Disney Invades Africa Capturing Culture, Class, Comedy and Cuteness In It’s New Animated Series Out Now On Disney+

Disney Invades Africa Capturing Culture, Class, Comedy  and Cuteness In It’s New Animated Series Out Now On Disney+

By: Donnell Sims, Courtesy of IGeyser

SERIES REVIEW

Set in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria, the new animated series from Disney, Iwaju (out now on Disney+) is the cutest, classiest Black animated series. A full stop here is important, given Disney’s track record on Black representation. Iwaju is amazing, they got this one right!

Lest we forget, the first big animated feature film centering on a lead of African descent, the princess spent most of the movie as a frog! The Princess And The Frog feature film is both beloved and bemoaned by Black audiences. Some were overjoyed to finally see a Disney film with African American lead characters, while others are still upset about having to watch an amphibian on screen most of the film.

However, Iwaju is quite different. Audiences on all continents, of all races, prepare to fall in love with Tola. Young, precocious, and smart, Tola is typical in every way, which makes her character extraordinary in the Disney universe. Voiced by rising star, Simisola Gbadamosi, Tola is identifiable and aspirational. Audiences will invest in her journey. Little girls will want to be her. Parents will see their own children in Tola.

The same way audiences of all races around the globe have identified with the countless characters Disney has created over the century, Tola will be routine too. She will take her rightful place in the Disney lexicon, which is an extraordinary achievement.

Directed by Olufikayo Ziki Adeola, the screenplay is by the dynamic duo, Adeola and Halima Hudson. Together, this team of African creatives, delivers audiences an immersive experience, rich in colors and textures, that creates a futuristic Nigeria, and shows its people and places in the most captivating ways. It feels so real, especially for all the HDTV, surround sound, private viewing space geeks watching on big screens.

Tola’s father, a self-taught tech expert, is often too consumed to spend time with her. An idle mind, mixed with the social hierarchy of Nigeria, a heavy dose of Tola’s irresistible cuteness gives her situational control. Like all kids, she is manipulative. Against her father’s wishes, Tola is going to explore her world and have fun, face fears, and inevitably danger! However, her father’s wealth comes at a price, one they will both pay or overcome, together!

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