valentino. They developed a story promising a bold, quirky world: a Gulch where Western tropes collide with myths and legends, but without the dusty, brown boredom of traditional cowboy tales. Their goal was to fund a pilot episode that would run approximately 8–11 minutes long. It was fully backed within days of the campaign launch.
Once the funds for Long Gone Gulch were secured, the real work began. The two began developing the pilot in their free time, during weekends and nights. They did nearly everything themselves: character design, animation in Adobe Flash and Animate, background art, compositing in After Effects, editing in Premiere, and even sound syncing.
Visual Style and Music
By the summer of 2016, they released a short teaser that helped define the tone and visual identity of the Gulch. Two years later, in November 2018, a full trailer dropped, featuring a gritty surf-rock track by Dominic “Dom” Cripp. Their sound is a genre-blending desert madness that perfectly matches the kooky story Tara and Zack were trying to tell.
The pandemic delayed progress, but by December 2020, they announced the pilot was almost ready. On January 11, 2021, the full 21-minute episode premiered on YouTube.
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From Idea to Premiere: The Creative Process
Tara and Zach wore many hats. They were showrunners, directors, writers, art directors, storyboarders, and editors — a true indie duo. They brought in freelance help for some backgrounds (shoutout to Brian Velez and Luis Phipps) and technical direction. Voice actors included animation legends like Elizabeth Daily (Rawhide), Danny Cooksey (Snag), Amber Midthunder (BW), and Eric Bauza (Mako), bringing extra polish to the final product.
Reception and Critical Response
The pilot took off right away, it was a hit from the start. People couldn’t get enough of the bold, energetic animation and that totally unique visual style. Sites like Cartoon Brew, Animation for Adults, and Panther Tales were all over it, calling it “a real treat for animation fans.” They especially loved the expressive characters, the way it mashed up genres in such a wild, fun way, and the humor that just stuck with you.
Why It Works
Long Gone Gulch is a triumph of independent spirit. With no studio constraints, a small but driven team, and full creative control, Tara and Zach made something personal, stylized, and passionate. Platforms like Kickstarter and YouTube made this possible, and audiences responded.
It also stands out for its handcrafted, frame-by-frame animation, vivid art direction, and punchy soundscape. You don’t often see this much creative risk in studio projects.
And then there’s the voice cast, which is filled with quirky, talented characters, lending the whole thing emotional weight and personality beyond the script.
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What’s Next?
Even though the Long Gone Gulch pilot dropped back in January 2021 and made a big splash with fans and critics, the series hasn’t moved forward since. The creators, ran into a mix of roadblocks, from limited resources to the sheer challenge of keeping up with such a demanding production schedule with just a two person team.
Now, in 2025, Long Gone Gulch still stands as a single episode. It was a hit, no doubt, but it never grew into the full series so many hoped for. It’s a real example of how tough indie animation can be, no matter how much talent or excitement is behind a project, scaling up and finding the right support is incredibly hard.
Still, that one episode left its mark. It’s become a kind of cult classic among indie animators, a reminder that with passion, creativity, and a whole lot of grit, even a tiny team can make something unforgettable.
If you’re interested in learning more about how indie studios go from student films to industry success, be sure to check out our in-depth look: How the Young Team at Sun Creature Studio Conquered the Animation World with Tales of Alethrion.
A similar behind-the-scenes process can be observed in another project, where a team collaborated on a fan tribute to EPIC: The Musical. If you’re curious about what it really takes to create a short animated film driven by pure passion, make sure to check out the stream. We created EPIC: The Musical Animated Tribute. But What Did it take to make?. It’s an honest and insightful look at how much effort and talent even a «small» project demands.
