Munki and Trunk on world adventure

MZANSI’S Munki and Trunk is going global.

The local 3D animation series, which will premiere on Nickelodeon next month, has secured an international distribution deal.

The non-dialogue preschool series‚ aimed at children four to seven years old, is a comedy adventure set in the jungle. The show follows the shenanigans of Munki‚ a banana-loving monkey and his best friend‚ Trunk‚ a big-hearted elephant.

Together with their feline friends‚ the two explore their jungle world‚ facing their fears and helping their friends along the way.

Munki and Trunk was created by Cape Town company Sunrise Productions and will be distributed in 75 territories worldwide by Aardman Animations.

Nickelodeon channel director Tasania Parsadh hailed this as the channel’s first locally produced animation show‚ adding that the dialogue-free approach made it more accessible as there were no language barriers. “This is African storytelling,” she said. Munki and Trunk features strong themes of friendship‚ problem-solving through humour and fun while cultivating a love and awareness of nature.

Sunrise Productions first made history in 2003 with the release of the first feature-length animation to come out of Africa‚ The Legend of the Sky Kingdom.

This was followed by the award-winning short animation children’s series‚ Jungle Beat‚ which aired on SABC and is available on ShowMax.

They then produced Once Upon a Stable‚ an award-winning animated TV special.

Sunrise Productions founder Phil Cunningham said their passion was telling stories that had the power to impact on communities and inspire individuals to do great things.