Local animator and Learn Animation School founder, Theo Silitshena, is breaking new ground as co-writer of an animation film project with American animation company, Studio Moyo. The sci-fi fantasy short film, To The Moon, is set for release mid-to-late 2026, on a date yet to be announced. However, the trailer is already out and momentum around the project is beginning to build.
Set in a vibrant Afro-futuristic village powered by invention and imagination, the story follows two inseparable friends, Aisha and Neumy, who embark on one last daring adventure before life pulls them in different directions. When a sudden power outage threatens to derail their cosmic plans, Aisha’s determination sparks a bold idea that tests the limits of friendship, courage, and creation itself. “The synopsis of the story is about two girls who do their best to spend one last day together before one of them moves.
It’s based on that concept of longing, the desire to belong and going to great lengths to preserve a friendship,” Silitshena explained. In an interview, Studio Moyo co-founder, Sam Shuggart, further explained that the story was about the trials of friendship as best friends Aisha and Neumy race to build a portal to the moon before a big move separates them. “But the question is, can their bond survive the journey?” Shuggart added that the film was created in a stylistic approach rooted in Botswana culture, with backgrounds and environments that complement a 2D traditional animation style reminiscent of the recent television show Scavengers Reign, which inspired the design of the characters and creatures featured in the film.
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Silitshena, who recently returned to Botswana with international deals that could transform local animation education, including partnerships with Disney and Titmouse, said achieving such a milestone showed Botswana’s potential to be outsourced to and to produce quality work collaboratively. “This is like a blueprint of what I’ve been trying to establish, where we can collaborate with other studios abroad and create successful projects,” he said. He said his upcoming film camo would be from December 9 to 22 as well as an anime camp from December 15 to 22, where he would train children to access the same opportunities that he had been able to secure.ENDS
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