When Black Panther was released in February 2018 worldwide, Africans and the black community, in general, were proud and felt a sense of confidence. The movie, which was written by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, and directed by Ryan himself, was a huge success both on and off the screens.
The movie reassured Africans and people of African descent across the globe that there is hope for the black identity – which continues to suffer racial degradation and identity crisis.
It gave the younger generation a black hero they could relate better with and provided a symbolism of pride. Black Panther was also a timely intervention that gave a voice to the increasing racial unrest across the United States of America.
Another area in which the Black Panther movie pioneered a catalyst for change was in the way it encapsulated the issues affecting the average African in modern-day society. The movie uses a conscious balance to lead strong activism and invoke black consciousness.
Speaking to TIME magazine after the release of the movie, director Ryan Coogler was quoted as saying, “You have superhero films that are gritty dramas or action comedies, Superhero films that deal with issues of being of African descent.”
The movie, most importantly, gives viewers an overview of the wealth and strength of Africa before colonization – or if colonization was restricted. “It tries to work out what liberation looks like in the hands of black people,” Coogler added in his TIME interview.
Black Panther has contributed in no small way to the rise of black African characters in Hollywood animation movies. Despite the huge success of the American movie industry, only 5.6% of animated black characters are black out of the top 1,500 animation characters reviewed. Also, only 6% of the writers, directors, and producers in Hollywood are Black.
Before this, a study conducted between 1972 and 1980 by renowned researchers Gilbert Mendelson and Morissa Young revealed that there was no racial minority character in television shows across the United States.
In fact, the first black animated character to appear in a Disney movie was Tiana – a protagonist who was on screen for a total of 40 minutes in the entire series. In those 40 minutes, the identity of the character was only revealed as a black woman for 17 out of the 40 minutes. Tiana is a frog.
However, since the release of Black Panther in 2018, things appear to have changed for the better, and there have been more blocker-buster movies with black lead characters. With Black Panther making over 1.344 billion USD, movie production companies have seen that there is a large African audience.
Four years on since the release of the Black Panther movie, a sequel has been released, and other black-themed movies such as Woman King, Black Adam, Passing, Till, and Just Mercy, to mention a few.
In fact, producers of the 1989 global blockbuster animated film, The Little Mermaid, have adopted a black character to play the lead role of Ariel. The decision has received many commendations for the choice of a black character voiced by American singer Halle Bailey.
Many critics and observers have continued to attribute the rise and global acceptance of African characters in Hollywood animation movies to the success of the Black Panther movie and say it can only get better.