For the first time in its 100-year history, Walt Disney Animation has cooperated with an outside animation studio on a project. The result is lwájú, an interesting and original six-part series set in a futuristic version of Lagos, Africa. It was created with the Pan-African entertainment company Kugali and premieres (首映) on Disney+ on February 28.
lwájú is a story about Tola, a young girl from a wealthy family, and her best friend, Kole, a self-taught tech expert, and their discovery of the secrets and dangers hidden in their different worlds. The show explores inequality and the idea of challenging society’s standards. Like the Disney+ series Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire, Marvel’s Black Panther films, and the Netflix animated series My Dad the Bounty Hunter, lwájú is part of a genre (体裁) called Afrofuturism. It combines elements of science fiction, the culture and history of Africa and Africans, fantasy, and a vision of a better future.
The series was directed by Adeola, “lwájú was born from my personal inspiration to tell a story about Lagos because one of the unique things I noticed is how the geography actually supports the societal divide in a way that is very obvious,” Adeola told in the interview, “In Lagos, the wealthy people live on the island, and the working class and poor people live on the mainland. So you literally see a body of water separating rich and poor. And so I thought that was a really interesting foundation upon which to build a science-fiction story.”
Adeola called lwájú “a love letter to Lagos” and said every frame praises the city’s diversity and spirit. The characters, he explained, represent typical types of Nigerian people and they wear clothing inspired by traditional African textiles (纺织品).
While the series of films questions the divisions in society, Adeola said it also highlights the bravery required to disrupt them. He added that he hopes lwájú inspires audiences to find strength in unity and the courage to dream of change.
【小题1】What’s the similarity between lwájú and other Disney+ series according to the text?| A．They are adventurous stories. |
| B．They explore inequality and challenge society’s standards. |
| C．They combine African traditional culture and futurism. |
| D．They are produced by Walt Disney Animation independently. |
| A．The society is rarely divided by geography. |
| B．Generally, upper class live on the mainland. |
| C．Adeola’s friend inspired him to film lwájú. |
| D．The poor and rich are separated quite clearly. |
| A．Break. | B．Obtain. | C．Estimate. | D．Distinguish. |
| A．Imaginary and humorous. | B．Innovative and realistic. |
| C．Attractive and inspiring. | D．Critical and multicultural. |
