Supa Team 4

Supa Team 4 is a CGI superhero action-comedy series created and co-executive produced by Malenga Mulendema, and produced by Triggerfish Animation Studios.[1][3][2] It premiered on July 20, 2023,[4] on Netflix. It has been described as the first original African animated series on the streaming platform.[5]

Supa Team 4
Supa Team 4 cover poster
Genre
Created byMalenga Mulendema
Voices of
Opening themeSampa the Great
Country of originZambia
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
ProducerCiara Breslin
AnimatorSuperprod Animation
Production companyTriggerfish Animation Studios
Release
Original networkNetflix
Original releaseJuly 20, 2023 (2023-07-20) –
present

Synopsis

Four teenage girls in a neo-futuristic city, Lusaka, are recruited by now-retired secret agent, who want to save the world, while sticking to a budget. In the process, these girls juggle their school lives and being superheroes who fend off supervillains, turning from four friends into a superhero team, Supa Team 4.[1][6][7]

Characters

Main characters
  • Linda Sokhulu[6] as Kumbukani / Mama K former secret agent , who assembles Team 4, with the help of T.O.M.I. Her code name was Mkango.
  • Pamela Nomvete[8] as Ntsiki Lukhele, a friend of Mama K.
  • John McMillan[6][9] as Magedzee / Bad Magz, the series villain. He is also known as Chesi. He is the owner of his tech conpany. His true identity is revealed at the end of S1 Episode 8.
  • Zowa Ngwira[10] as Komana / K-bongo, a brilliant inventor who creates a carbon capture machine. She is a member of Team 4.
  • Namisa Mdlalose[7] as Monde / M-kozo, a girl who is close with her sister, and deemed "bringer of peace" by Mama K. She is a member of Team 4 along with Komana, Temwe and Zee.
  • Kimani Arthur[11] as Temwe / T-Mlilo, a excitable girl who has a ribbon wand as a weapon. She is a member of Team 4 along with Komana, Monde and Zee.
  • Nancy Sekhokoane[11] as Zee / Ze-Mpezi, a star on the futbol team at Kamiji Secondary School. She is a member of Team 4 along with Komana, Temwe and Monde.

Secondary characters
  • Daniel "KStar" Lyapa as Chipo
  • Chipo Chung as Likando
  • Abubakar Salim as Principal Nkwashi, the principal of Kamiji Secondary School
  • Gary Martin as Chomps the Goat, a pet of Mama K.
  • Ashley Zhangazha[9] as Storm Drain, a villain that Team 4 defeat in the first episode.
  • Sparky Xulu as Locust Pocus, a villain recruited by Chusi.
  • Celine Tshika as Marjory, the older sister of Monde.
  • Sne Dladla as Geoffrey the Reporter, a local news journalist in Lusaka.
  • Dladla as Mayor Sikazwe, the mayor of Lusaka who citizens believe is "corrupt".
  • Melvin Alusa as Prosper, the dad of Komana.
  • Alusa as Ba Sassa.
  • Sne Dladia as Snap Back a rapping hypnosis
  • Yinka Awoni as Alley Gator a half man, half reptile villain
  • Thabe Ntebe as T.O.M.I., an artificial intelligence which assists Mama K, and also known as "Technical Operations Management Interface".
  • Chi Mhende as Sunblock a former vlogger.
  • TBA as Professor Greenthumbs, a scientist who can control plants.

Episodes

Series Overview
Series overview
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
18July 20, 2023 (2023-07-20)

