The Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the world's foremost event celebrating all forms of animated cinema, is officially in full swing in Annecy, France. Founded in 1960, this annual gathering draws thousands of industry professionals and enthusiasts, making an Annecy award a coveted honor in the animation world.
And this year, fans are getting a thrilling peek behind the curtain of Marvel's enigmatic Eyes of Wakanda animated series, set to premiere on Disney+. Series creator, director, and executive producer Todd Harris is on hand at the festival for a special screening and a Q&A session, offering fresh insights into the highly anticipated project.
The fact that Marvel is bringing Eyes of Wakanda to such a prestigious event signals their confidence in the series, which looks to deliver a deeper dive into the rich history and untold stories of the technologically advanced fictitious African nation.
Per Variety, we now have intriguing new details on the mysterious show's premiere:
- The first episode is titled Into the Lion’s Den, it's set in 1260 B.C.
- the series follows a disgraced former Dora Milaje, turned War Dog named Noni (voiced by Winnie Harlow)
- she is in pursuit of a former Wakandan royal guard turned pirate, named Lion (voiced by Cress Williams)
- Lion has stolen tech from Wakanda and wants to start his own kingdom
- Lion has a crew of pirates assembled from top fighters around the world
- each of the show's four episodes will recount efforts to recapture and reclaim stolen tech and artifacts from Wakanda- during different time periods
- the continuing thread through all these episodes will be the ramifications and fallout from Lion's initial theft
- “There will be an Iron Fist in here, and not the Iron Fist you expect,” teased Harris to the crowd.
Previously, Brad Winderbaum, Marvel Studios' Head of Marvel Streaming, Television and Animation, shared, "Eyes of Wakanda, more than any other show we're doing in animation, ties directly into the MCU."
"This is a story about Wakandan history. It's produced by Ryan Coogler and directed by Todd Harris who is one of our longtime storyboard artists who I first met when he designed the Hulk vs. Thor fight in Ragnarok."
"It's an awesome show. The action is insane and the storytelling is fantastic. It's both about the history of Wakanda, but also expands into the greater MCU at different time periods," he explained. "If you're a fan of the movies, I think this show is going to be a real treat."
Eyes of Wakanda will premiere on Disney+ on August 6, 2025.
The voice cast for the series features Harlow, Williams, Patricia Belcher, Lynn Whitfield, Anika Noni Rose, Steve Toussaint, Gary Anthony Williams, Jacques Colimon, and more. Black Panther's Ryan Googler executive produces the series. Marc Bernardin previously disclosed that he wrote two of the show's four episodes.