Studio Yezi builds original worlds across animation, publishing, and design.

Rooted in memory, myth, and becoming, our work explores how stories can restore, reimagine, and expand what is possible. We are interested in the space between the spiritual and the everyday—where imagination becomes a tool for healing, reflection, and transformation.

We develop stories with care and intention, centering people of colour and drawing from African imagination to create work that resonates across cultures and generations.

Studio Yezi exists as both a creative studio and a cultural practice—one that believes stories are not only meant to be told, but lived, carried, and remembered.

THE STUDIO

Studio Yezi is a South African animation and storytelling studio founded in 2019 by Thandiwe Mlauli.

Inspired by inkanyezi — the isiZulu word for “star” — the studio is built on the belief that stories can illuminate, restore, and reimagine.

Studio Yezi develops original intellectual property across animation, publishing, and design. Each project is crafted with care, intention, and a deep commitment to storytelling.

Our work centres people of colour, celebrates African imagination, and positions these stories on a global stage.

Founder & CEO

Thandiwe Mlauli is the founder and CEO of Studio Yezi, and one of the first Black women to independently establish an animation studio in South Africa.

She is a producer, writer, director, and illustrator, and holds a BFA in Producing for Film & TV from the New York Film Academy.

Her work centres heartwarming stories and diverse voices, with a focus on building original worlds and collaborating with emerging talent globally.

Head of Development

AJ Pitre is Studio Yezi’s Head of Development and a writer-producer driving the studio’s creative vision.

He holds a BFA in Producing from the New York Film Academy and brings a unique background as a former dancer and army veteran.

Currently pursuing a Master’s in Animation in San Francisco, he develops bold, immersive stories while supporting emerging talent.