Debuting alongside the six episode event series on Disney+, Iwájú, comes a special documentary from ABC News Studios, Iwájú: A Day Ahead.
The new special shows off the behind-the-scenes tale of the origin of this first-of-its-kind collaboration between Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pan-African visual storytelling company Kugali Media for the new animated series on Disney+.
With Disney Animation’s Jennifer Lee opening the special, we learn that it was the founders of Kugali that essentially called out Disney, saying that (in terms of visual entertainment) they were going to “Kick Disney’s [expletive deleted]” in Africa. The quote became a headline that circled the globe and ended on Lee’s desk where she looked further into this team and decided to work with them instead.
A large portion of Iwájú: A Day Ahead does focus on the trio from Kugali Media, Olufikayo “Ziki” Adeola, Hamid Ibriham, and Tolu Olowofoyeku, sharing their backstories and personal experiences with each other and their Lagos, Nigeria roots. One rather charming highlight is when some of the trio shared their love of Disney animation (complete with songs from The Little Mermaid) where Ibriham shares his fondness for the animated classic The Lion King, and realized he was working with Marlon West (who serves as visual effects supervisor for Iwájú, and previously worked on The Lion King).
Peppered throughout the special is how all of their culture and personal experiences made its way into Iwájú. From foods shown and landmarks throughout Lagos, to the telling of the inspiration of the story coming from a friend who was cornered by criminals in vans and had to jump off a bridge and swim away for safety. They even share that the language commonly used in the real life Lagos is Pidgin English, which viewers of Iwájú will know is laced throughout the series.
I do wish that they spent more time than they did talking about the collaborative efforts of Walt Disney Animation Studios and Kugali Media. Yes, they share things from the writing room and editing and such, but I personally would have liked a deeper look at this relationship. After all, this is the first time Disney has ever done anything like this. Typically, the relationship is similar to how their relationship with Pixar Animation Studios began – a distribution deal through Walt Disney Pictures with the animation studio largely in control of what is being done. This is a hand-in-hand relationship with Kugali where they were clearly working together, but it left me with more questions than answers. This is especially important to me as a fan of Disney Animation, and early on in the special Lee said that (while quoting Walt Disney) she wants to work with more companies like this to bring authentic storytelling from around the globe.
Disney fans will also enjoy seeing the Iwájú reveal at the 2022 D23 Expo. It will help frame the timeline for the production and really emphasize how long the event series has been in production behind the scenes. The special is well put together, and aside from a basic exploration of their collaboration with Disney Animation, really takes a look at Kugali and its founders as well as the injection of personal experiences and authenticity into Iwájú. So much so, that I would dare say watch this first before starting Iwájú. Or at least watch Iwájú again afterward. And kids remember, if you have a startup visual arts company, just call out Disney in media outlets and get a partnership!
You can catch Iwájú: A Day Ahead now streaming on Disney+.
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