In 2021, Pan-African entertainment studio Kugali vowed to kick Disney’s ass — and Disney chief creative officer Jennifer Lee was so into it that she partnered up with Kugali.
After three years, the result of this unexpected partnership finally just premiered on Disney Plus. And with limited series Iwájú, Kugali absolutely delivers on the expectation (just, y’know, working with Disney instead of kicking the studio’s ass).
It’s just six episodes and none of them clock in at more than half an hour. And yet, the story is tight, the world fascinating, and the characters compelling. Iwájú is one of the most exciting shows to come out on Disney Plus in ages, and certainly one of the best animated shows on the streaming service.
Image: Disney
From a showrunner team made up of Kugali founder Olufikayo Adeola and Disney producer Halima Hudson, Iwájú takes place in a future version of Lagos, Nigeria, one where technology has augmented existing class differences, really cementing the gap between the haves and have-nots. At the center of the story are Tola (Simisola Gbadamosi), a privileged yet lonely young girl, and Kole (Siji Soetan), the clever boy who works for her father. Though kept apart by their different stations in life, the two are close friends, and Tola dreams of seeing more of the world that her father shelters her from. Meanwhile, Kole has big ambitions of his own, but he doesn’t have the means to see them through, especially with his mother’s recent illness.
The world spirals out from there, with characters beyond Tola and Kole getting intricate backstories and adventures. It’s a lot to juggle, but Adeola and Hudson do an excellent job of weaving in all the motives and background into the fabric of the world. It turns the already exciting plot — a crime lord kidnapping the children of rich families and holding them for ransom, all in the name of helping the lower class of the city, while a wealthy tech genius engineers a lizard robot to help defend the children — into something more nuanced. It’s a cool, futuristic world, all grounded with themes of class and technology.
The animation is a step above the usual Disney CG television fare, more in line with the studio’s movies, which elevates the story as a whole. There’s more care to the backgrounds, especially. The glowing technology, the fun action sequences, and the little particulars that make up the world all captivate attention. A montage in the fourth episode, when Tola and Kole explore the street markets of Lagos, becomes a colorful explosion of little details, all bolstered by the fun transitions which blend traditional patterns with the geometry of the landscape.
Iwájú is short, but it packs a punch. In a sea of Disney sequels, spinoffs, and reboots, Iwájú shines. It’s everything Disney should be striving towards — something different, something innovative, something new.
Iwájú is out on Disney Plus now.
