While Disney spent a good chunk of time revealing its slate of Marvel and Star Wars projects on Investor Day, it also showed off some other original projects, including one called Iwájú, an animated African science fiction series that’s set to debut in 2022 on Disney+.
The show is coming alongside a handful of animated shows to some existing Disney properties: Baymax!, Zootopia+, Tiana, and Moana, and Disney calls it a “first-of-its-kind collaboration” between it and African studio Kugali.
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. pic.twitter.com/x46dreKcu0
— Disney (@Disney) December 11, 2020
Details are scant on what the series will be about, but according to Deadline, the show will be set in Lagos, and will feature “deep themes of class, innocence and challenging the status quo”.
The series came about when Disney officials came across a 2019 BBC feature about the studio: “Pan-African comic book hoping to ‘kick Disney’s arse’.”
The video featured Kugali Media co-founder Ziki Nelson and others who outlined the efforts made by African artists to create futures that included people from the Pan-African diaspora. The comic in question was a collection that worked to showcase the diversity that exists on the continent, and bring their stories to the forefront. Ultimately, they raised £25,000 from all over the world for the comic.
By partnering with Disney, the studio will be able to reach an ever broader audience, bringing their message around the globe.
