The Walt Disney Company in Australia & New Zealand will commit to a wave of local content commissions and acquisitions for Disney+, as nine Australian originals launch across 2022/23.
The slate of local and sure-to-be-loved content includes three scripted drama series ‘The Clearing’, ‘The Artful Dodger’ and ‘Last Days Of The Space Age’; four documentaries ‘Matildas: The World At Our Feet’, ‘Shipwreck Hunters Australia’, ‘Chasing Waves’, ‘Fearless: The Inside Story Of The AFLW’; and two lifestyle/factual general entertainment series ‘Donna Hay Christmas’ and ‘What’s Your Toy Story?’.
These new series are part of a significant investment by The Walt Disney Company in Australian local commissions.
“The Walt Disney Company is thrilled to be bringing home-grown, premium Australian originals with familiar faces and places – not only to Aussie screens, and those across the ditch – but also to the world stage that is Disney+,” Senior Vice President and Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company in Australia & New Zealand Kylie Watson-Wheeler says.
“Coming to Disney+ this year and next, our first wave of local content spans scripted drama, documentaries, lifestyle and factual entertainment genres. We’re leveraging the talents of renowned actors, prominent directors, producers and writers – more than 100 in total, before counting the additional cast, crew, extras and other local jobs and activity we’ll generate across the Australian production sector.”
‘The Clearing’ is a scripted drama based on J.P. Pomare’s novel ‘In The Clearing’, inspired by the real-life Australian cult The Family, and its founder Anne Hamilton-Byrne. ‘Shipwreck Hunters Australia’ is a six-episode docu-series, centred around a group of highly-skilled divers and underwater filmmakers. The team embark on an expedition to uncover long-lost shipwreck secrets, and make some world-first discoveries. ‘What’s Your Toy Story’ is an eight-episode factual series, a competition seeing teams of kids and grownups show off their skills at creativity, innovation and storytelling as they bring their own toy stories to life.
This is just some of what to expect from the roll-out.
All the new titles will be available locally and internationally on Disney+. Programming will be announced at a later date.
