The highly anticipated Disney+ Original animated anthology “Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire” is finally available on the streaming platform.
The series is executive produced by Peter Ramsey (co-director of the Oscar®-winning “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse”), Tendayi Nyeke and Anthony Silverston (Triggerfish).
“Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire” features an exciting cast from across the globe and takes audiences on an exhilarating and action-packed ride into Africa’s future.
“Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire” is a ten-part collection of premium animated Disney+ original short films with directors from Zimbabwe, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya and Egypt.
Isaac Mogajane who directed “Hatima” said that the best part of being a part of the project is all the freedom they had to create their films. “Every step along the way it was about making your idea, more of what it was and not taking away from what it was.”
Lesego Vorster from South Africa who directed “You Give Me Heart” when asked how they made it work, with most of the work being done remotely, admitted time zones did make things tricky.
“Just to have a meeting because Canada's 9am is my 4pm. When I think I’m done, they are starting and I have to keep the same energy I’m the director. The guys from Triggerfish advised that maybe I should start my day later, which helped,” shared Voster.
Moganjane encouraged audiences to watch the films so that they can get a real perspective on what African creators are thinking about.
“Seeing what the common themes are which are all surprising for us all because we didn't talk about it. The occurring themes that you see are just a representation of who we are and what we believe as Africans.”
The creators also acknowledged that tackling something that has not been done before also came with its challenges as there is no formula to go by.
“African directors and creators have been starved of the opportunity to like this, so you can imagine when the opportunity came along, how much we had gathered.
“It was kind of difficult in the beginning to package that into a 10-minute story, but that’s part of the challenge and I think we achieved that,” said “Herderboy” director Raymond Malinga from Uganda.
Tafadzwa Hove from Zimbabwe, directed “Mukudzei,” shared that the anthology series would challenge stereotypes and remind people that animation has been there for a long time and not steered away from watching just because it’s animated.
“Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire” has something that all Africans can relate to whether young or old, and no matter from which part of the continent or world they are on.