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Walt Disney Animation Studios and African entertainment company Kugali revealed new details about a futuristic world of Lagos, Nigeria, that they are creating for their upcoming Disney+ original animated series Iwaju, Wednesday during the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Series themes include class divide and inequality. “That’s the everyday reality of life in Nigeria and other parts of the world, and [themes include] the consequences they have on a society and challenging the status quo,” writer-director and Kugali co-founder Ziki Nelson related, though the filmmakers kept the story details under wraps.
The Kugali team came to the attention of Disney Animation’s chief creative officer Jennifer Lee when she read a BBC story, reporting that Kugali aimed to pose a challenge to Disney. Curious, she reached out to the studio and the dialog progressed.
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Noting that this collaboration reflects her aim to “tell stories of the people of the world by the people of the world,” Lee related that she was “blown away by their storytelling” and their themes and use of folklore. “Initially the idea was a series of shorts, but each idea was an epic feature, so we picked the one that we felt could translate into a series the best.”
Of the world of Iwaju, Kugali co-founder and cultural consultant Tolu Olowofoyeku noted that Lagos is the culture capital of Nigeria separated by an island and mainland “and each area has a unique, distinct feel,” providing an interesting base for the story.
Nelson added that the series’ “strange but wonderful city” also represents an “opportunity to give people a more holistic view of Nigeria.”
Calling Iwaju‘s city a “Kugali-Disney mashup,” production designer and Kugali co-founder Hamid Ibrahim said the series design includes a mainland made up of huge towers, reflecting overcrowding, while the more affluent island has a lot of space and room for creative expression.
Technology is an important aspect of the setting, where use of smartphones is steadily being replaced by the adoption of augmented reality glasses. Ibrahim adds that there are also various classes of spherical flying cars, designed to operate within the vertical layout of the heavily populated city; and exoskeleton suits are worn by vendors, some of which have propellers to transport them upward.
Production of Iwaju involves talent working remotely from Nigeria, Uganda, London, Montreal and Burbank. Disney VFX supervisor Marlon West (Frozen, Frozen II) noted that it’s not just a team from around the world but from “all parts of their careers.” Head of story Natalie Nourigat (whose Disney animated short Far From the Tree debuted at Annecy on Tuesday and will play before Disney’s Encanto in theaters this Fall) added that having a virtual story room with both Disney and Kugali talent was “a great way to introduce new people.”
Lee commented that this collaboration is “moving the studio toward the future. There’s so much more we can do in storytelling if we could diversity our storytellers…. They have made us better storytellers.”
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