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For the first time in Disney’s 100-year history, the company is collaborating with an outside studio to create an original animated show. The show, Iwaju, arrives on February 28 and a new trailer for it has landed.
Disney Animation is producing the show in collaboration with Kugali Media. The series is set in futuristic Lagos, Nigeria and tells a coming-of-age story of Tola, a little girl, and her friend Kole. Together, Tola and Kole will “discover the secrets and dangers hidden in their different worlds.” The trailer shows off the program’s striking visuals and intriguing concept.
Iwaju is directed by Olufikayo Ziki Adeola, with Hamid Ibrahim serving as production designer and Toluwalakin Olowofoyeku as cultural consultant. Disney Animation’s Christina Chen produces the series, which is written by Adeola and Halima Hudson.
The show is voiced by Simisola Gbadamosi, Dayo Okeniyi, Femi Branch, Siji Soetan, and Weruche Opia.
Iwaju came about after Disney executive producer Jennifer Lee (Frozen series) saw a BBC story about artists from a pan-African company that was looking to “kick Disney’s arse.” Lee told Deadline that she was “intrigued” by this and got a dialogue going to establish a relationship that would culminate in Iwaju coming to screens this month.
“Their dream was to bring African stories created by African artists to the world, highlighting the diversity of cultures, histories, and voices across the continent. Their talents as storytellers blew us away,” Lee said.
All six episodes of Iwaju will arrive on Disney+ on February 28. There is also a tie-in game, Disney Iwaju: Rising Chef, coming to iOS and Android devices the same day. This is a cooking game that lets players cook food that celebrates the cuisine of Nigeria. The game was developer by Maliyo Games.
