Mkhuzi

 OVERSEEING ART DIRECTOR KIZAZI MOTO

MKHUZI

Directed by Simangaliso ‘Panda’ Sibaya and Malcom Wope – South Africa

Manzo is a half-human, half-alien teenager who dreams of becoming a superstar racer like his mother, the legendary masked racer Mkhuzi. Always struggling to reconcile his Zulu heritage with his alien blood, Manzo is outraged when aliens threaten to destroy his Soweto neighbourhood and his injured mother challenges her old nemesis Ogun, an alien overlord, to a re-match he knows she won’t survive. Manzo takes the mask for himself and joins the epic race with everything he loves at stake.

Mkhuzi was awarded to Irish 2D animation Studio Meala. Mkhuzi aesthetic was heavily influenced by Manga. The Directors Malcolm Wope and Panda Simangaliso Sibaya are both visual artists. They did an extensive exploration into the look and feel of the show initially. This established the entire look and adhering to their visual bible was maintained throughout. Although their styles are markedly different, the marriage of both was incredibly succesful.

Studio Meala Art Director Sinead O’Regan