Disney Announces Afro-Futurist Series Iwaju for Disney+

We’re still picking up the pieces of everything that The Walt Disney Company dropped yesterday during the Disney Investor Day presentation and this is one of their most exciting new announcements. Disney Animation CCO Jennifer Lee took to the stage to announce the studio’s plans for theaters and Disney+ in the coming years, revealing a new animated series titled Iwájú. An all-new science fiction series, Iwájú hails from a collaboration between Disney Animation and Pan-African entertainment company Kugali and will be released on Disney+ in 2022. You can find a first look at concept art for the series below!

“Back in the beginning of 2019, I saw a news piece about a group of storytellers form NIgeria and Uganda,” Lee said during the presentation. “The title of this video was ‘Pan-African Comic Book Hopes to Kick Disney’s…’ you know what. I was intrigued. Here were three talented comic book artists, Tolu Olowofoyeku, Ziki Nelson, and Hamid Ibrahim, founded an entertainment company called Kugali. Their dream was to bring African stories, created by African artists to the world through comics and animation, highlighting the diversity of cultures, history, and voices across the continent. Their talents as storytellers blew us away. I’m proud to announce a first of its kind collaboration, as Kugali and Disney Animation team up to bring their original long-form series to Disney+.”

She continued, “The series is called Iwájú, which in the Yoruba language roughly translates to “The future.” Set in Lagos, Nigeria and steeped in science fiction, Iwájú explores deep themes of class, innocence, and challenging the status quo. Iwájú will debut on Disney+ in 2022.”

The series was one part of a robust announcement by Disney Animation Studios who also confirmed additional Disney+ shows in the works, all spin-offs of previously released movies including: Baymax! (from Big Hero 6), Zootopia+, Tiana the Seroes (from The Princess and the Frog), and Moana, The Series. In addition they announced a new theatrical film, Encanto, which includes new songs by Emmy, GRAMMY and Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda and is slated for theaters in November 2021. The studio also revealed that Raya and the Last Dragon will debut simultaneously on Disney+ Premier Access and in theatres in March 2021.