Last week, Nigerian animated feature Gammy & the Living Things debuted at Filmhouse Cinemas in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Gammy and the Living Things is a musical cg-animated feature that tells the story of Gammy, an agama lizard who has dreams that reach far beyond the borders of his local ecosystem. A musician by trade, Gammy wants to take his talents to Lagos and find out if he can make it big.
In attendance at the premiere were the film’s writer-director, some crew, musicians, the main voice cast, and Nigerian vice president Yemi Osinbajo.
It’s not every day that a near head of state attends the screening of an animated film, but Gammy & the Living Things is one of Nigeria’s first animated features and is representative of the rapid growth of the country’s screen industries.
“This is really, really exciting and I want to congratulate the Utricle Studios and the Euphoric Sounds for an excellent performance,” Osinbajo said, singling out the film’s production company and the musical group that wrote the original songs featured in Gammy. He also had kind words for several of the Nigerian film stars who lent their voices to the film, praising them for getting involved in the early days of Nigerian feature animation.
Writer-director Ikem Isiekwena addressed the audience and explained his team’s ambitions in producing Gammy and the Living Things. “We wanted to create a true classic that fuses picture, music, the orchestral culture, history, comedy, and some social commentary, into an entertaining masterpiece,” he said.
According to Isiekwena, Gammy is far more than just a talented reptile. He says that the film’s protagonist “symbolizes the spirit of the everyday dreamer yearning for something more than the monotonous routine of mundane life. He is irresistibly drawn to the allure and excitement of Lagos, a city pulsating with possibilities where success and greatness seem within reach.”
