The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific announced its streaming and theatrical releases coming next year at Disney Content Showcase Apac 2022 being held at Marina Bay Sands Singapore from Nov 30 to Dec 1.
It started with a video introduction to commemorate the upcoming 100th anniversary of Walt Disney next year before an opening remark by Luke Kang, The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific's president, and a surprise appearance by none other than the mouse-who-started-it-all Mickey Mouse.
Since the first Apac content showcase last October, Disney made the first step into local content production with an ambitious plan to uncover the world’s best stories from this region and showcase creative excellence from this region on the world stage, said Kang. “This year, it was important for us to showcase the breadth of our global branded content from our award-winning studios and iconic franchises, as well as our Apac content slate for 2023.”
More than 50 titles will be presented at the showcase, including an upcoming slate of movies and series from Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar and Lucasfilm along with regional originals for Disney+ Hotstar.
Over the last year, more than 45 new Apac titles have risen on Disney’s streaming service. Big Mouth, Soundtrack #1 and In the Soop: Friendcation were among the top three most-watched titles in Apac markets in their debut week. The total streaming hours of locally-produced Asian content on Disney+ grew eightfold from what it was a year ago.
“We are focusing our content development on what we refer to as our content whitespace,” said Kang. “Investing in areas that require more local specificity — either due to high popularity in select markets, like Japanese anime, K-dramas or Indonesia rom-coms and horror, or the need for local storytelling with talents that are familiar to our local audiences. We want to serve our viewers in every market with globally branded content like Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar, as well as locally-produced stories that resonate with them — while also taking the best of those stories global.”
Anime enthusiasts should be delighted that The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific announced an expansion of its long-standing collaboration with leading publishing house Kodansha. For 70 years, Disney and Kodansha have worked together in the publishing space and will now venture into the world of anime. This collaboration will include licensing exclusive titles based on mangas by Kodansha, starting with Tokyo Revengers: Christmas Showdown Arc, which will launch on Disney+ Hotstar in January 2023.
The new Apac titles that were unveiled include original productions by leading content creators. The slate ranges from star-studded scripted live-action tent-pole series in various genres; to variety shows, documentaries and anime from several markets including Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and Australia. These new projects are part of Disney's plan to greenlight more than 50 Apac originals by 2023.
Pixar’s director/animator/storyboard artist/voice actor Peter Sohn delivered an impressive and touching presentation of the upcoming feature film Elemental, which he directs and confirmed that the appearance of Russell, the Wilderness Explorer boy from Up, is inspired by his.
Pixar’s director/animator/storyboard artist/voice actor Peter Sohn delivered an impressive and touching presentation of the upcoming feature film Elemental, which he directs and confirmed that the appearance of Russell, the Wilderness Explorer boy from Up, is inspired by his. Celebrities in attendance include the cast and creative minds behind Disney’s Apac Originals. Japanese director Miike Takashi, Korean stars Jung Haein, Ko Kyungpyo and Kim Hyejun from the crime fantasy thriller Connect. Lee Donghwi, Heo Sungtae and acclaimed director Kang Yunsung from Big Bet. Yuya Yagira, Riho Yoshioka and director Shinzo Katayama from the Japanese drama series Gannibal and Chelsea Islan from the upcoming Indonesian superhero series Tira.
Disney’s streaming services reach over 235 million subscribers across 154 markets worldwide.
