CRAFTED BY HANDS OF THE PAST TO BE HEARD BY VISIONS OF THE PRESENT: THE AFRICAN ANIMATION VISUAL STYLE IN A GROWING ANIMATION WORLD

When people think of animation, their minds often gravitate to the dominant giants of the medium, mostly Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Studio Ghibli, or even Japanese anime. 

These industries have shaped what global audiences expect from animated storytelling, in terms of specific visual styles, character arcs, humor, music, and even pacing.

But as animation continues to grow and develop through the years, lots of regions have yet to speak fully, with their visual styles and aesthetics.

In every animated world, visual design is storytelling. From the sweeping skies of The Lion King to the neon Tokyo of Akira, the way a world looks often tells the audience more than the script ever could.

For African animation, that visual language is still being defined. The question isn’t just what we want to show, but how we want to be seen.

So what does Africa look like in animation?

As more animation continues to burst onto the screens from Africa, where does that leave African animation? Is it supposed to mirror what has already been established? Or is there room to forge something entirely new, that is, rooted in African experiences, visual languages, and philosophies?

This question is at the heart of Africa's animated awakening, how do we move beyond mimicry to being seen, and instead, define our own animation aesthetic?

The Trap of Emulation

Since the growth of globalization since the onset of a lot of African countries gaining their own independence there has been lots of influence on various norms in society.

For years, African creators, whether in film, literature, or animation, have often been measured against Western or Asian standards. In animation, that often translates to:

- Characters modeled after Pixar-style proportions.

- Visual palettes that mimic anime.

- Story arcs that follow Hollywood’s hero’s journey template.

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with learning from global craft, the problem emerges when emulation replaces identity. With a diverse range of tribes, cultures and traditions, Africa carries a distinct palette of inspiration to be able to create animation visuals that can inspire a lot. Even from the various art works in African art.

By abiding to the range of visual aesthetics that influence our films, we can can limit the range of stories we tell and how we visually express them. It boxes us into replicating what’s already out there rather than inventing what could be uniquely ours.

The Problem with Default Visuals

From another perspective, when many people imagine “Africa” in media, a handful of clichés still dominate:

- Golden savannas and sunsets.

- Tribal patterns applied superficially.

- “African” villages that look oddly the same, regardless of region.

- Dust, poverty and struggle are overexposed as the continent’s primary aesthetic.

In animation, where design choices are deliberate and every detail is crafted, this lack of nuance becomes even more glaring. Africa becomes a vague backdrop, rather than a richly textured world.

But African animation is beginning to challenge this, layer by layer.

African visual inspirations exist

It might look like, gaining an African visual aesthetic or art direction can be a challenge to be unique, but the inspirations are not too far from us and where to look. In pre-colonial African era, they were several ways in which tribes, captured the makings of their huts, homes, sculptures, ornaments, costumes and many more.

They were often rooted in a lot of abstraction and symbolism, often depicting figures and objects that were exaggerated in forms and shapes, which symbolized various roles in society. What does this mean from an animators lens?

When it comes to character design and world building, they can approach their work with a good appeal towards symbolism and richness towards tradition of their respective cultures.

Therefore, as an animator, what does this bring for you, in a growing digital age?

What Does an African Aesthetic Look Like?

An African animation aesthetic doesn’t mean homogeneity. 

Africa is not a monolith, especially, with 54 countries, thousands of ethnic groups, languages, and styles. However, there are some shared storytelling traditions and visual cues that can shape a continental visual identity:

Textile & Pattern as Design Language

African cultures are rich in visual patterning.

Kente from Ghana. Adire from Nigeria. Mudcloth from Mali. Maasai beadwork from Kenya.
These aren’t just fashion, they're codes. These patterns can inform costume design, environment textures, transitions between scenes, and even serve as symbols of character evolution.

Imagine an animation where a character’s growth is tracked through changes in their textile pattern, the way a samurai might earn new armor.

This can be strong for being able to advise character design and creating a diverse set of costumes and attires which can be both symbolic and appealing.

Architecture and Space

From the round mud-brick homes of the Sahel to the futuristic skyline of Kigali, Africa has a range of architectural identities that can redefine world-building.

Cities don’t need to mimic New York or Tokyo. They can feel like Lagos in 2090, Accra with floating markets, or a mystical Timbuktu of the ancestors.

