The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific today unveiled a wave of announcements surrounding its upcoming slate of Disney+ APAC Originals, featuring the region’s top talent and storytellers. Revealed on day two of the star-studded APAC Content Showcase, today’s announcements captivated the audience with major reveals, first looks, and appearances from some of Korea and Japan’s biggest stars, demonstrating the unparalleled strength and appeal of Disney’s creative excellence.
Today’s presentation included breaking news about upcoming Korean series The Murky Stream starring Rowoon and Shin Yeeun; The Manipulated starring Ji Changwook and Doh Kyungsoo; Tempest starring Jun Gianna, Gang Dongwon and John Cho, and Made In Korea starring Hyun Bin and Jung Woosung.
The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific also confirmed that Moving Season Two is in development, following the company’s successful collaboration with Moving and Lightshop Keeper creator Kangfull. First launched in 2023, Moving went on to become a smash global hit on Disney+ and Hulu, ranking as the number one local original title globally on Disney+ last year, with over 10 industry awards to date. In 2021, the company embarked on original content production for Disney+ in the APAC region and has since launched over 130 APAC Originals on Disney+ to date, several of which have attained critical and commercial success.
Last year, among the top 15 best performing international original titles released on Disney+, nine of them were Korean titles (based on views). This year, Korean action drama A Shop For Killers has become the most viewed series on Disney+ in APAC. Anime continues to be a draw for audiences with top performing titles including Tokyo Revengers Season 2 and Sand Land: The Series by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. This year, travel reality show Are You Sure?!, starring BTS stars Jimin and Jung Kook, has also become the most viewed unscripted title on Disney+ in APAC, and a strong performer internationally.
“Stories produced in Asia Pacific have become a staple in general entertainment consumption – they are world-class productions, with growing global resonance and deep passionate fandoms worldwide,” said Carol Choi, Executive Vice President of Original Content Strategy, The Walt Disney Company Asia Pacific. “Our content strategy remains focused on curating premium, talent driven Originals from the region — quality, best-in-class tentpole titles with some of the very top names in entertainment.”
New Japanese anime titles were also showcased today including BULLET/BULLET, Disney Twisted-Wonderland The Animation, and CAT’S EYE. Season Two of award-winning Japanese original Gannibal, one of the first live action APAC Originals to be renewed for a second season, will premiere on Disney+ on March 19, 2025.
To complement the Japanese live action and anime slate on Disney+, the company also announced that it will expand into Japanese unscripted content, in collaboration with partner Nippon TV. This includes a new travel reality show, Traveling with Snow Man (working title) featuring Japanese pop group Snow Man, represented by talent agency Starto Entertainment. The new show builds on the growing enthusiasm amongst Japanese audiences towards unscripted content and exemplifies the shared ambitions of Disney, Nippon TV and Starto Entertainment to spotlight the most exciting talent from Japan to global audiences, and to cooperate in new and innovative ways.
Continued Choi: “As we’ve learnt from the global success of Shōgun, the most compelling stories can come from new and unknown worlds, they can be in different languages and in new formats. But at the core of it, they have to be stories rooted in a fearless authenticity in storytelling with exceptional production quality. It’s truly exciting to see APAC becoming a hotbed of creative inspiration for the world’s best storytellers, with the region’s deep heritage of stories, rich culture and diverse tapestry of original content.”
New Worlds, New Stories: APAC Content Titles Unveiled at the Showcase
Exclusive announcements regarding the following APAC titles were unveiled at the showcase today as part of the company’s late 2024, and 2025-2026 content slate:
JAPAN
- Medalist– This anime series sees figure skating coach Tsukasa, a man haunted by his past failures, work tirelessly to mold his latest student into a championship medalist. Medalist will sunrise on Disney+ in January 2025.
- Go! Go! Loser Ranger! Season Two– The mighty Dragon Keepers and Villainous Army of Evil return for Season Two of this thrilling animated series, set to premiere April 2025 on Disney+.
