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Iwájú

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Iwájú
Genre
Screenplay by
  • Olufikayo Adeola
  • Halima Hudson
Story by
  • Olufikayo Adeola
  • Hamid Ibrahim
  • Toluwalakin Olowofoyeku
Directed byOlufikayo Adeola
Starring
ComposerRé Olunuga
Country of origin
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Nigeria
Original languages
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes6
Production
Executive producers
ProducerChristina Chen
Production companies
Original release
NetworkDisney+
ReleaseFebruary 28, 2024 (2024-02-28)

Iwájú (pronounced [ī.wá.d͡ʒú][1]) is an animated miniseries produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and the Pan-African British-based entertainment company Kugali Media for the streaming service Disney+. It was written by Olufikayo Adeola and Halima Hudson and directed by Adeola, and is the first "original long-form animated series" produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. The title of the series, iwájú, roughly translates to "the future" in the Yoruba language (literally "front-facing").

The series stars Simisola Gbadamosi, Dayo Okeniyi, Femi Branch, Siji Soetan, and Weruche Opia. Originally planning a series of shorts, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Kugali Media were developing the long-form series for Disney+ by December 2020. The story draws inspiration from (and is set in) the city of Lagos, Nigeria, due to Lagos being "the culture capital of Nigeria", and due to both its mainland and island areas having "a unique, distinct feel" that the creative team felt provided "an interesting base for the story". Cinesite was announced to co-produce the series in September 2021, with pre-production already underway at Cinesite Montreal. Production began in May 2022. Animation is provided by Cinesite's Montreal and London facilities, with pre-production and storyboard supervision at Disney's Burbank and Vancouver studios. The series includes original score composed by Ré Olunuga.

Iwájú premiered on Disney+ on February 28, 2024, and consisted of six episodes.

Synopsis

Set in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria, the series explores "deep themes of class, innocence, and challenging the status quo",[2][3][4][5] as it follows wealthy island inhabitant Tola and mainland inhabitant Kole as they discover the dangers in both lands.[6]

Voice cast

Episodes

No.TitleAnimation headStory artist(s)Original release date
1"Iwájú"UnknownTBAFebruary 28, 2024 (2024-02-28)
2"Bode"UnknownTBAFebruary 28, 2024 (2024-02-28)
3"Kole"UnknownTBAFebruary 28, 2024 (2024-02-28)
4"Tunde"UnknownTBAFebruary 28, 2024 (2024-02-28)
5"Otin"UnknownTBAFebruary 28, 2024 (2024-02-28)
6"Tola"UnknownTBAFebruary 28, 2024 (2024-02-28)

Production

Development

Walt Disney Animation Studios chief creative officer Jennifer Lee read an article on BBC about Kugali Media, a British-based company founded by African artists, saying that they wanted to "kick Disney's arse".[8][9] Intrigued by the company's desire to create and tell African stories, she approached them to develop together an original long-form science fiction animated project for The Walt Disney Company's streaming service, Disney+.[10] The producers originally planned to create a series of shorts, but "each idea was an epic feature", so they chose to create a series instead.[11]

On December 10, 2020, Lee announced that Walt Disney Animation Studios and Kugali Media would be co-producing a new original animated series for Disney+, titled Iwájú.[2] It is Walt Disney Animation Studios' first original animated series, as most of Disney's television projects—original or based on pre-existing IP—are produced by Disney Television Animation.[2] She described the collaboration between both companies as a "first of its kind collaboration".[2][12][13][14] The show is directed by Olufikayo Adeola.[6] The title of the series, iwájú, roughly translates to "the future" in the Yoruba language (literally "front-facing").[15][16][17]

In February 2021, the Kugali Media team said that the series is not like World of Wakanda, with Kugali Media CEO Ziki Nelson saying they "took a real African city" (Lagos, Nigeria) and found ways to adapt it using their imagination, with Hamid Ibrahim, the creative director, clarifying that Disney Animation let them "be ourselves and...be true to ourselves," working with Disney with "a certain amount of autonomy and creative freedom". SYFY said this could "open the doors for other post-pandemic collaborations around the world".[18] Toluwalakin "Tolu" Olowofoyeku, chief technology officer of Kugali, is a creative consultant and consulting producer on the show, and Nelson wrote the story.[18] In June 2021, Nelson, as he was signed to a talent management company, added that "storytelling through art and animation" has been his dream.[19]

At the 2021 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Olowofoyeku said that the story was inspired by the city of Lagos, Nigeria, due to Lagos being "the culture capital of Nigeria", and due to both its mainland and island areas having "a unique, distinct feel" that the creative team felt provided "an interesting base for the story".[11] Nelson said that the series would be an "opportunity to give people a more holistic view of Nigeria" though it's a "strange but wonderful city".[11] Producers worked with several nations for the series, with visual effects director Marlon West saying that members of the team were hired from several departments, while head of story Natalie Nourigat described having a "virtual story room" composed of both Kugali and Disney employees as "a great way to introduce new people".[11]

Lee and Byron Howard served as executive producers, while Christina Chen produced.[20] The series consisted of 6 episodes.[21][22]

