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Disney Plus' upcoming Asia Pacific Originals include Blackpink, K-dramas and anime

By Tim Augustin & Aaron Yip - on 14 Oct 2021, 3:32pm

Disney Plus' upcoming Asia Pacific Originals include Blackpink, K-dramas and anime

Image: Disney

Disney+ has revealed a whole new slate of Asia Pacific content coming to the streaming service soon. All in all, there are 20 new local titles that include 18 Originals made in collaboration with award-winning and aspiring content creators from the Asia Pacific region. 

The streaming service is currently available in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Indonesia and Thailand with planned launches in South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan in November 2021. The new Asia Pacific content will arrive on Disney+ over the next year, though Disney notes that this will be subject to local availability. The company also plans to greenlight over 50 Asia Pacific Originals by 2023.

Image: Disney

Here’s a rundown of these Asia Pacific Originals, courtesy of Disney:

  • An action hero thriller, Moving is the ultimate tent-pole show from Korea based on the webtoon by Kang Full about three teenagers discovering their unusual powers.
  • Snowdrop, a romantic melodrama series starring top Korean actor Jung Hae-in and BLACKPINK’s Jisoo. Told by the creators behind the 2019 K-drama mega-hit “Skycastle,” Snowdrop is one of the most highly anticipated dramas of the year.
  • Grid, a mystery thriller and new tent-pole series by award-winning writer Lee Su-yeon.

Image: Disney

  • Exclusively on Disney+ and in theatres, Blackpink: The Movie is a documentary on the chart-topping Korean pop group, in commemoration of their fifth year anniversary.
  • Rookies, a coming-of-age romantic series set in Korea's elite police academy, is K-pop idol Kang Daniel's debut drama.
  • Tokyo MER (Mobile Emergency Room), a special TBS collaboration, is a medical drama starring award-winning actors Ryohei Suzuki and Kento Kaku.
  • Black Rock Shooter Dawn Fall is a Japanese reboot animation of Black Rock Shooter, a popular character with global fans that has spawned music, action figures, games and animation.Image: Disney
  • Summer Time Rendering is a Japanese animation based on one of the top manga titles with a cumulative total of over 130 million page views on the Japanese web manga app Shonen Jump +.
  • Yojohan Time Machine Blues (Working title) is a new Japanese animated series and the sequel to The Tatami Galaxy. This is the latest work by award-winning writer Tomihiko Morimi and Science Saru, a production studio that has won numerous international awards.
  • At the Tokyo event, Disney also announced a planned anime adaptation of “Twisted Wonderland”, Disney’s highly popular mobile game by Aniplex.
  • From the hit movie with the same title, Susah Sinyal (or Bad Signal) is a comedic drama series about a group of hotel employees managing a classy resort hotel in West Java.
  • Under the creative vision of award-winning director Joko Anwar, and produced by Screenplay Bumilangit, Bumilangit will be launching its first series soon.
  • Featuring the talented Chen Bo-Lin, Small & Mighty is his come-back appearance in Taiwanese drama since "In Time With You," and a comedic drama about self-discovery.
  • Delicacies Destiny is a Chinese period drama and veteran producer's Yu Zheng's newest endeavour into food rom-com, following the success of “Story of Yanxi Palace.”

Image: Disney

  • Shipwreck Hunters is the first Australian documentary for Disney+ and documents iconic shipwreck mysteries in Western Australia's vast coastline.

Disney also announced the launch of its Asia Pacific Creative Experience Program, which is a bespoke initiative aiming to content hundreds of creators from the region with Disney's own filmmakers and creators. There will also be creative masterclasses, live panels and other activities to provide opportunities for leading Asia Pacific creators to link the two parties. All in all, it looks like Disney's plans for the region are only getting started.

Image: Disney

Image: Disney

Image: Disney

The announcements come hot on the heels of Netflix's recent successes in the Asia-Pacific territories, with shows like Squid Game and its slew of K-dramas, anime and even classic Hong Kong films having far reaching appeal to Asian audiences. As with its existing content, however, Disney+'s focus seems to still be on soft and family-friendly content, unlike Netflix, which has been more opened to experimenting with edgier content that feature violence, gore and even nudity.

2022 will be interesting.

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