Growing up, it was Josie and the Pussycats who fought crime and played in a rock band. Yeah, even then, it was a silly idea. So what would a modern take look like? Still at the trailer stage, I present to you, Robyn Stalson-Johns’ The Adventures of Zizwe.
Robyn’s socially-relevant tale is about a group of revolutionary teenage girls, dubbing themselves Zizwe and the Mystics, and rocking their way to transforming the world around us. The team is led by Zizwe, a young Zulu mystic passionate about making environmental changes around the planet. She is led by her Grandmother Nomandala, who imparts wisdom to her by the ancient and noble, Baobab tree. Joining Zizwe are Maya—a Mayan from Mexico, Drui—a Celtic from Ireland, and Ras—an Aborigines from Australia. The quartet is superheroes by day and a rock band at night. Sounds silly but looks intriguing in the trailer.
“…dubbing themselves Zizwe and the Mystics, rocking their way to transforming the world around us.”
Only the trailer is available, and its animation style reminds me of the limited animation process of Saturday morning kids programming. Not only that, but the storytelling and superhero actions are on par with the fun and fantasy of Saturday mornings. Yes, its animation is old school, but with quality off-the-shelf animation software, telling fantastical stories is now accessible to indie filmmakers.
The audience for The Adventures of Zizwe is clearly for young teens and specifically young teen girls, and the trailer teases enough excitement to at least check out the first few episodes when they premiere.
For more information, visit The Adventures of Zizwe official website.
"…on par with the fun and fantasy of Saturday mornings."
