Iwájú () is ájúan upcoming computer-animated television series produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and the Pan-African British-based entertainment company Kugali Media for the streaming service Disney+. It is created and directed by Ziki Nelson. The series is the first "original long-form animated series" produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios in its history. The title of the series, iwájú, roughly translates to "the future" in the Yoruba language (literally "front-facing").
Originally a series of shorts, Walt Disney Animation Studios and Kugali Media were developing the long-form series for Disney+ by December 2020, with Nelson on board. 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 both Cinesite's Montreal and London facilities and Disney Animation's Vancouver studio, with pre-production and storyboard supervision at Disney's Burbank studio.
Iwájú is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in 2023.
Synopsis
Set in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria, the series will explore "deep themes of class, innocence and challenging the status quo".
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". 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+. 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.
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. It is Walt Disney Animation Studios' first original animated series, as most of Disney's television projectsoriginal or based on pre-existing IPare produced by Disney Television Animation. She described the collaboration between both companies as a "first of its kind collaboration". The show is created and directed by Ziki Nelson. The title of the series, iwájú, roughly translates to "the future" in the Yoruba language (literally "front-facing").
In February 2021, the Kugali Media team said that Iwájú 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". Toluwalakin "Tolu" Olowofoyeko, Chief Technology Officer of Kugali, is a creative consultant and consulting producer on the show, and Ziki Nelson, CEO of Kugali, wrote the story. In June 2021, Nelson, as he was signed to a talent management company, added that "storytelling through art and animation" has been his dream.
At the 2021 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Olowofoyeko 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". 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". 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".
On September 7, 2021, it was reported that Cinesite will also co-produce the series, with pre-production already underway at Cinesite Montreal. It was also reported that Christina Chen and Joel MacDonald will produce the series.
In May 2022, EWN described the series as "in production" along with Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire.