Writing

The series was written by Adeola and Halima Hudson.[6] Adeola and the Kugali team first conceived the overrall story, character arcs, and episodes, with the team being given complete creative freedom by Disney, allowing them to incorporate darker subject matters into the story.[23][6] Hudson, a writer for Disney Animation, was later brought to work on the script in order to add humor and keep focus on the story and arcs.[6] Regarding the series' potrayal of Lagos, the writers decided to make authentic to real life, albeit slightly exaggerated and adding futurustic elements to the city; production designer Hamid Ibrahim said they wanted to focus on Lagos' day-to-day life.[24]

Animation

Animation was handled in Cinesite's Montreal and London facilities,[25][20][6] while pre-production and storyboarding took place at Disney Animation's Burbank and Vancouver studios.[26] Hamid Ibrahim, the creative director of Kugali, is the production designer for the show.[18] Ibrahim said that the show's animation style would differ from previous Disney productions, with Nelson saying that it would instead be inspired by African, Eastern, and Western animation styles, and visual effects director Marlon West adding that it would still have the same quality as other Disney projects.[27] Ibrahim also said that the towers composing the mainland, which is the series' main setting, are meant to represent overcrowding, while the island area contains a bigger "space and room for creative expression".[11] He added that technology is a crucial aspect of the setting, with the series featuring several advanced technologies, such as augmented reality glasses substituting smartphones and spherical flying cars.[11]

Music

Ré Olunuga had recorded the score for the series by January 2024.[28] The soundtrack, which includes authentic African-influenced music, will be released on March 1, 2024, two days after the series premiere.[29]

Themes

Iwájú explores themes of inequality and class divide, which director and Kugali co-founder Ziki Nelson described as "the everyday reality of life in Nigeria and other parts of the world". It also explores how those issues affect everyday society, as well as "challenging the status quo".[11] Nelson also described the show as about "inspiration, or aspiration and desire, to try and engineer society for living in a more positive way".[30] Ibrahim also argued that the series represents a "personal childhood dream of mine to tell my story and that of my people".[17]

Release

Iwájú was originally set to debut in 2022, exclusively on Disney's streaming service, Disney+.[2][31][32][33] The series was later delayed to 2023,[27][34] before ultimately being delayed to February 28, 2024.[7]

Marketing

Concept art for the series was shown at the 2021 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where the crew discussed the series.[27] The series was described by Ibrahim as a "Kugali-Disney mash-up," a collaboration between both companies, to which Jennifer Lee, the chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios, agreed, while Olowofoyeku said the show had a "very unique set-up for storytelling already built into the DNA of the real-life Lagos". Additionally, Nelson said the show's creative team built "a futuristic world rooted in the contemporary setting".[30] In December 2021, at the Investors Day for Disney, details about the show's characters and plot were revealed.[27]

A behind-the-scenes documentary series was developed at ABC News Studios, a division of ABC News.[35] The documentary, titled Iwájú: A Day Ahead, was directed by Megan Harding with Amy Astley and Beth Hoppe executive producing, and released alongside the series on February 28, 2024.[7] A mobile game, titled Disney Iwájú: Rising Chef and developed by Maliyo Games alongside Disney Games and Kugali, also released on February 28, 2024, on Android and iOS.[36]

Reception

Pre-release

LuxeKurves Magazine praised the series for featuring "black African characters written and created by an African team," describing it as Afrofuturist.[37] BBC News noted that the series will be the first time that Disney "will work with African storytellers to create an animated series set on the continent," implying the series is Afrofuturist.[38] Business Insider said that the series is "set in a Wakanda-like world",[16] while IOL called the series "steeped in science fiction".[39] Native Magazine said the series will "highlight poignant West African stories told through animation and comic-book format," saying it is very important at a time with continued police brutality and government corruption in Nigeria, and will "further cement the talent of African creatives on a global scale," with a story told through "African lenses".[40] Tor.com described the series as Africanfuturist and said that by partnering with Disney, Kugali Media can "reach an ever broader audience, bringing their message around the globe".[41]

