News Disney+
Ten Part Sci-Fi Series Takes Audiences on Exhilarating Ride into Africa’s Future
Peter Ramsey Joins the Ranks as Executive Producer
BURBANK, Calif. (June 17, 2021) – Creators from Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt will bring their unique visions to audiences around the world with “Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire”, a Disney+ Original ten-part collection of premium original films set to premiere exclusively on Disney+ in late 2022.
Concept art from “Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire” © Disney
This animated anthology brings together a new wave of animation stars to take you on a wildly entertaining ride into Africa’s future. Inspired by the continent’s diverse histories and cultures, these action-packed sci-fi and fantasy stories present bold visions of advanced technology, aliens, spirits and monsters imagined from uniquely African perspectives.
Oscar®-winning director Peter Ramsey (“Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse”) will serve as executive producer for the anthology, with Tendayi Nyeke and Anthony Silverston as supervising producers. Triggerfish will be the lead studio for the anthology, working in collaboration with animation studios across the continent and globally.
“We are bringing the work of a visionary new generation of African filmmakers to Disney+. In addition to delivering thrilling animation for fans of all ages, this collection of ten original films taps into the Afrofuturism phenomenon which was turbo-charged by Marvel’s Black Panther and reflects Disney’s ongoing commitment to partnering with leading global talent to tell the stories of the world from fresh and authentic points of view,”commented Michael Paull, President, Disney+ and ESPN+, The Walt Disney Company.
“’Kizazi Moto’ derives from the Swahili phrase ‘kizazi cha moto’ which literally translates as ‘fire generation’, capturing the passion, innovation and excitement this new cohort of African filmmakers is ready to bring to the world. ‘Moto’ also means fire in several other African languages, from Rwanda’s Kinyarwanda to Shona, a Zimbabwean language, speaking to the pan-African spirit we hope this anthology embodies,” commented Tendayi Nyeke, Supervising Producer, Triggerfish.
“I’m really pleased to part of a ground-breaking, fresh and exciting project that’s aimed at exposing the world to a whole new wave of creativity and invention from a place that is just ready to explode onto the world animation scene. The films in the anthology kind of run the gamut when it comes to science fiction. There are stories that touch on other worlds, time travel, and alien beings, but all of these genre conventions are seen through an African lens that makes them totally new. I can’t wait for people to have their minds blown and say ‘I want more!’” commented Peter Ramsey, Executive Producer.
About the development and production of “Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire”
More than 70 leading directors and creators across the continent were invited to pitch their ideas, after a multi-year research phase that included input from Ghanian comic book blogger Kadi Tay, award-winning Congolese animation supervisor Sidney Kimbo-Kintombo (“Avengers: Endgame”) and Namibian-South African producer Bridget Pickering (“Hotel Rwanda”).
The process was curated and produced by the team at Triggerfish, including Supervising Producer Tendayi Nyeke, Head of Development Anthony Silverston and Kevin Kriedemann, who proposed the initial idea for the anthology. 15 shortlisted projects were mentored by Academy Award®-winning director Peter Ramsey and the creative teams from Triggerfish and Disney.
The final 10 films are from Ahmed Teilab (Egypt), Simangaliso ‘Panda’ Sibaya and Malcolm Wope (South Africa), Terence Maluleke and Isaac Mogajane (South Africa), Ng’endo Mukii (Kenya), Shofela co*ker (Nigeria), Nthato Mokgata and Terence Neale (South Africa), Pious Nyenyewa and Tafadzwa Hove (Zimbabwe), Tshepo Moche (South Africa), Raymond Malinga (Uganda) and Lesego Vorster (South Africa). Each film will be roughly ten minutes long, and together will comprise a feature-length anthology of original animation that will be released as a Disney+ Original across the globe.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Disney+ Media Relations
Lisa Schreibfeder
Lisa.Schreibfeder@disney.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Disney+
Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic, along with The Simpsons and much more. In select international markets, it also includes the new general entertainment content brand, Star. The flagship direct-to-consumer streaming service from The Walt Disney Company, Disney+ is part of the Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution segment. The service offers commercial-free streaming alongside an ever-growing collection of exclusive originals, including feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series, and short-form content. With unprecedented access to Disney’s long history of incredible film and television entertainment, Disney+ is also the exclusive streaming home for the newest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. And through Star, it offers the latest from 20th Century Studios, Disney Television Studios, FX, Searchlight Pictures, and more. For more, visit disneyplus.com, or find the Disney+ app on most mobile and connected TV devices.
About Triggerfish
Triggerfish will be the lead animation studio and producer of Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire. Winner of the Mifa Animation Industry Award at Annecy International Film Festival 2021, Triggerfish is a premium content animation studio based in Cape Town and Galway, home to crew with a love for animation and a drive to keep improving. The 25-year-old studio is currently producing two TV series, Mama K’s Team 4 for Netflix and Kiya for eOne, Disney Junior and Disney+, while developing a diverse slate of film and television projects for most of the world’s biggest studios.
Triggerfish’s first two films, Adventures in Zambezia and Khumba, sold nine million cinema tickets globally. Triggerfish also produced the upcoming feature Seal Team and animated the Academy Award®-nominated Roald Dahl adaptation Revolting Rhymes as well as much-loved Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler adaptations such as the 2021 Annie Awards winner The Snail and the Whale, 2020 International Emmy winner Zog, the BAFTA-nominated and Annecy-winning Stick Man, and the Rose d’Or-winning The Highway Rat, all produced by Magic Light Pictures. Triggerfish also services AAA-rated and mobile games for the likes of Electronic Arts, Unity and Disney Interactive.
About Peter Ramsey
Peter Ramsey will be executive producing the anthology and is the Oscar®-winning director of Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.
Peter Ramsey is the director of Dreamworks Animation's 2012 feature film Rise Of The Guardians. He also directed the Halloween TV special, Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space as well as serving as a story artist on several of Dreamworks Animation's feature films. Prior to joining Dreamworks, he worked as a storyboard artist on a notable number of live action feature films, including Backdraft, Boyz n the Hood, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Minority Report, Cast Away, Independence Day, Being John Malkovich, Fight Club and Hulk, among many others. Ramsey's directing skills were honed early, as Second Unit Director on live action feature films including Godzilla, Tank Girl, Higher Learning, and Poetic Justice.
About films and the creators
Please see accompanying document with all the information.
