For the first time in its 100-year history, Disney has partnered with another company to create this lovely series. Kugali started as a Pan-African comic book enterprise, but they’ve expanded into this animation set in their home country of Nigeria. It revolves around Tola, a young girl beautifully voiced by Simisola Gbadamosi. Her sassy charm and adorable expressions will assure a place in Disney’s lineup of unique and lovable characters. Being Disney, there’s also a cute animal, a lizard native to the country with some fun powers. The animation is simply marvelous. The title translates into “future” and the designers have created a cool futuristic Lagos with exceptional design style. In an interestingly mature slant, the plot includes kidnapping and organized crime. What makes this series so special is the immersion into the country’s culture, including some dialogue in Pidgin English and an Afrobeat soundtrack. The series is rich and bright, exploding with color and life. Disney has decided to expand their worldwide collabs and this first one is a landmark of beautiful animation and cultural delights. Don’t let the fact that this is animation put you off…it’s a wonderful watch. (Six 30-minute eps) NOTE: There’s also a fascinating doc about Kugali and how the show happened also on Disney. (4.5 / 5)