Kenyan company Homeboyz has made a breakthrough for African animation as Tinga Tinga Tales, the TV series it co-produced with U.K.’s Tiger Aspect, is set to debut on CBeebies this spring, according to Variety.
The series’ 52 segments are based on the folk tales of Kenya and Tanzania, and its producers are hoping the series’ success will help spark to life an animation industry in east Africa.
Claudia Lloyd, Tiger Aspect’s BAFTA-winning head of animation, told the trade her inspiration for the show came from her travels in east Africa, where she learned Swahili by reading children’s books. She envisioned a skein that would transfer those tales to the screen.
The animation is inspired by the distinctive Tinga Tinga paintings of Tanzania. The show’s images are hand-painted by local artists, then computer animated in Homeboyz’s Nairobi studio before being shipped to the U.K. for conversion to HD.
The series will make its American debut in 2011 on Playhouse Disney. Entertainment Rights has been tapped for global distribution.