References

  1. ^ "Yorùbá Phonology". African Studies Institute, University of Georgia.
  2. ^ a b c d e White, Peter (December 10, 2020). "Disney+ Preps African Comic Book Series Iwájú In Partnership With Kugali". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  3. ^ Gillespie, Daniel (December 11, 2020). "Disney Announces Iwájú, Sci-fi Show Set In Wakanda-Like World". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on December 24, 2020.
  4. ^ Pulliam-Moore, Charles (December 11, 2020). "Disney and Pixar's New Animation Announcements Were Wild". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021.
  5. ^ Inman, DeMicia (December 11, 2020). "Disney+ sets 'Tiana' and 'Iwaju' animated series". The Grio. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Brandfolder. "IWÁJÚ | The Walt Disney Studios Media Kits Official Digital Assets | Media Manager". brandfolder.com. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Milligan, Mercedes (January 22, 2024). "Disney & Kugali Launch Pioneering Event Series 'Iwájú' Feb. 28". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  8. ^ "The African comic hoping to take on Disney". BBC News. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "Pan-African comic book hoping to 'kick Disney's arse'". YouTube. Archived from the original on January 29, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  10. ^ "'Iwájú': Disney's Upcoming Pan-African Series That No One's Talking About". Rotoscopers. December 24, 2020. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g Giardina, Carolyn (June 16, 2021). "Annecy: Disney, Africa's Kugali Reveal a Futuristic Lagos in 'Iwaju'". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 16, 2021. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  12. ^ Salaudeen, Aisha. "Disney announces 'first-of-its-kind' collaboration with African entertainment company". CNN. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
  13. ^ Ito, Robert (February 7, 2021). "Beyond 'Black Panther': Afrofuturism Is Booming in Comics". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 7, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  14. ^ Perry, Spencer (December 11, 2020). "Disney Announces Afro-Futurist Series Iwaju for Disney+". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  15. ^ Ogunwale, Abiodun (January 2005). "Problems of Lexical Decomposition: The Case of Yoruba Complex Verbs". ResearchGate.
  16. ^ a b Oluwole, Victor (December 11, 2020). "Disney teams up with pan-African company to release sci-fi series set in Lagos, Iwaju". Business Insider. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  17. ^ a b Liu, Narayan (December 12, 2020). "Disney, African Company Kugali Announce Sci-Fi Series Iwájú". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on April 18, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c Horne, Karama (February 27, 2021). "Indie comics Spotlight: How African comic creators Kugali called out Disney and won a collaboration". SYFY. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  19. ^ Grobar, Matt (June 8, 2021). "'Iwájú' Creator Ziki Nelson Inks With David Neumann's Newmation For Management". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 9, 2021. Retrieved June 9, 2021.
  20. ^ a b Milligan, Mercedes (September 7, 2021). "Disney Taps Cinesite to Deliver CGI for 'Iwájú'". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  21. ^ "Brownstein: Montreal animation studio dancing on Netflix". The Province. January 27, 2022. Archived from the original on February 10, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  22. ^ Bonomolo, Cameron (December 12, 2020). "Tiana, Moana, and More: All Walt Disney Animation Studios Series Synopses". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  23. ^ "INTERVIEW: "IWÁJÚ" Makers On New Disney And Kugali Series – Animation Scoop". www.animationscoop.com. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  24. ^ King, Jade (February 27, 2024). "Iwaju Interview: How Disney Is Depicting A Grounded Animated Future For Lagos". TheGamer. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  25. ^ "Walt Disney Animation Taps Cinesite for 'Iwájú' 3DCG Work". Animation World Network. September 9, 2021. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021.
  26. ^ "You are being redirected..." www.animationmagazine.net. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  27. ^ a b c d Baron, Reuben (June 16, 2021). "Iwájú Won't Be 'Disney-Style' But Promises 'Disney Quality' Animation". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 17, 2021.
  28. ^ "Ré Olunuga Scoring Disney+'s 'Iwájú' | Film Music Reporter". Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  29. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (February 14, 2023). "Iwájú, Disney's First Animation Collaboration With an Outside Studio in 100 Years, Reveals First Trailer". IGN. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  30. ^ a b Vourlias, Christopher (June 17, 2021). "Disney, Africa's Kugali Reveal First Look at Sci-Fi Series 'Iwaju'". Variety. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  31. ^ Maas, Jennifer (December 10, 2020). "Disney+ Orders 'Moana,' 'Tiana,' 'Zootopia' and 'Baymax' Animated TV Series". The Wrap. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  32. ^ Nwogu, Precious 'Mamazeus' (December 11, 2020). "African animation set in Lagos, 'Iwájú' gears up for Disney+ release in 2022". Pulse Nigeria. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020.
  33. ^ Valverde, Hector (December 12, 2020). "Disney Animation: Every New Project Announced at Investors Day". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on December 14, 2020.
  34. ^ "Disney and Africa's Kugali to unleash a futuristic Lagos in the upcoming series 'Iwaju'". AnimationXpress. June 17, 2021. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  35. ^ Weprin, Alex (July 16, 2022). "ABC News Launches Studio to Expand Documentary Efforts". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  36. ^ "Trailer And Key Art Now Available For Disney Animation/Kugali New Series "Iwájú"— All Six Episodes Stream On Disney+ Beginning Feb. 28". Disney Plus Press. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  37. ^ Powell, Jr., Hunter (January 4, 2021). "Iwájú om Disney+". LuxeKurves Magazine. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  38. ^ "Disney announces landmark African collaboration with Kugali". BBC News. December 11, 2020. Archived from the original on January 14, 2021.
  39. ^ Makiunde, Tami (December 11, 2020). "Disney teams up with Pan-African directors to create 'Iwájú'". IOL. Archived from the original on March 1, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  40. ^ Makiunde, Tami (December 11, 2020). "Disney Plus is set to launch sci-fi series set in Lagos, Iwaju". The Native Magazine. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021.
  41. ^ Liptak, Andrew (December 11, 2020). "Disney Announces Animated Africanfuturism Sci-Fi Series Iwájú". Tor.com. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021.
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