Disney’s most recent animated series, Iwájú, follows the story of young Tola (voiced by Simisola Gbadamosi) who is presented as a charming Nigerian heiress whose endless curiosity sends her on an exciting journey through a futuristic Lagos.
Iwájú looks like typical Disney fare at first glance, with colorful animation, classic good versus evil themes, and features a cute animal sidekick.
The series is unique because of the first-ever partnership between Walt Disney Animation Studios and Kugali Media, a young pan-African entertainment company.
Kugali’s trash-talking of the media giant on international television made the limited series even more amazing because it would never have happened otherwise.
To finance the graphic novel anthology, Kugali, which featured works by African creators from across the continent spearheaded a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2019.
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Because of the success of the resulting book, the Kugali co-founders, Hamid Ibrahim, the creative director, Olufikayo “Ziki” Adeola, and CTO Toluwalakin “Tolu” Olowofoyeku, were interviewed by the BBC.
Upon being asked if the group intended to overtake Disney, Ibrahim said, “We’ll kick Disney’s ass in Africa.”
Iwájú unfolds in a sci-fi future vision of Lagos, Nigeria. It centers on intriguing 10-year-old Tola from wealthy Lagos Island and her best friend, self-taught tech wizard Kole (Siji Soetan), who lives on the mainland and is resourceful.
Along for the journey is Tola’s pet lizard, Otin (Weruche Opia), a protection bot prototype designed by Tola’s father Tunde (Dayo Okeniyi). The coming-of-age series will be available for streaming globally starting on February 28.
Disney: Iwájú Rising Chef, a mobile game, will launch on both iOS and Android platforms as well.
The cast of Iwájú includes the talented Nigerian vocalist Simisola Gbadamosi, who plays Tola, a young girl from a wealthy island, and Siji Soetan, who plays her best friend Kole, a self-taught tech expert. In collaboration with voice actors Weruche Opia, Dayo Okeniyi, and Femi Branch, the two explore the perilous tapestry of a corrupt and greed-filled neo-futuristic Lagos.
Jennifer Lee, the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, was the executive who contacted Hamid Ibrahim on LinkedIn.
The studio was eager to hear about new cultural viewpoints. Disney also seemed open to a concept centered around a young African girl, as evidenced by the greenlighting of the Pan-African sci-fi animated anthology series Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire.