Feb 08, 2022

TODAY

Diverse representation has long been lacking in the animation industry, both in terms of gender and race. But the commitment to reform in the film industry as a whole presents a glowing opportunity to bring policies of diversity, equity, and inclusion into center focus for the future of animation. While the movie business is just that – a business – including broader perspectives from creative leaders brings an opportunity to expose a whole new breed of stories to the world, and elevate the people who tell them. Today’s Daily Dose introduces you to some of the contents, countries and creators leading this change – and stories you might not otherwise have heard.

ANIMATION’S UNLIKELY NEW HEROES

1 - Yasuke

The true story of history’s first Black samurai is finally on your screens. Netflix’s anime series captures the journey of an unlikely hero born in West Africa who impressed Oda Nobunaga, one of Japan’s most important feudal lords. Six feet tall, he is said to have had the strength of 10 men. The series embellishes his story with giant robots and magical beasts but stays true in key moments: Like when Yasuke has to explain that his skin color isn’t because of mud he could wipe off.

2 - Izel

Star of the Mexican-American animated cartoon Onyx Equinox, this 13- year-old Aztec boy is assigned the task of closing the five gates of the underworld. Behind his turquoise eyes is a cheerful and sensitive boy with the agility to outrun monsters and a knife that absorbs blood. It’s a rare animation success story based on the mythologies of Mesoamerica. Season 2 is now available and eager fans are waiting with bated breath for additional episodes.

3 - Manuel and Greg

They’re Pixar’s first-ever gay leads, for the Disney original short Out. The story follows Greg’s move into the city with his boyfriend, Manuel, and the trepidation he faces telling his parents. It’s not until he temporarily swaps bodies with his dog that he learns that he has no reason to hide his true self. While representation had historically been fleeting in Disney productions, this historic short film captures the warmth of family and a culture of acceptance.

AFRICA: THE NEXT ANIMATION CAPITAL

1 - ‘Iwájú’

The word loosely means “the future” in Yoruba — appropriate, given the rising stature of Africa’s animation studios. Being developed by a team from Uganda and Nigeria, this Lagos-based sci-fi film (its script remains under wraps) will mark Disney's foray into the continent. Creators Tolu Olowofoyeku and Ziki Nelson describe the premise as a challenge to the status quo of inequality that affects everyday life in Nigeria, and how to engineer a more positive society. It will broadcast on Disney+ in 2022.

2 - ‘Super Sema’

A 10-year-old Kenyan girl uses STEM superpowers to save her village from a robot villain in this Afro-futurist YouTube series that has rapidly sparked a buzz since its launch in March. It's produced by Nairobi-based studio Kukua and Lupita Nyong'O is its executive producer. The series was recently nominated for a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) image award for outstanding animated series.

3 - ‘Mama K's Team 4’

Netflix’s first African animation acquisition, this 2019 film with a hip-hop vibe is about four teenage Zambian girls who moonlight as spies with a retired secret service agent in a futuristic Lusaka.

4 - Netflix Investing in the Future

Earlier this year, Netflix announced that it is committing $1 million to support sub-Saharan African film and TV students – further bolstering its investments in developing unique and local stories not captured elsewhere in its catalog.

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VOICE WONDERS

1 - Expanding Representation

It wasn’t until 2021 that The Simpsons finally transitioned to having Black voice actors speaking for Black characters. At a time when diversity remains a challenge, these voice actor stars from the world of gaming and film are breaking barriers.

2 - Ian Alexander

A rare Vietnamese American trans actor in television, the 20-year-old Alexander represents Lev, a key character in the popular 2020 Playstation 4 video game The Last of Us Part II. But it’s as a no-holds barred defender of trans rights that he first gained prominence. In 2016, some University of California, Los Angeles, students held a sign that went viral and read “Transgenderism is a mental disorder!” Alexander, just 15 at the time, responded with a sign that was equally direct: “Shut the f*** up.”

3 - Gina Torres

On the legal sitcom Suits, she sliced through male arrogance with the cold precision of a trained closer. So it’s little surprise that Torres, the daughter of Cuban parents, was the voice behind the lethal bounty hunter Ketsu Onyo in the Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: Forces of Destiny animation films. What might surprise you is the inspiration for one of her characters: Kellyanne Conway.

4 - Omar Sy

The son of a Mauritanian mother and Senegalese father is currently having a moment as Assane Diop, a master thief in the Netflix show Lupin. But it’s as the voice of lead character Joe in the French-dubbed version of the 2020 Disney and Pixar’s animation film Soul that Sy might have left a deeper imprint. He was one of few Black men playing Joe, a person of color, mostly otherwise voiced in different languages by white actors.

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