SA animation series set for international release
Mzansi’s Munki and Trunk are going global. The local 3D animation series which will premiere on Nickelodeon next month has secured an international distribution deal.
The non-dialogue pre-school series‚ aimed at kids 4 to 7 years old is a comedy adventure set in the jungle. The show follows the shenanigans of Munki‚ a banana-loving monkey and his best friend‚ Trunk‚ a big-hearted elephant.
Together with their feline friends‚ the duo explore their jungle world‚ facing their fears and helping their friends along the way.
Munki and Trunk was created by Cape Town-based company Sunrise Productions and will be distributed in 75 territories worldwide by Aardman Animations.
Nickelodeon channel director Tasania Parsadh hailed this as the channel’s first locally-produced animation show‚ adding that the dialogue-free approach made it more accessible as there were no language barriers.
“This is African story-telling where the characters are relatable‚ there is a strong friendship theme and the storylines are really fun and humorous in a wonderful wholesome kid-friendly manner‚” Parsadh said.
Munki and Trunk feature strong themes of friendship‚ problem-solving through humour and fun while cultivating a love and awareness of nature.
Sunrise Productions first made history in 2003 with the release of the first feature-length animation to come out of Africa‚ The Legend of the Sky Kingdom. This was followed by the multi-award-winning short animation children’s series‚ Jungle Beat‚ which aired on SABC and is available on ShowMax. They then produced Once Upon a Stable‚ an award-winning animated TV special.
Phil Cunningham‚ founder of Sunrise Productions‚ said their passion was telling stories that had the power to impact on communities and inspire individuals to do great things.
“It’s exciting for us and the local industry to see home-grown stories on amazing platforms like Nickelodeon and reaching so many countries. Obviously getting such great reach is wonderful for our local industry from a business point of view‚ but great businesses and industries grow from great values and genuine passion‚ so mostly we are delighted to see the greater goal of positive stories reaching so many people‚” Cunningham said. Cunningham added that the local animation industry was in a “vibrant wonderful” place and was growing.
“There is fantastic growth and energy and whilst there is still a long way to go in terms of maturing into a credible world leader‚ the platform has been laid by many brave visionaries‚” Cunningham said.
There are no humans in Munki and Trunk’s world. Their other friends include their grumpy neighbour‚ Humph the hedgehog who’s prickly on the outside‚ but shows a soft side sometimes. There’s their awkward friend Tallbert the giraffe and Rocky the rhino‚ who’s more dog than rhino‚ and Mama ostrich‚ who has her hands full with her baby and troublesome unhatched twosome.
There’s also Ribbert the frog‚ who minds his own business‚ and Hue the chameleon. Others in the jungle are Buzby‚ the friendly worker bee and his not-so-friendly leader and swarm‚ and little Ray the firefly who you may see come out at night.