Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes

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Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes
GenreComedy
Superhero
Martial Arts
Created by
  • Kelly Dillon
  • Marc Dey
  • Robert Vargas
Directed by
  • Pierre-Alain Chartier
  • Cédric Chauveau
Voices of
  • Dineo du Toit
  • Ian Ho
  • Fontina Fourtounes
Composers
  • Thibault Kientz Agyeman
  • James "BKS" Edjouma
Country of origin
  • South Africa
  • Canada
  • France
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes26
Production
Executive producers
  • Marc Dey
  • Kelly Dillon
  • Olivier Dumont
  • Anthony Silverston
Running time24 minutes (2 12-minute segments)
Production companies
Original release
NetworkDisney Junior
ReleaseMarch 22, 2023 (2023-03-22) –
present

Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes is an animated television series created by Kelly Dillon, Marc Dey and Robert Vargas, and premiered on Disney Junior on March 22, 2023.[1] The series is co-produced by Triggerfish Animation Studios, Frog Box Productions, Entertainment One and TeamTO, with the participation of France Télévisions and Disney Junior.

Premise[edit]

The series is set in a fictional African city called Kimoja City, and centers on three best friends named Kiya, Jay, and Motsie. Whenever there is a problem in town, the trio heads to their headquarters called Crystal Eyes where they transform into superheroes. The friends can also transform outside of Crystal Eyes by putting on their bandanas.

Characters[edit]

Main[edit]

  • Kiya (voiced by Dineo du Toit) is the leader of the Kimoja Heroes. Her gadget is a baton that creates energy rings that can hold things they surround. She is seven years old.
  • Jay (voiced by Ian Ho) is Motsie's older brother and one of Kiya's friends and fellow superheroes. His gadget is a guitar that creates energy blocks that can be used as barriers.
  • Motsie (voiced by Fontina Fourtounes) is Jay's younger sister and one of Kiya's friends and fellow superheroes. Her interests are roller skating and building high-tech tools. Her gadget is a zip tool that is used to grab and swing on things. She is also equipped with special nets for trapping things.

Recurring[edit]

  • Daddy Jo (voiced by Bonko Khoza) is Kiya's widowed father and the owner of a food truck.
  • Bra Jabu is the owner of a produce stand.
  • MC Harmony is the events coordinator of Kimoja City.
  • Aunty Busi is a woman who is conscious about her hair.
  • Gogo Flo is Kiya's maternal grandmother.
  • Shandu is Jay and Motsie's mother who works as a hairstylist.
  • Marianne is Jay and Motsie's other mother who works as a safari park worker.

Villains[edit]

  • Zane/Acrobrat is a young Kimojian who turns into Acrobrat when he doesn't get his way. As Acrobrat, he is athletic as his alter-ego suggests, and can roll into a ball to travel faster.
  • Haddy Collider (voiced by Maja Vujicic) is a mechanical supervillain who creates gadgets to stop the Kimoja Heroes.
  • Galactoslug (voiced by Cory Doran) is Haddy's sidekick and pet slug.
  • Primadonna (voiced by Tumelo Mosese) is a supervillain with telekinesis that wreaks havoc when something goes wrong.

Episodes[edit]

