This past Wednesday, November 30, 2022, at the Asian-Pacific content showcase held in Singapore, Disney announced a partnership with Japanese publishing corporation Kodansha to announce their growing slate of anime originals for the Disney+ streaming service.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney+, launching in 2023, will begin releasing original content, including exclusive anime titles based on manga produced by Kodansha. Opening with Tokyo Revengers: Christmas Showdown Arc, Disney's expansion into anime comes as a crucial step in expanding their library and enticing new subscribers, with Carol Choi, Disney’s executive VP of original content strategy in APAC stating, "Japanese anime fills the white space in our content development plans, and we believe this expanded collaboration will be a game changer in Disney’s future animation strategy in Japan."
Courtesy of Newsweek
Within opening remarks, Luke Kang, Disney’s president of APAC, expresses, “we are focusing our content development on what we refer to as our content whitespace.” However, while Disney considers anime their white space, others have capitalized on its success. Netflix, one of Disney's biggest competitors, introduced anime on its platform back in 2014, launching Knights of Sidonia. Today, Netflix houses various titles, ranging from popular brands such as Neon Genesis Evangelion and Sailor Moon Crystal, alongside their own original titles.
On a larger scale, over the past two years, global demand for anime content has grown 118%, making it one of the fastest-growing content genres throughout the pandemic. With the help of streaming, Japanese Anime has transformed from a niche community to a global juggernaut. Scrambling to meet ends because of their rapid expansion, many Japanese anime production companies are turning towards streaming services to meet demand. Doing their part, Disney promoted over 50 shows for its 2023 theatrical and streaming content.
With over half of all Netflix subscribers worldwide reporting they've watched at least some anime content on the platform in 2021, I'm excited to see how impactful Disney+ anime is and the audience it creates, potentially creating the perfect blend between Disney princesses and anime.
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