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A Young Girl Becomes One With the Sea in This New South African Animated Series

Isaura has some powerful friends in this new animated series.
Isaura has some powerful friends in this new animated series.
Image: Lucan

Thousands of miles away from Hollywood, a new heroine is being born. Her name is Isaura. She’s from Mozambique, can breathe underwater and talk to turtles, and wants to save the planet.

Isaura is the titular character of a new animated show by Cape Town, South Africa-based animation studio Lucan. The project is currently in development and without a distributor just yet, but the company has released a trailer to let people know about the show. And the trailer is gorgeous. Check it out.

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Isaura is a clearly Ghibli-influenced tale about the coastal folklore and culture of south and east Africa, wrapped up in an adventure about the dangers of climate change. The trailer was created by blending 3D environments, hand-drawn characters, and Unreal Engine. Yes: this show, like big Hollywood productions such as The Lion King before it, is adapting software traditionally used for gaming to streamline the production process. Very cool stuff.

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“We are very proud of the excitement Isaura has generated around the world,” Clayton Koski, co-creator of the show told io9 in a statement. “Isaura presents an opportunity to deal with the increasingly urgent issues of climate change and environmental devastation. We feel that it’s important to show this issue through the lens of those most affected, children. Her journey is both magical and grounded in the real world, and is a celebration of the youth movement for climate change, and the challenges they face.”

Unfortunately, while we’d watch a season of Isaura right this second, the show is still in production. There’s no immediate timeline of when, or where, it’ll be available to watch. So best to just keep an eye on Lucan’s site.

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