Walt Disney Animation Studios and the Pan-African Comic Book Entertainment Company Kugali have published the first trailer for Iwaju.
It also teased a February 28 release date for six episodes of the limited series.
Iwájú, set in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria, presents a coming-of-age story that follows “Tola, a young girl from the wealthy island, and her best friend, Kole, a self-taught tech expert, as they discover the secrets and dangers hidden in their different worlds.”
The teaser depicts a world full of fantastic technology “inspired by the spirit of Lagos” and a cute lizard named Otin. This unique lizard, which is at least partially robotic in origin, is seen in the trailer wielding some impressive powers.
Christina Chen of Disney Animation produces the series, which has a screenplay by Adeola and Halima Hudson. Simisola Gbadamosi (Tola), Dayo Okeniyi, Femi Branch, Siji Soetan (Kole), and Weruche Opia provide voiceovers.
Iwájú’s soundtrack, published on March 1, comprises authentic African-influenced music by Nigerian artist Ré Olunuga.
“I rarely bring my own emotions into writing a score,” Olunuga said. “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.”