Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire (TV Series 2023– ) Poster

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6/10
More people need to see this, even though some of the segments are undercooked
TheVictoriousV15 August 2023
In my review of the latest volume of Star Wars: Visions, I spoke of the upsides of streaming (which is beginning to lose people, especially as movie theaters are coming back with a vengeance, with their Barbenheimers and Tom Cruise extravaganzas and what-have-you), arguing that streaming is best "when it gives an outlet to smaller creatives who may have gone unnoticed in the past"; something that also helps the output quotas of the platform in question and theoretically keeps people watching. Something else I mentioned was a studio called Triggerfish, a South African animation firm that created the final short film of that volume.

As chance would have it, they now get to bring their own animation anthology to the Disney+ screen and the millions of eyes that look there.

Of course, the operative word is "new", and although more and more people are getting tired of remakes, superhero titles, et al., I don't think the word "new" is as exciting to people as it might've once been. I first heard about the show in a discussion on Twitter, regarding representation in media and how tired people are of "race-bent characters" in the place of NEW and ORIGINAL characters to represent people of color. Sooner or later came this response, roughly paraphrased: "If you mean it, why aren't you talking about Kizazi Moto?"

Why indeed. This is, as dramatic as I may sound, a show that truly NEEDS to be a success. It's not just because it's "new" representation (unique voices being amplified, hailing from an area whose art so often gets pushed aside by mainstream slop) or "new", period -- as in, not based on an IP.

It's also because it's a really good show where each episode/short film is expressive, genuine, and imaginative in its own right -- even if some concepts feel a bit half-baked. The world-building and style of almost every episode suggest a pretty good would-be TV series, but we'll see if any of these concepts ever spin off into anything in particular.

It is an unfortunate fact of shows like this that they're sort of a modern-day What A Cartoon! Show, except none of the pilots get picked up.
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10/10
Concise, vibrant stories told with creative flair
danielpaton20 July 2023
It's rare in the current TV and streaming landscape to find a show as fresh and exciting as this. Each episode in this anthology series is very concise (average runtime is around the 10 minute mark) yet contains the kind of stunning imagery and emotional punches that hour-long series and feature length movies often struggle to deliver. The diverse animation on display across the ten pieces perfectly complement the speculative and culturally-dense African stories.

Highlights include episode 2 'Mhuzi: The Spirit Racer' and Episode 7: 'Hatima', though it's hard to find lowlights when what's on offer is such storytelling and visual gold.
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10/10
A wonderful anthology
calahao6 July 2023
Never in my wildest dreams wuld I imagine Disney of all things would support an afrofuturist* anthology. And although it's a shame to connect this work of art to Disney, it is still a solid anthology.

* I say afrofuturist but a lot of the shorts revolve around gods and spirits, so it's a very science fantasy afrofuturism.

While I feel a few shorts either had subpar animation or generic plots, most were surprisingly refreshing and play with cultural aspects, like bottled astrology in Stardust. It just goes to show that more filmakers from Africa need to tell their stories, which are inspiring.
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10/10
The Future is African
sinathikunene19 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I went into it sceptical, but it surpassed all of my expectations. The show featured a refreshing range of animation, a break from the Disney standard of animation that has taken over in recent years. I particularly enjoyed the use of indigenous languages (even though I couldn't understand all of them) as I feel, it helps ground the episodes in their established worlds. They all feature young children breaking barriers, and since all of them are African in some capacity, I think the message would be wonderful for younger, black kids to take away.

I think the decision to put 'Herderboy' as the first episode was a good one as it establishes what you can expect from the series going forward; stylized animation with a black cast, speaking in African languages while retelling and giving life to African stories that deserve to live another generation.

'First Totem Problems' touches on the aspects of death and the ancestors in a fun and light-hearted way, while delving into the complexities of having multiple identities and backgrounds at the same time, and finding acceptance and balance with all the different sides.

'Hatima', a story of sisters and the divide of sister nations touches on topics of war, division, anger and resentment, and it ends on a positive note, showing hope for a future where we realize that, in the end, we are all one.

My personal favourites are 'Mukudzei', 'You Give Me Heart', 'Stardust' and 'Enkai'.

If you enjoyed something like Love, Death and Robots, but wished it had more African stories, this one is for you.

I wish Disney had done more promotion for this show as many black children deserve to see themselves in stories as beautiful as these.

Kazazi Moto is a series that is pushing African animation forward, and I am desperately excited for the future.
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10/10
This is only the beginning of what Africa has to show!
theanicoledk7 July 2023
Both as an African and having worked on one of these episodes, it's been so incredible to see the realised journey of so much African talent. I've seen reviews discussing how they wish there had been more stories about ancestors and existing myths of Africa, but the point is that Africa is not only about this one facet of story telling- we have so much more to show and tell and it really is apparent in each and every episode here. The cultural relevance and local colloquialisms that are woven into each story bring out that sense of 'ubuntu' or 'togetherness' that we as Africans- whatever race or history you might be- take pride in. I highly recommend giving this series a watch- the more support, the more likely a season 2 gets made! Let's go!!
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10/10
Afrofuturism done right
CheMotswana8 July 2023
Kizazi Moto is afrofuturism done right . It has a lot of heart, loving local nuances, black writers who bring in those textures that hollywood would not know and every short has its own distinct look that celebrates the continent. The revolution is being televised and I am all for it.

The respect the anathalogy series shows to African Spirituality whilst also showcasing alternative futures with different animation styles is impressive. Theres different tonality to the animation, voice acting and stories, reflects the diversity of our continent and is captured beautifully.

Well done to the team, I'm hoping this is a start of seeing more black penned animation projects out of the continent.2023 is the year that animation is making a major comeback on all fronts, whether it be Super Mario, Across the Spider-verse now we can enter Kizazi Moto to that list.
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10/10
Despite the music, Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire is 10/10
nyadenyai7 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire; it is an action-packed animated sci-fi anthology that presents ten Afro-Future visions from Africa imagining brave new worlds of advanced technology, aliens, spirits, and monsters. This animated anthology brings together a new wave of animation stars to take you on a wildly entertaining ride into Africa's future. Inspired by the continent's diverse histories and cultures, these action-packed sci-fi and fantasy stories present bold visions of advanced technology, aliens, spirits and monsters imagined from uniquely African perspectives.

The release date of Kizazi Moto was on July 5, 2023 via Disney plus.

1) Herder Boy-presents to audiences a story similar to that of David & Goliath. 2) Mkhuzi: The Spirit Racer is a story of a young boy getting in-tuned with his ancestors to take on a top-competitor in racing. 3) Moremi brings to audiences the attention of tribes that offer sacrifices to the gods and the Most High along with a mother's love for her children. 4) Surf Sangoma is one of the darker stories with a sequel teased at the very end of the story. 5) First Totem Problems is about the unification of warring families. 6) Mukudzei: is both a story of how advanced Africa could be without European disturbances and also an action-packed story about how parents love their children. 7) Hatima, which is another action-packed story, has a deeper meaning about the negative impacts of tribal war-fare. 8) Stardust is a story about how destiny is something that one can either find in a scroll to nudge him/her in a certain direction or how one can create a destiny for himself/herself. 9) You Give Me Heart is the ultimate love-story set in the world of avatars and having followers on social media. 10) Enkai is about the innocence of a little girl, the protective spirit of a mother bound to protect her people, and the evils of mankind. The story Enkai teases a part-two as well.

CGI is at the heart of Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire.

Some of the stories require more research to understand the African culture so it is wise to watch this 10-part-series more than once. Luckily for audiences, the story-telling is spot-on and the voice-acting is a 10/10.
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