The reviews are in – critics say new Disney+ show Iwájú has “top-notch” animation, “stellar voice acting” and is a “delightful” depiction of a futuristic Nigeria.
Although some critics say Iwájú is flawed, they also point to the inventiveness of the series, which reportedly marks the first time the Disney+ streaming platform has collaborated with an external production company.
The company in question is Kugali, an outfit led by three friends from Nigeria and Uganda who want to boost the representation of African animation and graphic novels.
Iwájú, their newest creation, centres on Tola, a young girl navigating a sci-fi version of Nigerian megacity Lagos. Luxury cars fly over the city’s markets, supervillains are armed with bionic arms and AI pets are a must-have item.
The six-part series features Nigerian Pidgin – a mix of English and local languages -and all characters are voiced by actors from the West African country.
After the series was launched on Wednesday, UK newspaper the Guardian gave it a four-star rating, calling it a “delightful coming-of-age adventure” that is “an encouraging step into a bold and brilliant future”.
However, the review also notes that Iwájú was “frantically paced and hard to follow”.
US entertainment site Screengrab also criticised the show’s pacing, as well as its character development.
But “top-notch animation” distracts from these issues, it says.
Screengrab awarded Iwájú three-and-a-half stars, saying: “The exploration of economic inequality through its characters is multifaceted.
“Not everyone is able to utilize the same amount of technology, something touched upon by the show’s story.”
Despite Iwájú receiving largely positive reviews from critics, several Nigerians have complained on social media that although the show focuses on Nigeria, they cannot watch it as Disney+ is not available in their country.
“Disney really isn’t serious though. Iwájú’s dropping in like five days and Disney+ still isn’t available to us,” a user on social media platform X wrote prior to the show’s release.
