Disney Branded TV orders raft of titles, Goosebumps headed to Disney+

Disney original movie Under Wraps

Disney Branded Television has unveiled a raft of new greenlights and renewals and lifted the lid on a trio of high-profile in-development projects, including an animated preschool series from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine and a live-action fantasy series from Eva Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment.

The series and movies, unveiled Monday as part of Disney Branded TV’s TCA presentation, will launch across Disney+, Disney Channel and Disney Junior.

On the unscripted front, Disney Branded TV ordered a pair of originals for Disney+. Growing Up is a hybrid docuseries exploring the challenges, triumphs and complexities of adolescence through 10 compelling coming-of-age stories. Brie Larson is among the directors and executive producers. Rennervations is a four-part series examining Jeremy Renner’s lifelong passion for giving back to communities around the world by reimagining unique purpose-built vehicles to meet a community’s needs.

Disney Branded TV also confirmed a greenlight for a scripted series based on R L Stine’s book series Goosebumps. The collaboration between book publisher Scholastic and Sony Pictures Television Studios is a Disney+ original and follows a group of five high schoolers who unleash supernatural forces upon their town and must all work together to save it. The project was first announced almost two years ago but at the time there was no broadcaster or streaming platform involved.

Disney Branded TV commissioned three original movies, including the Disney+ original Prom Pact (working title), written by Anthony Lombardo and directed by Anya Adams, about a high school senior who dreams of going to Harvard; holiday heist movie The Naughty Nine, set for Disney Channel and Disney+; and Under Wraps 2, the sequel to the remake of the 1997 Disney Channel original movie, produced by MarVista Entertainment.

Live-action mystery series Secrets of Sulphur Springs, created by Tracey Thomson, has been renewed for a third season on Disney Channel and Disney+.

Disney Branded TV is in development on Paola Santiago and the River of Tears, a fantasy-adventure series produced by 20th Television and executive produced by Eva Longoria and Ben Spector for UnbeliEVAble Entertainment. The project is based on a book of the same name about a teenage girl who enters a world of monsters and spirits steeped in Latin folklore when her best friend goes missing.

Animated preschool series Tiny Trailblazers, produced by Hello Sunshine in association with Disney Junior, is also in development. Aimed at kids aged two to seven, the project highlights the importance of environmental conservation and wildlife protection. Witherspoon is an executive producer and will voice one of the characters.

Disney Branded TV is also in development on an adaptation of the book Superfudge, written by author Judy Blume, for Disney+. The original movie project is produced by the Russo Brother’s AGBO and written by Amos Vernon and Nunio Randazzo. The project follows a 12-year-old boy who is babysitting his kid brother when he goes missing, leading to a family adventure across New York.

Other recent Disney+ greenlights include American Born Chinese, Beauty and the Beast, National Treasure and The Crossover.

The expansion of the kids and family slate comes as Disney increases its investment in original programming to support its D2C expansion. In November, the company said it plans to spend US$33bn on content over the next year across originals, licensed content and sports rights, marking an increase of US$8bn from the previous year.

Last month Disney confirmed that Disney+ will launch in a further 42 countries this summer, including South Africa, Turkey, Poland and Saudi Arabia.