Dive into the Vibrant World of Iwájú with Disney and Kugali’s Groundbreaking Series
I was invited to the world premiere of Iwájú in Lagos in February, the day before the official February 28 release on Disney+, and to sum it up, it was an utterly amazing experience. I didn’t realise that watching a series at the cinema could be as immersive as this show was, and boy was it immersive- the massive IMAX screen premiere left the entire audience on the edge of their seats for all 6 episodes with each episode lasting approximately 20 minutes.
Iwájú Lagos Premiere
I mentioned it being an amazing experience and am pretty sure I speak for a large percentage of those in attendance that day because for most people it was quite literally the first time they were witnessing (I use this word intentionally) characters performing on a screen and being thoroughly Nigerian but in animated form. As I am in the animation field, my mind is somewhat conditioned to seeing this, but I had never seen anything on this scale before the premiere. It came with all the firepower that a powerhouse like Disney could bring to such a project yet was undoubtedly and proudly as Nigerian as a pan-African Kugali could make it. It’s great to see how much creative freedom Kugali must have had working with Disney.
If you haven’t already watched it, then prepare for mild spoilers ahead.
The series which thematically explores friendship and unity is entirely set in a futuristic Lagos and focuses on the socio-economic disparity between the rich and poor who live on Lagos’ Island and mainland respectively and a kingpin thug who has made a business of kidnapping rich people’s children for ransom; themes which I’m certain many Nigerians and non-Nigerians can identify with.
As far as the animation quality is concerned, there’s not much to say about it other than “It’s Disney what do you expect?” That being said, I wasn’t in love with the design of the main character — Tola Martins (voiced by Simisola Gbadamosi). I think her face could have been way more appealing. For example, in the opening scene, we see a little girl riding a scooter, who turns out to be a hologram, and this character is more appealing and prettier than the actual Tola character. By the way, Teni the Entertainer’s catchy song in that scene was a great touch!
I noticed some subtle cultural nuances that felt slightly off. For example, Nigerians are hand people (Google the term factory reset slap). it’s not typical for a Nigerian to kick the air (or anything for that matter) when upset or frustrated. You’d sooner find a thousand people who would bang an ATM with their fist before you find one who would kick it for “eating” their card or not dispensing cash. In contrast, the reverse is more common in western regions. After being held captive and locked up in a room with Tola, we find frustrated Kole (voiced by Siji Soetan) kicking a stone on the floor. I also noticed the odd mouth movement during hissing, (kissing teeth or sucking teeth, depending on where you’re from) especially when the shows villain Bode does this in his flashback as a child. Typically when Nigerians hiss there is a clear “U” phoneme or round mouth shape which may be absent when people of Caribbean descent do this and are somehow able to produce the same sound. Wagwan? That being said, considering that the animators were more than likely only encountering Nigerian mannerisms for the first time during this project, I’d say they did a phenomenal job. Look out for the scene in the final episode where Bode holds Tunde (voiced by Dayo Okeniyi) captive and enters his massive Island home for the first time. Ogaju!
Speaking about sounds, some of the characters sounded a bit strange from time to time. During some of the dialogue, the blend of pidgin and English felt unnatural or shoehorned in. I do have to mention though that I loved the villain, Bode DeSousa’s voice. Played by Nollywood actor, Femi Branch, he was able to seamlessly blend between English, Pidgin, and Yoruba without missing a beat or inflection. I imagine the animators had a blast working with his vocal performance. The soundtrack, composed by Ré Olunuga was also engaging and well-suited for the series.
Overall Iwájú is a testament to the power of diverse storytelling and the importance of representation. Viewers have an entertaining and fun-to-watch series that ticks all the boxes for a thrilling adventure of the Nigerian kind. I mean what’s not to love? These are the diverse accents, local food, culture, and costumes that Lagosians have come to know and love and it’s the first time Disney will explore Africa (without the use of anthropomorphism). Actually, it’s a series of firsts for Disney as “Iwájú,” is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Walt Disney Animation Studios and PanAfrican visual storytelling company Kugali Media. Disney’s first and only such collaboration in their 100-year history. It is also their first time creating a series and deviating from their typical feature film or short film formats.
Congratulations to Walt Disney Animation Studios and especially to the Kugali Media team for pulling off an amazing feat, positively representing Africa, and ensuring that our stories are getting told our way.
Iwájú begins airing today, Monday the 22nd, on the Disney Channel on DSTV (Channel 303) and will air through May (with special marathons on April 27th and May 5th from 13:00 and 12:35 WAT respectively). The Disney Channel broadcasts in 50 African countries including Nigeria and Uganda where the Kugali Co-founders are from. Be sure to check it out!
#Iwajú #Disney #KugaliMedia #Animation #NigerianCulture #Lagos
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This article first appeared on Brian’s medium page – https://medium.com/@briannukid
Brian Wilson is an award winning Creative Director writing about creativity and animation from Africa.
