Four years into its Asia Pacific rollout, Disney Plus is accelerating its commitment to regional content production while exploring new formats including vertical video and gaming adaptations.
In an interview with Variety at the Disney+ APAC originals preview at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Eric Schrier, president of Disney Television Studios and global original television strategy at Disney Entertainment, and Carol Choi, executive VP of APAC integrated marketing, studio and original content strategy, outlined an ambitious slate that balances hyper-local storytelling with the studio’s global creative infrastructure.
“I don’t purport that I know what a Korean audience wants, or a Japanese audience wants, or even a Polish audience or a British audience, which I probably have the most similarities with,” Schrier tells Variety. “So I really rely on my teams. I know story, I know editorial process, and so I can help support them.”
The platform’s upcoming slate reflects this collaborative approach. Japanese titles include a first-of-its-kind collaboration with legendary game creator Kojima Hideo on anime series “Death Stranding Isolations”; the second half of “Disney Twisted-Wonderland: The Animation Episode of Heartslabyul”; a Japan-Korea co-production romantic comedy “Merry Berry Love”; anime titles “Tokyo Revengers: War of the Three Titans Arc,” “Wandance,” “Cat’s Eye Part 2” and “Medalist Season 2”; unscripted docuseries “Travis Japan Summer Vacation!! in the USA”; and comedy reality show “Daigo Project” from Chidori’s Daigo.
Korean originals include crime drama “Made in Korea”; action drama “The Manipulated”; reality competition “Battle of Fates”; crime-action series “Gold Land”; Season 2 of “A Shop for Killers”; romantic comedy “Perfect Crown”; webtoon adaptations “The Remarried Empress” and “Portraits of Delusion”; and “Are You Sure?! Season 2.”
The marquee announcement was Disney’s first collaboration with Kojima, marking the platform’s further push into gaming IP adaptations after “Disney Twisted-Wonderland.” “Gaming is a art form, right? Initially you wouldn’t have thought of it as an art form, but it has become an art form,” Schrier explains. “A different way of telling stories and storytelling in an interactive way.”
Choi emphasizes that Disney has been developing content from various IP sources, including manga adaptations in Japan and the company’s own gaming properties. The Kojima collaboration represents what Schrier calls “a great opportunity for us to also showcase that we Disney as a company, also have many, many touch points.”
The APAC strategy leverages established creative ecosystems while honing production capabilities. Korea has proven particularly fertile ground, with its mature production infrastructure enabling rapid content development. “They’re now moving quite a lot faster, and there’s a lot of products, a lot of talents there for us to work with,” Choi says, adding that Disney is working to “develop that same process to come with greater volume of content and stories coming out of Japan.”
The platform uses data analytics to identify audience segments and growth opportunities, but creative instinct remains crucial. “Some of the biggest successes, or most of the biggest successes, I would argue, came from something that no one expected,” Schrier says. “So when you’re in these roles where you’re commissioning, you have to take a leap of faith.”
Initial launches in Korea focused on action-heavy crime dramas based on audience research. The slate is now expanding to include more romance and fantasy elements with strong female protagonists to attract wider demographics. “We see that people continue to ask for more female dominant with strong characters as well as romance, fantasy type of elements,” Choi explains.
Korean dramas have found success in Latin America, while Turkish productions also travel well to the region. Schrier describes how these cross-cultural insights inform strategy across all territories. “What I’ve learned the most is the different types of storytelling and the different cultural approaches, which I think has broadened my aperture, in terms of the types of stories that we can tell,” he says.
The exchange of creative practices flows both directions, with APAC teams consulting with Burbank partners on pacing and storytelling techniques.
Disney is also actively exploring the microdrama phenomenon reshaping Asian viewing habits, though Schrier acknowledges the platform hasn’t finalized its approach to the format. “My hope is we’ll bring vertical video to our platform at some point, and short form, vertical video, I think, will be a part of that,” he says. “How exactly we’re going to be doing microdramas or micro storytelling, we haven’t figured out about that yet, but we’re going to be in that space.”
The company works with DramaBox through its accelerator program, though Schrier notes challenges in adapting that platform’s free-to-pay model and production quality standards to Disney+. “The production quality is pretty low and the storytelling is not that elevated,” he observes. “So how do we play in that space? We’re still working on, but I’m excited about what we can do.”
Looking ahead, Schrier emphasizes that APAC’s four-year trajectory demonstrates significant growth potential. “This particular event is a milestone in terms of our growth and our continued growth and dedication to building programming in APAC,” he says.
Choi frames the moment as demonstrating “our deep commitment to the community and that we are here,” with content designed to reach both existing Disney fans and attract new subscribers seeking stories from around the world.
During the event’s creative conversation finale, the executives provided additional context on Disney+’s regional performance. Over the past five years, the platform has launched more than 155 APAC originals. Speaking on stage, Choi recalled that when they first announced local production plans in 2021, skeptics questioned whether they were being too aggressive.
The platform’s anime content has proven particularly successful at traveling globally, with 65% of anime viewership happening outside of Japan, according to figures cited during the presentation. Disney+ is also experimenting with shorter formats, including Australian phenomenon “Bluey,” a series of seven-minute episodes that Schrier described as “a huge success for us.”
Schrier, who spent more than two decades as president of FX Entertainment, emphasized during the presentation that his creative philosophy centers on trust and collaboration. “If I knew how to create like them, I’d be doing that. If I knew how to act or direct I’d be doing that. That’s not what I do. I’m here to help creative people,” he said.
The company’s multi-platform presence in Asia enables diverse partnership models. During the panel discussion, Choi detailed collaborations with terrestrial broadcasters on long-form drama, publishers like Kodansha for IP access, and agencies including HYBE for K-pop connections.