Nigeria: Booming Animation Industry Remains the Future of the Creative Sector - Osinbajo

20 May 2023
Vanguard (Lagos)
By Benjamin Njoku

...as he attends private screening of 'Gammy and the Living Things'

Standing ovation greeted the private screening of the first ever animated musical in Nigeria, "Gammy and the Living Things" which held last weekend at Film House Cinemas, Landmark Centre, Lagos, which had in attendance Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo SAN, who was the Special Guest of Honour at the event.

Produced by Utricle Studios owned by Nduka Enweliku, "Gammy and the Living Things" is a family-friendly animation musical that showcases the potential of Africa. The movie combines Nigerian storytelling, music, and art with a Pan-African cast and a global perspective. It features a 13-track album with a hybrid of song remakes by popular Nigerian music superstars from the 80s and 90s, as well as unforgettable original tracks.

The film, which aims to change the narrative of African animation, assembled a cast of over 40 animated characters voiced by some of the best performers in Nigeria and Africa.

Starring the likes of Jude "MI" Abaga, Joke Silva, Bimbo Akintola, Segun Arinze, Pete Edochie, John Dumelo (Ghana), Ruby Gyang, Bovi, late Sadiq Daba, and Avril (Kenya) among other, the movie has been described as the future of the Nigerian movie industry.

The music album for the movie titled "Rites of Passage" features an impressive selection of music talents, including TuFace, M.I Abaga, Made Kuti, Timi Dakolo, Waje, Ric Hassani, Praiz, Johnny Drille, and Goya Menor. They created classic remakes from music veterans like Blakky, Ras Kimono, Majek Fashek, The Mandators, and William Onyeabor, adding to the album's unique and captivating sound.

Speaking at the event, Osinbajo reiterated the potential opportunities in the creative sector with a special focus on the animation industry. He stressed that the animation industry has a huge potential for exportable content, leading to job creation for thousands of young Nigerians.

Professor Osinbajo praised the team at Utricle Studios and Uphorik Sounds for their outstanding work in producing a top-notch movie of this caliber with a team of creatives based in Nigeria. He described "Gammy and the Living Things" as a revolutionary debut film that highlights Africa's immense talent, innovation, creativity, and resourcefulness.

Veteran actor, Segun Arinze and film maker, Charles Novia, commended the producers of the animated musical, saying " it's the future of Nollywood. Enweliku said that he was driven by the desire to tell the African story through animation.

"Our stories are not being told in animations, others are telling our stories and we have not done enough of animations because we consume too much of foreign animations. As a result, we have decided to tell our African story," Enweliku's added.

Read the original article on Vanguard.

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