Africanfuturist adventure has some scares and violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
A major plot point is a crime ring who kidnaps children and holds them for ransom. The main character gets kidnapped. There's no violence or threat towards her, and it ends well. Several scenes have ominous undertones, and some feature fist fights. In one scene the villains threaten with hologram weapons, but it turns out to be a simulation. Characters have mild fear when they're in peril, but no scenes feel particularly tense.
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Some characters are wealthy and greedy, and they are shown in contrast to the poor people who live on the mainland. Wealth is not aspirational and much of the plot is a commentary on the wealth inequity in Lagos.
Diverse Representations
a lot
The entire show takes place in Lagos, Nigeria, and the characters are all Black Nigerians. They are well-rounded characters with varying personalities and motivations. The show has both wealthy and working-class main characters, and the class and wealth divide are a central part of the storyline. For many kids in the U.S., this series may be their first pop culture introduction to an African city.
Positive messages around being kind to everyone no matter wealth or social status, and an optimistic view of Nigeria's future.
Positive Role Models
some
Main character Tola is kind and treats everyone with respect (especially notable since she lives a sheltered and wealthy life). Her best friend Kole is also kind and helpful, even when navigating the obstacles of his family's financial situation.
Educational Value
a little
Offers insight into Nigerian culture and life in Lagos, some learning potential for kids not familiar with either. Discusses wealth and class in a thought-provoking way.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Iwájú (which roughly translates to "The Future") is an animated miniseries set in a futuristic Lagos, Nigeria. A major plot point involves a crime ring that kidnaps children and holds them for ransom. Main character Tola (Simisola Gbadamosi) gets kidnapped, but it ends well. Several scenes have ominous undertones, and there's fighting. Characters show mild fear when they're in peril, but no scenes feel particularly tense. Tola comes from extreme wealth, and much of the plot is a commentary on the inequity in Lagos.
This was great! 🎊🎉 Even as an adult, I found it highly entertaining. Both parents and children can enjoy this together whether you are familiar with Nigerian culture or not.
I appreciated how each episode allowed the main characters’ background to unravel. They didn’t just give it to us all at once. 👍This series ended much too soon!!! We must have more…
Movie maybe?
Iwaju is a wonderful animated series kids and parents can enjoy. Disney did something incredibly different and reached out to Nigerian creatives. The Nigerian creators and cultural consultants made sure the characters were based on and represented a culture that exists... and it works very well. So congrats to Disney for working with Nigerians to bring cultural authenticity.
Iwaju feels more real, grounded on real issues like friendships, parental hardships and poverty. Parents struggle with money, overwork, neglect and moral values. These are good themes to help kids cope with their own understanding of how the world works.
Concerned parents will be happy to know Iwaju is finally a woke-free animation for kids to watch. Everyone knows Disney has been caught up with the 'Go Woke, go Broke' thing. Iwaju has no sexualizing themes or gender politics.
In Iwaju a kid works hard to earn money to save his sick mother and wants to become a doctor to save her and have a better life. He struggles with powerful adults influencing him to do bad things, but ultimately he chooses to do the right thing. Now that's the type of strong characters Disney executives/creatives should do more.
Overall Iwaju is a great family fun animated TV mini-series filled with interesting character arcs, engaging storylines and fantastic animation and production design. Some of the adults/villains can be a bit scary but not too much. Hopefully, we will see more of Iwaju, it's Nigerian creatives and Disney's bold new partnerships.
What's the Story?
In IWÁJÚ, Tola is a wealthy ten-year-old living in the Lagos, Nigeria of the future. She's got the latest gadgets and a personal driver who can activate flight mode to get out of Lagos traffic jams. Tola's distant father, Tunde (Dayo Okeniyi), is always too busy working on his very important job to pay attention to her. Tunde's secret job is developing a crime-fighting robotic lizard. He hopes his lizard prototype will protect wealthy families' children (like his own Tola) from the ever-present kidnappings in Lagos. The kidnapping ring is headed by Bode (Femi Branch), an enormous man who evaluates potential victims with special glasses that display a parent's net worth. When Bode succeeds at kidnapping Tola, can her dad and her pet robot lizard Otin rescue her?
Iwájú seems like a rough draft with a lot of potential. It's a co-production between Disney and African creators, and the futuristic Lagos story-world they've created is delightful. However, the characters are somewhat one-note and don't change much over time. Some plot details are a bit hard to follow over the 6 episodes, while others are cliche and predictable. Kid viewers will likely enjoy the series but not fall in love with it (and the kidnapping theme may be entirely too much for some).
On the plus side, the story brings a fresh perspective to many American viewers. For many kids growing up in the U.S., Iwájú may be their first pop culture exposure to life in a modern African city and to Nigerian culture. Iwájú is a sharp cultural critique on the inequality and class divisions in modern-day Lagos. It's hard to think of an American-produced kids' series that places such a magnifying glass on our own racial and class realities. Iwájú has many sparks of good ideas, but falls a bit flat in execution.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about wealth and inequality in Iwájú. What does "class" mean in this context? How do the differences in the characters' different class statuses drive the story?
What do you think the show's creators are trying to say about inequality in Lagos? Do you notice any similarities and differences between inequality in Lagos and inequality where you live?
While the show is set in the future, the show's creators wanted the city to feel a lot like present-day Lagos. Based on what you see the show, what do you think Lagos is like? What are you curious to know more about? How can we find out more about Lagos?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
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Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Ashley Moulton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
