During the Asia Pacific Content Showcase (APACCS) held in Singapore on April 8, Disney announced an expansion of its partnership with Japanese anime publisher Kodansha. Kodansha will collaborate with Disney to co-produce new anime titles, and will also work with the company on animation strategy in Japan. The two companies will also develop new original content for Disney+, the company’s forthcoming streaming service. This is a major step for Disney, which has been increasing its anime offerings in recent years in response to the growing global demand for anime.
A history of collaboration
The two companies first collaborated in the 1950s, when Disney published mangas based on Mickey Mouse, Seven Dwarfs, and Pluto Pup, among other popular Disney characters. Over the past seven decades, Kodansha has continued to edit Disney Fan magazine and publish mangas based on the Disney franchises, including Attack on Titan, AKIRA, Ghost in a shell, and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.
In recent years, Disney has expanded its anime offerings in response to increased demand for Asian content around the world. In January, Disney announced an eight-fold increase in local Asian content on Disney+, compared to last year. The company will also launch exclusive anime titles on Disney+ Hotstar in January 2023.
The first title from the expanded collaboration is Tokyo Revengers: Christmas Showdown Arc, a story about the former bad boy Takemichi, who unintentionally gains the power of time travel. It will premiere on Disney+ in January 2023, and then be streamed on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar in the Asia-Pacific market.
The company’s new partnership with Kodansha will allow it to produce a range of new anime titles, including those based on pre-existing mangas. It will also license new titles based on mangas created by Kodansha. Disney’s announcement came just one week after it announced an exclusive deal to distribute the manga based on the manga TYBW arc of Bleach. It will also handle distribution of Bleach outside of Asia and the Middle East.
What does this mean for Anime between Kodansha and Disney?
While Kodansha and Disney have been working together for seven decades, the two companies will now also work more closely together in the animation business. As a result, Kodansha will distribute all anime produced under the collaboration exclusively on Disney+, and Disney will acquire licenses to stream upcoming Kodansha titles.
Kodansha will also continue to edit Disney Fan magazine and publish manga art books based on Disney franchises. The company’s upcoming titles include a new adaptation of Osamu Tezuka’s Phoenix, and the video game project Synduality. The anime will be directed by Yusuke Yamamoto, and Takashi Aoshima will write the Synduality Series Composition.
While Kodansha has produced a wide range of titles, it is the company’s manga titles that have become a major part of Disney’s original content strategy. Its mangas are based on Disney-owned franchises, including Snow White, Mickey Mouse, and Pirates of the Caribbean.
This new collaboration marks the first of many projects Disney and Kodansha will work on together. The company also plans to co-produce a variety of original anime titles for Disney+, and will continue to collaborate on future content development plans.