Disney EMEA hosted its annual Studio Focus at the current year’s Annecy Animation Festival, sadly pre-recorded for the second edition in a row, where the organization reported a pair of new African series, the sci-fi anthology series “Kizazi Moto: Generation of Fire” led by “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” co-director Peter Ramsey, and a musical kids show named “Kiff” from South Africa.
“This year’s fest is about celebrating African animation,” said Orion Ross, VP of original programming and animation for Disney EMEA. “We would like to start with how Disney is embracing the vast talent from this continent.”
Every one of the shorts in “Kizazi Moto” was made to respond to one question: “hat does African future look like from an African perspective?”
While discussing his involvement, Ramsey reviewed a visit to the Cape Town Animation Festival where he was “blown away, reinvigorated by the people, work, the industry. There was the feeling that this place is a pot about to bubble over with creativity and the world is going to see something exciting coming from Africa.”
Creators and filmmakers of the ten shorts then, at that point occupied with a virtual discussion where they shared the vaguest of mysteries about their projects and discussed their own excitement and motivation to make something totally new that will reverberate all throughout the planet, while demonstrating the diversity of storytelling available on the landmass.
“Kizazi Moto: Generation of Fire” will be accessible worldwide on Disney Pslus in late 2022.
From Cape Town, creators and executive producers Lucy Heavens and Nic Smal enthusiastically got the presentation together with their recently greenlit series “Kiff,” a musical comedy show for older kids about a fiery squirrel named Kiff and her rabbit best pal Barry.
“It’s about a kid who lives with her parents and goes to school, and the comedy is all in the tone and the characters that we’ve created,” Heavens explained.
“[The word] ‘Kiff’ in South Africa is slang for cool, awesome or rad, it’s the pinnacle,” Smal Said. “Like a good pair of blue jeans, it will never go out of style. That’s what the world needs. If the world comes at you with bad vibes and you show love and kindness, they got nothing.”
Smal and Heavens then, at that point shared an early clip of Kiff singing a hardcore rap track concerning why she is excessively occupied to brush her one larger than average incisor prior to going out for the afternoon. Eventually, Mom is left unswayed and Kiff retreats to the bathroom to clean her magnificent white.
Arrangement is created and delivered by Disney Television Animation in L.A. where “Phineas and Ferb” vet Kent Osborn is on board as co-producer and story editor.
Reported in February by EntertainmentOne and Frogbox, Ross additionally highlighted preschool series “Kiya and the Kimoja Heroes.” Scheduled to launch on Disney Junior in 2023, the show initially got Disney’s attention as a component of the organization’s African Story Lab, a drive launched in 2015 to search out and foster ability from the landmass, coordinated by Triggerfish. In the show, 7-year-old Kiya and her two best friends utilize their otherworldly headbands to become superheroes and battle villains which threaten their community.
Ross was additionally joined by the group working on Disney’s “Chip ‘N’ Dale” reboot. The series was first reported at Annecy in 2019 and is participating in the festival’s TV competition this year with the episode “The Ghost.” French studio Xilam Animation produces with Marc du Pontavice as Executive Producer and Jean Cayrol as Director.
Zagtoon founderand CEO Jeremy Zag was invited to tease his upcoming action series “Ghostforce,” a splendidly lit and colorful action series around three teens who use Ghost-like powers to track down and capture ghosts which terrorize New York City. Zagtoon likewise gave a short update on the “Miraculous: Tales Of Ladybug & Cat Noir” IP, which sends its half-French, half-Chinese lead character Marinette Dupain-Cheng – Ladybug herself – East to investigate her Chinese roots for the first time in franchise history.
Ross additionally declared that both “PJ Masks” and “Gigantosaurus” are underway for their 6th and third seasons individually, and that recently reported new series “Viking School” and “The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti” are on track for 2022 releases.