AFRICAN SUPERHERO -JUNGLEMAN: An ambitious project eyes foreign-dominated animation market

Article Author: Frankie Eleanya on Businessday

Many African children grew up watching superhero animations from Disney and other Hollywood production companies. The animation industry in Africa has been dominated by foreign investors for many years despite its existence. Attempts at adding local content to the industry have been superficial because local investments are not able to match the scale of foreign investors.

The result is that the continent has no recognisable homegrown superheroes. In most cases, foreign studios have also attempted to create superheroes for the continent: Black Panther and The Woman King, among others.

One company is trying to change the story in Africa. TU Studios Africa may not have Disney’s $162 billion valuation nor its billion-dollar investment war chest, but it has an oversized ambition and a superhero character that when fully developed could potentially take on any Disney superhero.

JUNGLEMAN will be the first project under TU Studios Africa’s expanded broader vision for the creative industry in Africa. JUNGLEMAN’s creation is rooted in the desire to address the lack of a prominent African superhero in the global entertainment landscape. Superheroes tell a story about a people and often shape the narrative about them. In the case of Africa, the narrative has mainly been shaped by foreign production companies, which told the story of the continent from their understanding.

JUNGLEMAN is a storyline that seeks to build a comprehensive creative ecosystem around an original character. It is inspired by the rich diversity of African cultures, mythology, imagination and the desire to contribute to global representation. It aims to not only tell a compelling superhero story but also weave it into different aspects of popular culture, including animation, gaming, high fashion, and merchandise.

“To realise our vision, the concept had to be authentically African, relatable, and inspiring,” said the creator of the project Jeffrey Uzoma Fidelis, a multi-disciplinary creative designer based in Johannesburg, South Africa. “We’re currently showcasing the project through what I term ‘interactive teaser marketing,’ a method that involves our potential audience in building the brand. While we have a strategic plan, we aim to make our audience feel integral to the journey until the eagerly anticipated day when we fully unveil the project.”

TU Studios Africa, which is expecting that a captivating superhero storyline would attract large audiences to the project, would collaborate with established production houses to bring it to reality. Market research suggests that a successful film and television franchise can generate revenue of up to $500 million annually. JUNGLEMAN also projects annual revenue of $200 million in gaming alone. This it hopes to achieve by developing innovative, immersive video games with captivating storylines and engaging gameplay. It also expects additional revenue from in-game purchases, merchandise tie-ins, and licensing agreements. The company plans to leverage the popularity of the superhero brand to grow demand for a fashion brand that is expected to become mainstream as a result of the film. The company estimates revenue of $150 million from this unit.