Disney+ debuts Locker Diaries as it forges ahead with vertical microdrama strategy

The three-minute episodes of Locker Diaries will drop on Saturdays

Global streamer Disney+ has released its first shortform vertical microdrama, Locker Diaries, after parent company Disney last month unveiled plans to lean into the fast-growing space.

The 11-part live-action series brings together characters from Disney’s Zombies, Descendants and Phineas & Ferb franchises, with the story unfolding from the vantage point of a high school locker.

The first two episodes, each around three minutes long, were launched over the weekend, with episodes appearing on Disney+ as well as the Disney Channel’s YouTube, Instagram and TikTok accounts. New episodes will launch every Saturday, with the full series also set to air on linear network Disney Channel in the US next month.

The cast includes Malachi Barton, Freya Skye, Swayam Bhatia, Mekonnen Knife and Julian Lerner.

The launch comes just over a month after Disney confirmed plans to make vertical video a core component of its future streaming strategy.

During the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, execs revealed that Disney+ will feature content from ESPN sports, ABC News and entertainment programming from Hulu Plus Live. A new vertical video experience is also set to launch within Disney+ later in the year.

Microdramas have continued to be a major topic of conversation over the past few months as Hollywood studios look to find a way in. The first American studio to fully enter the space was Fox Entertainment, which took an equity stake in Holywater, the Ukraine-based owner of microdrama app My Drama, in the autumn.

Since then, Netflix’s VP of content for Mexico Carolina Leconte has revealed the streaming giant is “exploring” vertical microdramas in Latin America, while Prime Video’s VP of international originals Nicole Clemens last week told C21 that Amazon was “super cognisant of that kind of storytelling and what possibilities might come from that.”