African Animation on Fire!

 

When animation directors such as the likes of Ngendo Mukii (Kenya) and Kenneth Coker (Nigeria) are part of an Afro-futurist animation series, one can be sure that this project is going to be ground breaking. 
Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire - the animated sci-fi anthology series was first aired on Disney+ in December 2023 going on to win a host of awards; Best Animated Series at the KIDSCREEN AWARDS, won the prestigious Annie Award. The winning series episode “Enkai” was directed by Kenyan Ng'endo Mukii and produced by Blink Industries.

The episodes on Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire anthology are:

• Stardust: Directed by Ahmed Teilab – Egypt

• Mkhuzi: The Spirit Racer: Directed by Simangaliso ‘Panda’ Sibaya and Malcom Wope – South Africa

• Hatima: Directed by Terence Maluleke and Isaac Mogajane – South Africa

• Enkai: Directed by Ng’endo Mukii – Kenya

• Moremi: Directed by Shofela Coker – Nigeria

• Surf Sangoma: Directed by Nthato Mokgata and Catherine Green – South Africa

• Mukudzei: Directed by Pious Nyenyewa & Tafadzwa Hove – Zimbabwe

• First Totem Problems: Directed by Tshepo Moche – South Africa

• Herderboy: Directed by Raymond Malinga – Uganda

• You Give Me Heart: Directed by Lesego Vorster – South Africa.

Animation Instagrammers from Nigeria

Comics and animation from Nigeria are finding a home in Instagram as artists share their animations and artwork on the platform. To name a few great examples to keep an eye out for

Stopmotion animator Yetunde Ogundipe aka Snowgoosegirl

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Sending you 💕 and positive energy. Love, a gift that we all have the ability to give one another...and what we need right now to heal the ills plaguing the world. As we grieve the loss of our typical routines, make a sense of this emotionally exhausting times and navigate the uncertainty of the future, it is easy to slip into that melancholy mood. But we have to speak love and hope into this moment. #SafeHands #SpreadLove #Coronavirus #Covid19 #ArtInCovid19 #stopmotionanimation #stopmotionanimator #nigeriananimation #claymation #staysafe #lockdown2020 #animationnigeria #stopmotionnigeria #stopmotion

A post shared by Yetunde Ogundipe (@snowgoosegirl) on Jun 2, 2020 at 12:35am PDT

Kanso Ogbulo aka thesmilinghat with his FreaktheFxxxOut series and some Vfx work

 

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I'm ready to go out and face Lagos State 💪🏾 💪🏾 💪🏾 💪🏾 🔥 🔥 . . . . . . #thesmilinghat #lagos #covid19 #lockdown #coronavirus

A post shared by Kãn:só (@thesmilinghat) on May 6, 2020 at 12:37am PDT

TagComics and their recently released Osun Trailer

 

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THIS IS EPIC! WATCH THIS SHORT TEASER OF “OSUN” by the amazing @michaelrhima Here’s a synopsis of the upcoming short movie: A man decides to journey to his birth home where he reflects on his childhood and relationship with his late mother. His journey becomes more of a spiritual one after an event sends him into a trance where he encounters a goddess. Go Follow @osun_film for more updates! #orisha #oshun #osun #santeria #candombre

A post shared by TAG Comics (@tag.comics) on Sep 7, 2020 at 9:49pm PDT

Naija Fantasy and Sci-Fi

Not all animation is drawn or 'cartoon-like' and for this reason it is worth pausing and looking at the strides that young creatives are making using digital technologies that adopt and share techniques with conventional 'animation' and that cross into other genres.

Recently I have been working on an article about fantasy films across the continent, and came across these young creatives in Kaduna, Nigeria - The Critics. Their short films are always action packed and fun to watch, my favourite a re-telling of StarWars.

Tutu Teaser

The Tutu trailer has just been released on Youtube. The 2D/3D aesthetic combined with a visually rich opening sequence makes for a promising series. The animated chase sequence is beautifully animated with a good mix of action and suspense. Here's hoping that this project goes forward....