Iwájú, a sci-fi animation production between Disney and Kugali Media, a Nigerian animation company that showcases the best of African aesthetics and stories will make its debut on Disney+ in 2022.
Confirming the partnership, Disney said in a tweet: In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, @DisneyAnimation and Pan-African entertainment company Kugali will team up to create an all-new, science fiction series coming to @DisneyPlus in 2022: Iwájú. Check out a first look at visual development art from the series.
Set in Lagos, Nigeria, the sci-fi series will explore major themes of class, innocence, and challenging norms and according to the director, Ziki Nelson, it will “combine Disney’s magic and animation expertise with Kugali’s fire and storytelling authenticity. Iwájú represents a personal childhood dream of mine to tell my story and that of my people.”
While confirming that the long-form series will debut on Disney+ in 2022, the Animation Studios’ chief creative officer, Jennifer Lee revealed that they found Kugali comics from a BBC article highlighting the comic artists.
“Here were three talented comic book artists. Their dream was to bring African stories created by an African artist to the world, highlighting the diversity of cultures, histories, and voices across the continent”, Lee shared.
“Their talents as storytellers blew us away. I’m proud to announce the first of its kind collaboration to bring original long for series to Disney+.”
