After years away from the spotlight, Nigerian animator Ridwan Olanrewaju Moshood appears to be making a comeback.
The creator of Garbage Boy and Trash Can has announced that his independent animated project In My Hood is finally moving forward again.
Moshood made the announcement on August 6, revealing early storyboard images from Episode 1 and admitting that production had been paused because of one of the oldest villains in independent animation, money.
From Being Bullied to Cartoon Network
Moshood is no stranger to beating the odds. His Garbage Boy and Trash Can began after his experiences with childhood bullying and eventually grew from a personal project into a Cartoon Network Africa series after he won the network’s Creative Lab initiative.
The series, produced through a collaboration involving Moshood, Baboon Animation and the African Animation Network, premiered on Cartoon Network Africa in 2023 and was billed as the first African-produced Cartoon Network superhero comedy series.
Despite that breakthrough, Moshood says In My Hood eventually had to go on ice while he dealt with funding challenges.
Now, he’s back with storyboard shots and a promise to continue production.
Can In My Hood Finally Escape Development Hell?
Set in Lagos and aimed at young African audiences, In My Hood has been described as an educational animated series developed with artists working remotely across the continent.
For an animator who already went from self-taught creator to Cartoon Network, this comeback raises one interesting question:
Can Ridwan Moshood turn In My Hood into his next big African animation breakthrough?
The hood, apparently, is calling again.