Movies & TV
Your First Look at Disney Plus & Kugali’s Animated Series “Iwájú” Set in a Futuristic Version of Lagos
In 2020, Disney Animation Studios announced a collaboration with Pan-African entertainment company Kugali and its founders Tolu Olowofoyeku, Ziki Nelson, and Hamid Ibrahim for a new animated series “Iwájú.”
Originally slated for 2022, fans were given a fresh new teaser photo for the 2023-debuting series at the D23 Expo 2022 presentation. The teaser photo for the series depicts a world filled with brilliant colours, flying cars, and adorably odd animals.
First look at 'IWÁJÚ,' a new series from Walt Disney Animation and Kugali.
It is described as a "love letter to Lagos and Nigeria." pic.twitter.com/r0RrPjmtW1
— Disney Animation Promos (@DisneyAPromos) September 10, 2022
The science fiction series (whose title closely translates to “The Future” in Yoruba) is set in Lagos, Nigeria, and explores serious issues of class, innocence, and challenging the status quo.
IWAJU will be the first collaboration between Walt Disney Animation Studios and Kugali. Original series coming to Disney+ in 2023. pic.twitter.com/27OQPmPFYf
— Scott Gustin 📍D23 Expo (@ScottGustin) September 10, 2022
“Iwájú,” which was written and directed by Kugali co-founder Ziki Nelson, tells the story of two kids, Tola and Kole, who grow up on opposite sides of a city where the rich and the poor are very different. Their friendship is put to the test by Bode, a tech pioneer whose futuristic innovations hide a criminal underworld he rules with an iron fist.
Iwaju the first partnership with Kugali studios coming in 2033 to Disney plus #D23 #d23expo #D23Expo2022 pic.twitter.com/nav5YEejh8
— Jeff Gordon (@jeffgordonla) September 10, 2022
The creative team behind #Iwaju preview their new Disney+ series, which they describe as a “love letter to Lagos, Nigeria” pic.twitter.com/Q49GdBo9Ql
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) September 10, 2022
The series is currently in animation production and is set to premiere exclusively on Disney+ sometime in 2023.
