Disney Star starts creating European originals: All the shows to watch for
Since we’re restricted from traveling, Disney Star has just given us the green light! Disney has announced a handful of original European content they’ve taken over and we can’t be more excited!
With the help of the company’s new Disney Star platform, we can look forward to more diverse content than ever before! Get the popcorn ready!
Disney Star vs Disney Plus
Disney Plus is actually linked to the American streaming platform Hulu, therefore many international streamers didn’t have access to Disney’s content outside of the U.S.A. Luckily with Disney Star, Disney will be able to distribute the same quality shows & movies for a larger audience.
According to The Verge, Disney Plus released Disney Star which will help their European market. Disney Star will be available starting February 23rd for those in Europe, Canada, and New Zealand.
Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek told streamers about Disney Star back in August 2020: “In terms of the general entertainment offering internationally, we want to mirror our successful Disney Plus strategy by using our Disney Plus technical platform, bringing in content we already own and distributing it under a successful international brand that we also already own, which is, of course, Star.”
French shows
According to Variety, Disney has the rights for the four-part Star original series Oussekine which focuses on the tragic events that led to the death of a student in 1986. The miniseries was directed & created by Antoine Chevrollier and co-written by French writers: Faïza Guène, Julien Lilti, and Cèdric Ido.
Disney Star will present the French classic Oussekine alongside Soprano: Sing or Die which is about a French artist’s life from Marseilles to an incredible career.
Other French projects that Disney Star will release are Quoc Dang Tran’s Parallels. The original series was co-written by Anastasia Heinzl and follows a group of teenagers who are trapped in parallel dimensions. However, fans should also get ready for Baptiste Filleul’s comedy Weekend Family – about the strangest stepfamily who have weekly meetups.
Italian shows
Disney Star’s commission for a selection of Italian miniseries include The Good Mothers based on the female experience under an Italian mafia. The Italian series was written by Stephen Butchard and adapted from a book by famous journalist Alex Perry.
Disney Star will also release another two Italian series: Boris & The Ignorant Angels.
German shows
Variety reported that Disney Star will release the German series Sam – A Saxon, which is about the first black police officer in East-Germany. The series follows Samuel Meffire and was produced by world-wide acclaimed Jörg Winger and Tyron Ricketts.
If you’re looking for some dark German humor, Disney Star’s Sultan City may be the series to watch. Sultan City was produced by Ayla Gottschlich & Aysel Yilmaz and is about a unique German-Turkish family who become rulers of a criminal underworld they have no idea how to control.
Disney didn’t stop with Germany. In fact the company also has Dutch commissions for the football documentary “Feyenoord Rotterdam” produced by Lusus Media.
Moving to Europe
Disney hasn’t just released Disney Star, but they’ve also created new roles in Spain & Germany. According to Variety, the multi-million dollar company has appointed Sofía Fábregas as Disney’s new VP of original productions in Iberia while Benhamina Mirnik-Voges will be Disney’s VP for original productions in Germany.
The VP of original content at Disney’s EMEA Liam Keelan told Variety: “These first ten projects embody our ambitious vision for local production. Our initial European offering underscores Disney’s regional commitment to outstanding and diverse talent, reflecting our desire to work with the very best storytellers in the industry.”
Some of the most distinguished creators from Disney’s original content include BAFTA-winning Stephen Butchard & Emmy-Award winning director Jörg Winger.
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Are you excited for Disney’s European collection? Let us know in the comments below.
