The African animation industry is slowly gaining traction and recognition just like Nollywood and Afrobeat not just within but globally as well.
Analysts say the global takeover of African animation is only a matter of time that the demand for animation stories is on the rise, and with this comes a huge opportunity to explore the African animation industry.
African animation has evolved dramatically over the years. There was a time when African animators were few and far between.
In recent times we have seen animation like Mark Of Uru, Queen Malika, Legend Of Princess Yennenga, Mama K’s Team 4 and The Passport of Mallam Ilia.
Busola Tejumola, Executive Head of Content and West Africa Channel at MultiChoice Nigeria, stated that the company is looking into animation and is already involved in that segment.
She also stated that the company will release the first African sport animated series, Jay Jay, in 2023 on Africa Magic and Showmax, based on the life of legendary footballer Jay Jay Okocha.
“It takes a lot of effort to put on animation. We don’t have enough animators. As a result, we are doing our best to produce animation. We are taking steps until we have producers who can provide us with content, and the company will continue to invest in it to further develop it.”
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Iwájú, Nigeria’s first animation series, produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and the Pan-African British-based entertainment company Kugali Media is setting up more African indigenous storytelling animation.
The movie is set in a futuristic version of Lagos that will explore themes of inequality, class divide, and coming of age.
Within the global creative industry, animation will offer enormous employment and economic growth opportunities for emerging economies worldwide.
According to PR Newswire the total value of the global animation industry was projected to reach US$ 270 billion by 2020. The streaming market for animation content peaked at US$ 2.9 Billion back in the year 2018 and is experiencing growth at an annual rate of 8%. The animation market size is estimated to hit around US$ 642.5bn by 2030, (Cision News, 2022). Global Animation, VFX & Games Markets, 2018-2020: Total Value of Global Animation Industry is Projected to Reach US$ 270 Billion.
Based on statista the source estimated that, in 2022, the value of the global animation market would amount to over 391 billion U.S. dollars, up five percent from 372.4 billion dollars a year earlier. The annual figure was forecast to continue to grow throughout the decade, surpassing 587 billion dollars by 2030.
“It’s an exciting time to be in African animation; the industry hasn’t been this vibrant in the last 12 years. Across the board, there is a great deal of collaboration and partnership. There is a call for indigenous stories to be told through animation”, said Damilola Solesi, Smids Animation Studios’ creative director.
She also claimed that animation is a simple field to get into and that it is a globally attainable, authentic way for us to express tales. With more collaboration, African animation will go global.
Even before the recent production of ‘Iwaju,’ Somto Ajulchukwu, the founder of Vortex Studio and an animation filmmaker, stated that the world is hungry for African content through animation and African superheroes authentic stories animation.
“Iwaju is now the spotlight for us to bring more indigenous storytelling to the world through animation.”
