Recap To The Year: Showmax Is Now Producing Original Animated Series (And Movies), Might Launch It Elsewhere

During the year, Showmax launched its first ever original animated series, Jay Jay The Chosen One. Inspired by the football legend Jay-Jay Okocha, it follows Austin, an 11-year-old football-loving school boy, blessed by animals with their abilities, becomes

the superhero Jay Jay, who tackles poachers and guides his school football team to victory.

At the time, it was stated that the streamer was looking to do short term series and depending on how the content performs they would look into rolling out more animation projects. So there entered the South African comedy Twende as the streamer's second attempt at animation.

The show follows a pangolin — an endangered species which is the slowest on the savannah and the most-trafficked type of animal in the world — who makes up for his natural lack of speed by driving a motorcycle taxi. A pilot was screened at Annecy back in 2021 and MultiChoice Studios handles international sales.

“Our long-term goal is to build the animation industry on our continent and to give our children characters and stories that reflect, educate and inspire them, and content they can enjoy with their parents,” says Phahle. “Ultimately we believe that if we do this well enough, the stories will also find audiences outside of Africa.”

Last month, Indigenous Film Distribution unveiled Headspace, the exciting new animation sci-fi feature from Johannesburg’s Luma Animation. The film starts with a freak accident, where Max, Sophie and Gus of the Space Protection Force, and their microscopic spaceship The SPF50, take up residence inside 14-year-old Norman’s brain. 

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