Nigerian animation was once regarded as a fringe art form but, over the years, it has gained mainstream attention as the industry became more upgraded. The avatars from this burgeoning landscape have mostly been male – the crime-fighting superhero Bros Jamiu, Sango in the 3D short film Dawn of Thunder, Richard Oboh’s Ovie and Wale, Eric Umusu’s Plaything, which features Ayodeji, a boy whose boring afternoon takes a thrilling turn when he discovers his toys can do much more than just lie around in a pile.

Whenever women are written into animation, they often don’t shine as their male counterparts, a testament of the male-dominated space of animators, 3D generalists and digital artists. But Maliko: Warrior Queen is a breath of fresh air, an animation from YouNeek Studios and home to comic superheroes like EXO, Fury, Oniku, Dreds, Windmaker, etc.

Malika ?? is here ?! STOP EVERYTHING you’re doing and watch this amazing, animated teaser trailer! Once you’re done, please head over to bit.ly/MalikaAnimation (LINK IN BIO) to watch additional footage and support us on Kickstarter as we try to make this into a FULL animated series ?? Gorgeous 15-century Africa, magical swords, dragons, love, betrayal, politics. This animated EPIC has it all! Check it out and SHARE SHARE SHARE! Animation by @anthillstudios_ music by @iamazemusic & @iamfemd #MalikaAnimation #MWQ #AfricanAnimation #NigerianAmination #AfricanSuperhero #AfricanFantasy cc @niyi_akinmolayan @akpangodwin @eriumusu

A post shared by Youneek Studios (@youneekstudios) on Jul 24, 2018 at 6:45am PDT

An adaption of award-winning graphic novel series Malika & E.X.O, Malika: Warrior Queen is historical fantasy set in 15-century West Africa and follows the exploits of Queen and military commander Malika, who struggles to keep the peace in her ever-expanding empire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Growing up as a prodigy, Malika inherited the crown from her father in the most unusual of circumstances, splitting the Kingdom of Azzazz in half. After years of civil war, Malika was able to unite all of Azzaz, expanding it into one of the largest empires in all of West Africa.

But expansion would not come without its costs. Enemies begin rise within her council, and Azzaz grabs the attention of the most feared superpower the world has ever known: the Ming Dynasty

As Malika fights to win the clandestine civil war within the walls of her empire, she must now turn her attention to an indomitable and treacherous foe than plans to vanish her entire people. From dragons to mythical relics, a feuding royal family and magical swords, the story of Malika: Warrior Queen stays true to the fantasy genre while adding something new by setting familiar concepts in an awe-inspiring African setting.

Written by the CEO of YouNeek Studios Roye Okupe, Malika: Warrior Queen is not yet a finished product as the just-released teaser doubles as Kickstarter campaign aimed at raising $15,000 to cover the entire animation production cost. I’d like to see the full length of the animation, given the plot synopsis and how it puts women in gender-defying roles.

You can fund the project via the Kickstarter profile of the animation here.