Animating a Classic

Reviving Eze Goes to School Through 3D Storytelling

Despite its historical significance, Eze Goes to School, a classic Nigerian novel, was losing relevance among younger audiences. Traditional reading habits had declined, creating a need to modernize African literature consumption.

I worked as part of a multidisciplinary team to transform Eze Goes to School into a 3D animated short film, blending UX-driven storytelling, animation, and cultural preservation. The project gained over 3 million views on YouTube, demonstrating strong audience engagement.

The Project

This was a team-led undergraduate project. Four other student designers and I collaborated to create a 3D-animated short film adaptation of Eze Goes to School. The objective was to modernize the classic Nigerian novel through immersive visual storytelling, making it engaging and accessible to a younger, digital-first audience.

This collaborative initiative involved designers, animators, voice actors, and sound designers to create a culturally authentic and educational animation that preserved the novel’s essence while making it engaging for a younger, digital-savvy audience.

My Role

Conducted user research to explore audience engagement with animated storytelling.
Contributed to UX and animation design, from storyboarding to final production.
Designed characters, environments, and motion graphics while maintaining cultural authenticity.
Worked closely with voice actors, sound designers, and animators to achieve a high-quality production.

Test render from Eze goes to school 3D animated short

The Work

Scope

This project reimagined Eze Goes to School as a 3D-animated short film, focusing on audience engagement, cultural authenticity in character and environment design, and optimizing the animation pipeline for high-quality storytelling.

Process

Research & Pre-Production

We conducted interviews and surveys with educators, parents, and students to understand engagement factors, created storyboards, scripts and animatics to test visual storytelling, and designed 3D characters and settings with cultural accuracy and reliability.

character sketch — Character sketch as the foundation for 3D adaptation and animation.

Production & Animation

We developed 3D models, rigging, and textures, animated sequences in Maya and After Effects for fluid motion, and applied lighting and rendering techniques to enhance visual appeal.

Lighting, texturing, and rendered scenes from *Eze Goes to School* 3D animation, enhancing realism and visual appeal.

library of created facial expression — Colection of rigged facial expressions for animation

Post-Production & Refinement

Voiceovers, background music, and sound effects were integrated; final scenes were edited and composited using After Effects and Premiere Pro; and user testing guided refinements for the final version.

Eze Goes To School 3D animation Short ( final Render)

Outcomes

Achieved over 3 million views on YouTube, demonstrating widespread engagement.
Revitalized an African literary classic into a format that resonates with modern audiences.
Encouraged younger viewers to explore Nigerian literature through animation, increasing accessibility.
Showcased the impact of UX-driven storytelling, blending design, research, and animation.
Set a foundation for future adaptations of African stories, demonstrating the potential of 3D animation in preserving cultural heritage.

Next Steps

Explore interactive storytelling formats such as VR and gamified learning.
Develop a series of animated adaptations for other African literary works.
Partner with educational platforms to distribute and integrate into school curriculums.

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