Nigerian among Creators of Upcoming Animation on Disney+

By Vanessa Obioha

A US-based Nigerian, Shofela Coker, will join other creators from Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Africa, Kenya and Egypt in the production of a Disney+ Original 10-part collection of premium original films, ‘Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire’.

Coker, who was born and raised in Lagos but relocated to the United States in 2005, is a 2019 recipient of the Creators for Creators grant and has worked in video games for studios such as Sony and Activision as a character designer and Jam City as an art director.

In ‘Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire’, she creates ‘Moremi’, a sci-fi riff on a Yoruba myth. It follows the story of Luo, a spirit boy lost in the realm of the gods, and Moremi, his scientist mother, who is trying to return him to the land of the living.

An animated anthology, ‘Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire’ brings together a new wave of animation stars that takes viewers into Africa’s future. Inspired by the continent’s diverse histories and cultures, these action-packed sci-fi and fantasy stories present bold visions of advanced technology, aliens, spirits and monsters imagined from uniquely African perspectives.

“We are bringing the work of a visionary new generation of African filmmakers to Disney+,” said President, Disney+ and ESPN+, The Walt Disney Company, Michael Paull.

“In addition to delivering thrilling animation for fans of all ages, this collection of 10 original films taps into the Afrofuturism phenomenon which was turbo-charged by Marvel’s Black Panther and reflects Disney’s ongoing commitment to partnering with the leading global talent to tell the stories of the world from fresh and authentic points of view.”

Over 70 leading directors and creators across the continent were invited to pitch their ideas, after a multi-year research phase that included input from Ghanian comic book blogger, Kadi Tay, award-winning Congolese animation supervisor, Sidney Kimbo-Kintombo (‘Avengers: Endgame’), and Namibian-South African producer, Bridget Pickering (‘Hotel Rwanda’).

The process was curated and produced by Triggerfish — a premium content animation studio based in Cape Town and Galway, and the lead studio for the anthology. The team at Triggerfish included the anthology’s Supervising Producer, Tendayi Nyeke; Head of Development, Anthony Silverston; and Kevin Kriedemann, who proposed the initial idea for the anthology.

Fifteen shortlisted projects were mentored by Academy Award®-winning director Peter Ramsey — who also serves as the executive producer of the anthology — and the creative teams from Triggerfish and Disney.

“‘Kizazi Moto’ derives from the Swahili phrase ‘kizazi cha moto’, which literally translates as ‘fire generation’, capturing the passion, innovation and excitement this new cohort of African filmmakers is ready to bring to the world. ‘Moto’ also means fire in several other African languages, from Rwanda’s Kinyarwanda to Shona, a Zimbabwean language, speaking to the pan-African spirit we hope this anthology embodies,” commented Nyeke.

Ten finalists were finally selected for the anthology. They include Ahmed Teilab (Egypt), Simangaliso ‘Panda’ Sibaya and Malcolm Wope (South Africa), Terence Maluleke and Isaac Mogajane (South Africa), Ng’endo Mukii (Kenya), Shofela Coker (Nigeria), Nthato Mokgata and Terence Neale (South Africa), Pious Nyenyewa and Tafadzwa Hove (Zimbabwe), Tshepo Moche (South Africa), Raymond Malinga (Uganda) and Lesego Vorster (South Africa).

“I’m really pleased to be part of a groundbreaking, fresh and exciting project that’s aimed at exposing the world to a whole new wave of creativity and invention from a place that is just ready to explode onto the world animation scene. The films in the anthology kind of run the gamut when it comes to science fiction. There are stories that touch on other worlds, time travel, and alien beings, but all of these genre conventions are seen through an African lens that makes them totally new. I can’t wait for people to have their minds blown and say ‘I want more’!”, added Ramsey.

Each film will be roughly 10 minutes long, and together will comprise a feature-length anthology of original animation that will be released as a Disney+ Original across the globe. The anthology is set to premiere exclusively on Disney+ in late 2022.