Production on the highly anticipated comic series (as far as the continent of Africa is concerned), Iwájú, is full steam ahead, as work has been ongoing remotely from Nigeria, Uganda, London, Montreal and Burbank. This was made known on Wednesday during the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
From production company, Kugali, the series is set in a futuristic world of Lagos, Nigeria, and it will explore themes centred around class divide and inequality. It is worthy to note that this will be a first-of-its-kind collaboration Disney will have with a pan-African entertainment company.
Much of the plot details are still under wraps but according to writer/director and Kugali co-founder Ziki Nelson on the themes explored in the series, “it’s the everyday reality of life in Nigeria and other parts of the world, and the consequences they have on a society and challenging the status quo.”
Kugali came to the attention of Disney Animation’s Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee after she read a BBC story that profiled the production company and their intention to rival Disney. After initiating a conversation with the company, she was “blown away by their storytelling,” their themes, and their use of folklore. Initially, their idea was a series of shorts, but the one that had the best potential to scale into an epic series was eventually selected. According to her, “the collaboration is moving the studio toward the future. There’s so much more we can do in storytelling if we could diversity our storytellers. They have made us better storytellers.”
Describing the broader picture of what to expect from the story world, Kugali co-founder and cultural consultant Tolu Olowofoyeku explained that Lagos is the cultural capital of Nigeria separated by an island and mainland “and each area has a unique, distinct feel,” and this will serve as an interesting base for the story.
On more details of what to expect in the look and feel, production designer and Kugali co-founder Hamid Ibrahim said the series design includes a mainland made up of huge towers, reflecting overcrowding, while the more affluent island has a lot of space and room for creative expression.
With all talents involved in the production working remotely, Disney’s Visual Effects supervisor Marlon West (Frozen, Frozen II) mentioned that the team is not just from around the world but from “all parts of their careers.” Head of story Natalie Nourigat added that having a virtual story room with both Disney and Kugali talent was “a great way to introduce new people.”
Kugali was set up by Fikayo Adeola, Hamid Ibrahim and Tolu Olowofoyeku. The series is expected to launch on streaming service Disney+ in 2022.