Hairstyles and Body Aesthetics

Hair in many African cultures is not just style, it reflects, it’s history, spirituality and identity. Dreadlocks, bantu knots or fulani braids, each has visual storytelling potential. Facial markings, scarification, or tribal tattoos can reflect a character’s background, status, or journey.

Nature and the Supernatural

Africa’s relationship with nature is spiritual and layered. Trees can be sacred. Rivers have spirits. The night sky is alive.
Instead of treating nature as just a backdrop, African animation can animate the landscape itself as a living presence.

Non-Linear Storytelling

Unlike Western storytelling, many African oral traditions are circular, not linear. They involve digressions, proverbs, and audience participation. Animation offers the perfect medium to bring these non-linear, immersive story worlds to life.

This can bring a fresh perspective toward approaching storytelling and help writers see their technical aspects into a new dimension, with the themes they wish to explore or bring new relevance to culture and society.

Spirituality and Symbolism

In many African societies, the line between the spiritual and the physical is porous. Animations like "Moremi" and "The Legend of Orisha" show how the visual medium can fluidly represent spirit beings, dreamscapes, or ancestral realms in uniquely African ways.

When it is brought towards animation, this can bring a new angle towards the genre of fantasy and mysticism, and can have a growing impact when approaching stories, and how this genre is perceived globally and even within the continent.

Color, Rhythm, and Sound

African visual storytelling is loud in the best way, a boiling pot rich in color, dynamic in movement, and vibrant in sound. Think of how traditional drumming, chanting, and call-and-response could become core parts of sound design, not just background scores.

What’s are the examples of reaching the visual aesthetic?

We’re already seeing promising examples of African aesthetics taking shape:

- Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire gives us high-concept sci-fi stories that still feel grounded in African cities, dialects, and histories.

- Moremi uses minimalist character design but leans into shadow, sound, and mysticism to portray Yoruba cosmology.

- Studios like Triggerfish (South Africa) and Anthill (Nigeria) are creating content that feels distinct, less about imitation and more about innovation.

Inspiration Beyond the Obvious

All the same, Africa has more to offer than the “traditional” look. A few less obvious sources of visual inspiration: 

- Futuristic Afro-urbanism: Think electric buses in Nairobi, solar cities in Rwanda, high-rise markets in Kinshasa. Blend sci-fi with real African innovation.

- Spiritual symbolism: Use Adinkra symbols, Dogon cosmology, or Egyptian hieroglyphs as design motifs that influence movement, animation style, or magical systems.

- Art history: Pull from contemporary African painters, graffiti, or street art scenes in Dakar, Johannesburg, or Lusaka for vibrant, modern aesthetics.

The Challenges

Despite this momentum, African animation still faces structural hurdles:

- Funding constraints often mean creators have to appeal to Western gatekeepers.

- Market expectations push studios toward “proven” visual styles rather than untested local ones.

- Lack of animation schools and pipelines mean creators often learn from Western tutorials, shaping how they animate and frame stories.

Yet these challenges also present opportunities: the chance to question assumptions, redefine conventions, and push boundaries.

What's next & Looking Ahead: A New Visual Vocabulary

If Africa is to define its own animation aesthetic, it will need:

- Bravery – to trust our stories and artistic instincts.

- Experimentation – to blur the lines between traditional and digital, folklore and sci-fi.

- Community – to build regional collaborations and continental support systems.

Because ultimately, the African animation aesthetic isn’t just about how our content looks, it’s about how it feels, moves, sounds, and resonates.

Conclusion

Africa, despite it's many challenges, has a rich pot to borrow from in terms of getting a visual aesthetics. The big question that looms around the world is between Africa standing with its authenticity and being able to appease and stick with trends to make us marketable.

However, moving beyond the trends and norms of animated content in the world, is not about rejecting influence, it's about owning the lens through which we tell our stories. Africa’s history, myths, textures, and rhythms deserve to be seen not through borrowed frames, but through homegrown, hand-drawn and code-crafted visions.

We are not merely coloring within the lines.
We’re redrawing the lines entirely.

As this comes to a close, are there specific visual aesthetics that you would see African animation take as it continues to grow? Let us know in the comments.