Season 1 (2023)
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Team 4 in the Byu Byu"Dave OsborneNg'endo Mukii and Voline OgutuJuly 20, 2023 (2023-07-20)
Monde, Temwe, Zikomo, and Komana save the day from a renegade tornado, and are recruited, by Mama K, to be superheroes, with all four forming "Team 4", with super suits she created. They take down a supervillain, Storm Drain, and receive public praise. In the end of the episode, an unnamed shadowy figure speaks and vows to unleash his power on Lusaka.
22"Hanger Management"Dave OsborneKhadidiatou DioufJuly 20, 2023 (2023-07-20)
Temwe fails a test, but Monde, Zikomo, and Komana are able to ensure the school's principal doesn't punish her. All four are tasked by Mama K at stopping metal-eating locusts. Temwe becomes hangry and takes down some bugs with her ribbon wand, causing them to realize they are actually robotic and aren't actual insects. After she gets suspended from school, Mama K tells her she shouldn't be hot-headed, while Monde tries to calm her down. Later, they are all called to stop the locusts at the Kafue Gorge, and face the villain Locus Pocus. They make Temwe hangry, allowing them to defeat the villain, and commit themselves to helping her find "balance" in the future.
33"The Zee"Dave OsborneVanessa KanuJuly 20, 2023 (2023-07-20)
Zee practices her soccer shot, with the help of Monde, Komana, and Temwe, but the Principal says she needs to get a score in the game for the school. Later, they save the Mayor, who is hyponotized by Snap Back and almost falls off a building. He ends up hypnotizing all of them but Monde, but thanks to Mama K, they get out of it, save the Mayor, and stop Snap Back. Zee wins the game for her school, but her popularity gets to her head. Storm Drain is released by Bad Magz, to go after Zee. They fight a villain named Alley Gator, but the other members of Team 4 are annoyed with Zee's attitude. Lee Magedzee, owner of Magedzee Power Corporation (MPC), celebrates one year of the local wind farm, and Storm Drain attacks. Zee faces him and realizes that they can only defeat him as team, together.
44"The Monde Challenge"Jerry ForderMaame BoatengJuly 20, 2023 (2023-07-20)
Bad Magz says he needs to bring in more villains to take down Team 4. Mama K tells them that they need to work together and to be vigilant. Monde and her sister, Marjory, reminisce about where they used to live, with Monde admitting she is homesick. At the Remove the Rubbish event, Monde does her dance, but flubs it so badly, that her other members of Team 4 are worried about her. After the event, Sibanda is recruited by Bad Magz to "change" Lusaka. Later, Monde distances herself from Zikomo, Temwe, and Komana. She decides to fight the villain on her own, Waste Man, but the others come to help, apologizing for treating her badly. They defeat him and it turns out he is Sibanda and is being mind-controlled. In the closing ceremony of the Remove the Rubbish event, Monde does the dance well, impresses everyone, putting the spotlight on her.
55"Smart Art"Dave OsborneOmotunde AkiodeJuly 20, 2023 (2023-07-20)
Geoffrey from Zambia News reports that the upgrade to the solar power station for Lusaka has been completed, with desparation for solar power, something Bad Magz wants to exploit. He gets Snap Back to steal solar panels for him and free the vlogger, Sunny. Lee Magedzee gives Komana a scholarship for her inventions. Zikomo, Temwe, and Monde try to stop Snap Back, but he ends up hypnotizing Zee, because her ear piece isn't working. In art class, Temwe, Komana, and Zee draw circles, but Komana isn't into it. She later does a presentation to the school principal in an attempt to convince him that she can drop art class. She fails at this, but Chipo later helps her. This is interrupted when they are called by Mama K to stop Sunny, who is blocking the sun with solar panels, but they are unable to stop her at first. Working together, they are able to divert the power she is generating back to the city, and defeat her. Komana develops "smart art", but gets no distinction, but Lee Magedzee praises it.
66"Missing Kid"Dave Osbourne & Jerry ForderTshepo MocheJuly 20, 2023 (2023-07-20)
The girls of Team 4 offer to help Mama 4, but she turns them down, and tasks them with watching Chomps. They go to the secret base and Monde comes up with a plan, trying to get Zee, Temwe, or Komana to watch the goat, as she needs to study for a test. Mama K meets with Rhino, who tells him about a special box found in Towela's house. Later, Monde tries to pass off the goat to Temwe, and the goat causes a ruckus in her room. Then, she passes off the goat to Zee, and it goes in the pen with the other goats, until she realizes what the goat is doing. Zee then does the same, dropping it off at Komana's house, but she refuses to accept it. Later, the Alley Gator is taking down power lines, but Team 4 struggles to fight him as Chomps is there, until he disappears. They search for the goat everywhere but she comes in with Mama K. It is revealed that the goat was trained as a spy.
77"Herstory"Jerry ForderGloria HuwilerJuly 20, 2023 (2023-07-20)
Alley Gator fights Team 4 and they catch up stealing avocados from the marketplace, until Storm Drain shows up. The villains escape and Mama K's drone follows another drone watching the scene, but it also flees. When they go down to the base for a briefing, Mama K is evasive and tells them to go home, making Monde and Temwe suspicious, while Zee and Komana don't feel the same way. They five Mama K tea and biscuits, so she will reveal the truth to them, with each of them encouraging her. She shows them about Chusi and believes he is back in Lusaka, while revealing her real name. She tells the story of when she was a leader of a secret crime-fighting team at IAZ (Intelligence Agency of Zambia) and the spies who worked with her, with Chusi stealing top-secret information. Later, Chusi confronts them, causing him to wipe the memory of Mama K's comrade, Towela, and blind her other comrade, Rhino. Later, Mama K refuses to let Team 4 help her take down Chusi, but they convince her otherwise.
88"Brain Power Part One"Jerry ForderVanessa KanuJuly 20, 2023 (2023-07-20)
Chusi demands that Alley Gator dig in the ground for Zambinite and tasks Professor Greenthumbs. She resolves to get their gear so they can find out who is behind Team 4. Temwe is called to the Principal's office for skipping class and threatens her, saying she will be banned from volunteering with Mama K if she fails her chemistry test. She then believes that the school principal is Chusi. Team 4 goes to the park, where they meet Professor Greenthumbs, who is controlling a few trees, and she steals Temwe's glove. Mama K tells them they can't always depend on their gear and tells them to get creative, with Komana building her a new glove. Temwe tells the other girls that the Principal is Chusi, but Zee and Komana don't believe him. Chusi studies the globe taken from Temwe in hopes of undermining Team 4. Temwe tries to "prove" the Principal is Chusi, but is unsuccessful. Team 4 tracks down the baobob tree to an abandoned mine. The Principal talks to Mama K and tells her that Temwe should be at school rather than volunteering there, saying she reminds him of himself when he was her age. The plant monster that Professor Greenthumbs activates defeats Team 4 and pulls them inside the mind, with their super suits deactivated in the process. In a final scene, Chusi takes off his mask and reveals his face to the audience.