No.Title [2][3]Written byOriginal air date [2][3]Prod.
code [2][4]
U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Kiya and the Kite Monster"Robert VargasMarch 22, 2023 (2023-03-22)1010.16[5]
"Cosmic Catastrophe"Christian De Vita
2"Zero to Hero"Tshepo Moche & Raffaella Delle DoneMarch 23, 2023 (2023-03-23)[a]102N/A
"Take a Step Back"Eric Noto
3"Kiya's Potluck"Khadidiatou DioufMarch 24, 2023 (2023-03-24)[a]1030.14[6]
"Musical Mash-Up"Léa Lespagnol
4"Going Solo in a Snowglobe"Christian De VitaMarch 31, 2023 (2023-03-31)[b]104N/A
"Revolting Robots"Anaïs Lebeau & Roman Van Liemt
5"A Little Birdy Told Me"Justine CheynetApril 7, 2023 (2023-04-07)105N/A
"The Night of 1000 Lights"Anaïs Lebeau
6"Fight or Flight"Tshepo Moche & Raffaella Delle DoneApril 14, 2023 (2023-04-14)1060.16[7]
"Clash of the Kora"Franck Yaya
7"Kiya and the Boombastic"Marc DeyApril 21, 2023 (2023-04-21)107N/A
"Acroboo!"Khadidiatou Diouf
8"Smelly Business"Khadidiatou DioufMay 12, 2023 (2023-05-12)108N/A
"Kiya's Monster Movie Night"Robert Vargas
9"King of Pranks"Christian De VitaMay 26, 2023 (2023-05-26)1090.12[8]
"Bugging Out"
10"Ready Set Freeze"Léa LespagnolJune 2, 2023 (2023-06-02)110N/A
"Honey Camp"Khadidiatou Diouf
11"Jay and the Super Fans"Baptiste RenardJune 23, 2023 (2023-06-23)1110.12[9]
"We Heart Art"Pierre-Gilles Stehr
12"Primadonna's Detective Agency"Jessica Kedward and Kirsty PeartJuly 7, 2023 (2023-07-07)112N/A
"Day of the Slugs"Simon Raynaud
13"Galactoslug Gets His Groove"Jessica Kedward and Kirsty PeartJuly 21, 2023 (2023-07-21)113N/A
14"The Primadonna Puzzle"Kelly DillonAugust 4, 2023 (2023-08-04)1140.13[4]
"Fear of Mission Out"Khadidiatou Diouf
15"Stealing the Spotlight"Fernando Worcel and Nicolas SedelAugust 25, 2023 (2023-08-25)1150.14[4]
"Duel of the Inventors"Christian De Vita
16"Primadonna's Bodyguards"Jean De LoriolSeptember 1, 2023 (2023-09-01)1170.13[4]
"The Squish Bouncer Bandit"Marc Dey and Raffaella Delle Done
17"Double Trouble!"Fernando Worcel and Nicolas SedelSeptember 8, 2023 (2023-09-08)1180.11[4]
"Size Me Up"Alain Vallejo
18"It Takes a Kimoja Village"Anaïs LebeauOctober 20, 2023 (2023-10-20)1190.13[4]
"Motsie's Space Race"Fernando Worcel and Nicolas Sedel
19"Who's Got Talent"Fernando Worcel and Nicolas SedelNovember 24, 2023 (2023-11-24)1160.09[4]
"Snow in Kimoja"Franck Yaya
20"Kimoja Go!"Jean De Loriol and Christian De VitaDecember 15, 2023 (2023-12-15)1200.10[4]
21"Chikobrat"Christian De VitaJanuary 5, 2024 (2024-01-05)1210.12[4]
"Jay and the Invisibility Ray"Jessica Kedward and Kirsty Peart
22"Kimoja Friendship Sleepover"Simon RaynaudJanuary 12, 2024 (2024-01-12)[c]122N/A
"Rise of the Blob"Charles-Henri Moarbes
23"The Chair of Honour"Anaïs LebeauJanuary 19, 2024 (2024-01-19)[c]1230.13[4]
"Acrobrat's Fun House"Baptiste Renard
24"Motsie and the Baby Bush Babies"Léa LespagnolJanuary 26, 2024 (2024-01-26)[c]1240.09[4]
"UniWolf"Fernando Worcel and Nicolas Sedel
25"Daddy Jo's Dance Down"Jessica Kedward and Kirsty PeartFebruary 2, 2024 (2024-02-02)[c]125N/A
"The Groovier Mover"Cédric Chauveau
26"Kimoja Crystal New Year"Christian De VitaFebruary 9, 2024 (2024-02-09)[c]126N/A

Production[edit]

On February 25, 2021, it was announced that Entertainment One had greenlit Kiya, a series about a young superhero and her two best friends, set to launch in multiple markets globally in 2023. Kiya's world features a diverse cast of characters inspired by the varied landscape, natural beauty and culture of Southern Africa. The series is based on an original concept from South African-based production company Triggerfish and developed for television by Frogbox and eOne.[11]

On June 17, 2021, it was announced that Disney Junior and Disney+ had picked up both broadcasting and streaming rights for the series, now titled Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes.[1]

Broadcast[edit]

Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes premiered on Disney Junior on March 22, 2023, with the first three episodes being released on Disney+ earlier that day.[12]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b This episode was first released on Disney+ on March 22, 2023.
  2. ^ This episode was first released on DisneyNow on March 22, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e This episode was first released on Disney+ on January 10, 2024.[10]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Tartaglione, Nancy (June 17, 2021). "Disney+ Sets Animated Sci-Fi Anthology 'Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire', Picks Up 'Kiya And The Kimoja Heroes' – Annecy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes Episode Listings". The Futon Critic.
  3. ^ a b "Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes Episode Guide". Zap2it.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes". USTVDB. 26 January 2024.
  5. ^ Mitch Metcalf (March 23, 2023). "Wednesday 3.22.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  6. ^ Mitch Metcalf (March 27, 2023). "Friday 3.24.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  7. ^ Mitch Metcalf (April 17, 2023). "Friday 4.14.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  8. ^ Mitch Metcalf (May 30, 2023). "Friday 5.26.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  9. ^ Mitch Salem (June 26, 2023). "Friday 6.23.2023 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  10. ^ "Next on Disney+: January 2024". Disney Plus Press (Press release). December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  11. ^ "ENTERTAINMENT ONE GREENLIGHTS NEW PRESCHOOL SERIES KIYA ABOUT A NEW SUPERHERO WHO SAVES THE DAY WITH MARTIAL ARTS AND DANCE" (PDF). Entertainment One (Press release). February 25, 2021. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  12. ^ "Video: eOne Announces Premiere Date for New Animated Series "Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes" With Release of First-Look Trailer & Images" (Press release). Hasbro. March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023 – via The Futon Critic.

External links[edit]