Up for a spot of Afrofuturist animation? Then direct your attention to Iwájú, which is being touted as the first “original long-form animated series” produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. That kind of feels like they made up an award to give to themselves, but the series looks good nonetheless.
When is being Iwájú released in the UK?
Iwájú is now streaming in the UK exclusively on Disney+.
What is Iwájú about?
Written by Adeola and Halima Hudson and directed by Ziki Nelson, Iwájú is a co-production between Walt Disney Animation Studios and the Pan-African entertainment company Kugali Media. Set in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria (the title is a Yoruba language word that loosely translates to “the future”), the film follows the adventures of Tola, a young girl from Lagos’ wealthy end of town, and her best friend, Kole, a self-taught tech expert from the wrong side of the metaphorical tracks.
Not much else is known, except that the film purports to explore “deep themes of class, innocence, and challenging the status quo.” We do know that the show was originally conceived as a series of animated shorts, but evolved into its current form over the course of production.
The cast of Iwájú
Simisola Gbadamosi is Tola; Siji Soetan is Kole; and Dayo Okeniyi, Femi Branch, and Weruche Opia are in support.
Iwájú trailer
Why we’re excited about Iwájú
There’s been a lot of brain-bending sci-fi and other genre fare coming out over the last few years, so we’re keen to see what the family-friendly version looks like. The animation looks superb, and we’re keen to see what a super-science Lagos looks like too. To be fair, we have no idea what the story is, but everything we’ve seen so far makes this look like it’s worth checking out.
