Disney Junior and Disney Plus debut Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes, about a 7-year-old African girl who transforms her hobbies of dancing and martial arts into superpowers, on March 22. One episode is on Disney Junior at 4 p.m. ET/PT that day, and four episodes go live on Disney Plus.
The animated show “provides big life lessons packaged into 11-minute episodes,” Disney said.
Kiya’s superhero name is Dance Ninja. Her friends Jay and Motsie go by Flying Rockstar and Tech Racer. When they put on their headbands adored with mystical Kimoja crystals, they turn into the Kimoja Heroes.
Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes features African and Asian characters and a southern Africa setting.
Hasbro’s Entertainment One (eOne) produces the show, with Frog Box, Triggerfish and France Télévisions. Robert Vargas came up with the concept, and South Africans Marc Dey and Kelly Dillon created the characters.
“In partnership with Disney Junior, Frog Box, Triggerfish and France Télévisions, we are so very delighted to bring Kiya & The Kimoja Heroes to audiences everywhere,” Esra Cafer, senior VP of global brand management at eOne Hasbro, said. “We have given a lot of thought and intention to developing fundamentally relatable characters that serve as great role models for young children. Kiya shows that you don’t have to choose between learning to dance or being a kick-butt hero — you can be both! She’s encouraging preschoolers to be whoever they want to be and shine.”
Triggerfish is an animation studio in Africa. “Our belief is that Kiya will represent and empower young girls to be leaders who can use their smarts and skills to solve big problems,” Tshepo Moche, writer and creative consultant at Triggerfish, said. “There is still a tremendous opportunity for representation and there has never been a better moment for the landscape of children’s programming to reflect the diversity and size of the audience they serve.” ■
