Five years after Nigeria’s first animated feature-length film, ‘Lady Buckit and the Motley Mopsters’ (LBMM), made its debut, producer Blessing Amidu is returning to the world she helped create with ‘Secrets of the Multiverse,’ a sequel and this time, she’s not alone.
‘Secrets of the Multiverse’ (SOTM), a 13-episode animated spin-off, is being written entirely by her daughter, Emmanuella I. Amidu, a first-time screenwriter whose storytelling caught everyone, including her mother, by surprise. “The first episode she wrote was something else,” Blessing says. “It kind of blew me out of my mind.”
Before the script came the struggle. Blessing knew a sequel to ‘LBMM’ was inevitable, but the search for a writer proved costly and disappointing. “One of the things that set me off, actually, was when somebody told me that to write an episode of an animated series would be about $3,000,” she recalls. “I was shocked.”
She remembered her daughter’s unpublished short stories and asked her to write something new. “As God would have it, she says, “one of the short stories she wrote added so much potential for expansion that I just asked her to write six episodes.” What began as an experiment quickly became a serious project. Director Adebisi Adetayo, who helmed ‘LBMM’ and is returning for ‘SOTM,’ was impressed enough to ask for more episodes. Emmanuella wrote 13.
The resulting series follows two kids who stumble into the multiverse and must prevent an extinction-level event that threatens their world and tests their morals. “It’s about leadership,” Blessing notes. “It looks at the choices a leader must make and whether doing the wrong thing can ever be justified if it’s for the good of the people.”
For Emmanuella, the writing was deeply intentional. “I wanted something that would touch the hearts of children all over the world,” she shares. “And not just children, but adults too. Because let’s be honest, adults enjoy our shows more than their own.” She drew from lived experience, using writing as a way to stay rooted while studying abroad. “It was to remind me of who I am back home and all the things I’ve experienced and learnt,” she explains. “And it’s also for people my age to remember what makes us proud Africans.”
Balancing school with screenwriting was tough, but she found a rhythm. “There were many times I had to put the script down and focus on school,” she admits. “”I persevered. This is something I’m really passionate about.” The reward is a fully developed animated series headed to global streaming platforms, co-directed by Nigerian animator Adebisi Adetayo and Hollywood’s Robert Sledge. For Blessing, the cross-border collaboration is strategic. “It’s about expanding new frontiers,” she says. “When you work together in partnerships or collaborations, you tend to achieve much more than if you journeyed alone.”
Like ‘LBMM,’ ‘Secrets of the Multiverse’ is being produced in 4K, a quality standard that helped get their first film onto Netflix. “Even Disney didn’t release most of their animations in 4K at the time,” Blessing remarks. “But ‘LBMM’ did.” Despite this progress, the animation industry in Nigeria still faces steep challenges. “Funding is still a challenge,” Blessing says. “Animation is very expensive when compared to regular live-action. It could cost ₦500 million or more.”
The bigger problem, though, is distribution. “A lot of people have made amazing content that’s sitting in their studios because they don’t know where to sell it or who’s ready to buy,” she says. “Distribution is key. That’s what makes the difference.” There’s also the matter of perception. “There’s still some bias against productions coming out of Nigeria, especially animation,” she says. “People don’t pay enough attention until we do something that forces them to.”
Blessing is confident ‘SOTM’ will be that project. “By 2026, when we release the first six episodes, you’ll know that the Nigerian animation space has come to maturity,” she declares. Emmanuella, who hopes to become a full-time writer, sees ‘Secrets of the Multiverse’ as more than just a series. It’s a statement about ownership, creativity, and telling African stories on a global scale. “If I get to write for the rest of my life, I’ll honestly be so grateful,” she muses.
While the industry may still be finding its feet, this project stands as proof that homegrown talent, when nurtured and backed, can hold its own on the global stage.