Production

In April 2019, Netflix announced that Supa Team 4 had begun production, and said it joined their "growing slate of original animated programming" designed for families and kids. It was said to draw visual inspiration from "retro-’90s R&B and hip hop girl groups."[5]

In May 2023, it was announced that Anthony Silverston, Mike Buckland, Tom van Waveren, Edward Galton, and Amy Keating Rogers would be executive producers, along with Ciara Breslin as producer. The series is produced by Ciara Breslin, Cake Entertainment and Triggerfish Animation Studios, while the French animation studio, Superprod, did the series animation.[1] In June 2023, the series was described as being eight-parts long, and featuring actors such as John Kani, Pamela Nomvete, Nancy Sekhokoane, and Sparky Xulu. It was also stated that the series would be dubbed into isiZulu, and have Zambian rapper and singer-songwriter Sampa the Great, creating the theme song,[6] with the help of her production company, Mag44.[12]

It was released on July 20, 2023, on Netflix.[2][13][14]

References
  1. Milligan, Mercedes (May 17, 2023). "'Miraculous' Movie Joins Sizzling Netflix Family Summer Slate! (New Dates, Images)". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  2. Milligan, Mercedes (June 29, 2023). "Trailer: 'Supa Team 4' Saves the Day with African Girl Power". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  3. Grober, Matt (July 13, 2023). "David Neumann's Newmation Signs Malenga Mulendema, Creator Of Netflix's First African Animated Series 'Supa Team 4'". Deadline. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  4. Milligan, Mercedes (January 18, 2023). "Netflix Kids Dates Adam Sandler Movie 'Leo,' 'Magician's Elephant' & More for 2023". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on January 18, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
  5. "Netflix Announces First Original African Animated Series Mama K's Team 4". Netflix Media Center (Press release). Archived from the original on April 16, 2019. Retrieved April 16, 2019.
  6. Whittock, Jesse (June 29, 2023). "'Supa Team 4' Trailer: First Look At Netflix's Debut African Animation Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2023.
  7. Massoto, Erick (June 29, 2023). "'Supa Team 4': First African Animation Series From Netflix Gets Trailer and Release Date". Collider. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  8. Ntwasa, Thango (July 14, 2023). "Bad girl gone good gogo: Pamela Nomvete on new role in 'Supa Team 4'". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  9. "Supa Team 4". BBFC. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  10. Chimbelu, Chiponda (July 20, 2023). "Africa's animation industry goes global on Netflix, Disney". DW. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  11. McKay, Bronwyn (June 29, 2023). "Meet the new superheroes in Netflix's thrilling first African animation series, Supa Team 4". News24. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  12. Sarto, Dan (June 29, 2023). "Netflix Drops Trailer for 'Supa Team 4'". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  13. "African Teen Superheroes Save The World In New 'Supa Team 4 Trailer'". Romper. May 17, 2023. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
  14. Sarto, Debbie Diamond (May 31, 2023). "'Nimona' Leads Netflix's Family Summer Animation Lineup". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
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