Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pan-African entertainment company Kugali’s 6-part original animated series begins streaming February 28; a ‘Disney Iwájú: Rising Chef’ series-inspired game debuts the same day.
Disney+ just released an official trailer and poster for Iwájú, its upcoming animated series, produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios in collaboration with Pan-African entertainment company Kugali. The six-part series begins streaming February 28 in the U.S.
Set in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria, the coming-of-age story follows Tola (Simisola Gbadamosi), a young girl from the wealthy island, and her best friend, Kole (Siji Soetan), a self-taught tech expert, as they discover the secrets and dangers hidden in their different worlds.
Olufikayo Ziki Adeola directs from a screenplay by Adeola and Halima Hudson. The series is produced by Disney Animation’s Christina Chen, with Hamid Ibrahim acting as production designer and Toluwalakin Olowofoyeku as cultural consultant. Gbadamosi, Dayo Okeniyi, Femi Branch, Soetan, and Weruche Opia lend their voices to the project.
Cinesite has been tapped to produce the 3DCG animation for the upcoming series, marking the studio’s first animated project with Walt Disney Animation Studios. Cinesite’s production team is led by Joel MacDonald (producer) and Ellen Poon (VFX supervisor).
Soundtrack available digitally on March 1:
The series’ African-influenced music is by Nigerian composer Ré Olunuga, whose credits include music for the 2022 Disney+ original movie Rise and the BBC film Girl.
“I rarely bring my own emotions into writing a score,” said Olunuga. “I tend to inhabit the emotions of the characters or subjects and then translate them into music. In this case, it couldn’t be avoided. In addition to Tola's adventurous spirit, Kole’s ingenuity and the many other fun and beautiful emotional threads explored in Iwájú - the score is steeped in my own very deep love for Lagos and its multiplicitous layers. It also includes many treats and winks for anyone familiar with or curious about the film music lexicon of Nollywood. Being invited by Ziki and the amazing teams at Disney and Kugali to help tell this beautiful coming-of-age story that explores themes of family, friendship and ingenuity has been an amazing adventure in itself.”
Watch the trailer:
Disney Iwájú: Rising Chef game available on February 28:
Also, the game Disney Iwájú: Rising Chef, inspired by the series and developed by Maliyo Games in collaboration with Disney and Kugali, is available February 28 for iOS and Android, coinciding with the Disney+ series debut.
The game takes players into the world of “Iwájú” to explore authentic African delicacies through a fast-paced, accessible cooking game that celebrates the culture and cuisine of Nigeria. Players can advance their culinary skills, become the best chef in Lagos, and take over the fanciest restaurant in town.
Source: Disney+
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