- WANDANCE– A shy and reserved boy commits to a lifechanging decision to win the heart of a free-spirited girl with a passion for life in this upcoming anime series.
- BULLET/BULLET– From Jujutsu Kaisen director Sunghoo Park, this anime series follows a team of thieves for hire who find themselves in a world of trouble after completing their latest job. BULLET/BULLET will debut summer 2025 on Disney+.
- Disney Twisted-Wonderland The Animation– Like the popular game and manga, this upcoming anime series transports viewers to the prestigious Night Raven College, an arcane academy where magic lives in every corner. The series will sunrise on Disney+ in 2025.
- CAT’S EYE– A new anime based on the original manga series, CAT’S EYE is about three sisters who run a café by day and who secretly work as art thieves by night. The series will debut on Disney+ next year, with Japanese pop sensation Ado providing a new version of the popular CAT’S EYE theme song.
- Gannibal Season 2– After leaving audiences on a bloodcurdling cliff hanger, Gannibal returns, plunging viewers back into the terrifying world of Kuge Village. Will police officer Daigo be able to escape and stop the cannibals responsible? Find out March 19, 2025.
- Traveling With Snow Man (working title)– The members of J-Pop idol band Snow Man embark on a fun adventure for an upcoming travel reality series set to debut in 2025 on Disney+
KOREA
- The Murky Stream– Starring Rowoon and Shin Yeeun, and Park Seoham, this upcoming historical drama is directed by Choo Changmin, the mind behind Masquerade, and is written by All Of Us Are Dead’s Cheon Sungil.
- The Manipulated– Wrongfully imprisoned for a heinous crime, mild-mannered Taejung (Ji Changwook) discovers that a mysterious figure named Yohan (Doh Kyungsoo) orchestrated his downfall. Fueled by vengeance, Taejung sets out to make Yohan pay.
- Lightshop Keeper– Starring Ju Jihoon and Park Boyoung and set to premiere December 4, this upcoming story from Moving creator Kangfull sees six strangers trapped in a void between life and death with no memory of how they got there.
- Unmasked– A team of investigative journalists (Kim Hyesoo, Jung Sungil and Joo Jonghyuk) who have made a name for themselves by exposing some of society’s worst crimes get stuck into their latest story – a 20-year-old cold case involving a famous actor who disappeared without a trace.
- Hyper Knife– A tortured neurosurgeon Seok (Park Eunbin), used to operating on the bleeding-edge of her field, finds herself cast aside by her mentor (Sul Kyunggu). Seok continues to carry out back-alley operations until her mentor comes back into her life again.
- Knock-Off– Starring Kim Soohyun and Cho Boah, Knock-Off follows a broke man who turns to the shadowy world of counterfeiting in an attempt to rebuild his life.
- Nine Puzzles– Kim Dami and Son Sukku star in this upcoming series about a criminal profiler with a troubled past who gets pulled into an eerily familiar game with a serial killer.
- Low Life– Starring Ryu Seungryong, Yang Sejong and Lim Soojung, Low Life follows an uncle and a nephew who rush to salvage a recently discovered priceless treasure before other treasure hunters arrive. Desperate to change their lives, the two will do whatever it takes to win.
- Tempest– Featuring an impressive combination of top Korean and Hollywood talent, this series tells the unmissable story of an international special agent and a brilliant career diplomat who join forces to uncover the truth behind an attack that threatens the future stability of the Korean peninsula. The cast includes Jun Gianna and Gang Dongwon alongside John Cho, Michael Gaston, Spencer Garrett, Jacob Bertrand, Alicia Hannah Kim and Christopher Gorham.
- Made In Korea– Hyun Bin and Jung Woosung star in this ‘70s-set drama about a man consumed by a desire for wealth and power, and a stalwart prosecutor who stands in his way. Constantly at loggerheads, the pair find themselves involved in an era-defining incident that will forever change their futures.
