Today The Walt Disney Company announced its first wave of Australian & New Zealand original content acquisitions, which will launch on the streaming service in 2022/2023.

The event took place at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art, with key producers, and talent on-site to talk about the upcoming slate of content.

Kylie Watson-Wheel, the Senior Vice President and Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company AUS/NZ, said:

“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 Walt Disney Company is making a significant investment in Australian and New Zealand local commissions. Our second wave of local and loved content is taking great shape, with many more shows in various stages of development, including fabulous original concepts coming out of New Zealand. The opportunities are endless, particularly in young adult, comedy, and rom coms, which our audiences can’t get enough of”

The platform giant picked up nine original pieces of content, three scripted dramas, four documentaries and two lifestyle series. 

The scripted dramas start with The Clearing, which is described as adapted from the J.P Pomare novel, In the Clearing and is inspired by the real-life Australian cult The Family. The description states that “in this eight-part psychological thriller, a woman is forced to confront the nightmares of her past to stop a secret cult intent on gathering children to fulfil its master plan.” 

Next up is The Artful Dodger, which is set in the 1850s and follows some of Charles Dickens’s most famous characters. The description says that “the series takes place 15 years on from the events of Oliver Twist and is set in the frontier colonies of 1850s Australia. From high-octane heists to life-and-death surgeries, glittering parties to colourful streets, this series is a rock’n’roll tale about the double life of Dickens’ most famous prince of thieves with an Aussie connection.” 

And finally, there’s Last Days of the Space Age, which is a comedy-drama set in 1979 in Perth, Australia, with the synopsis saying that “a power strike threatens to plunge the region into darkness, while the city hosts the iconic Miss Universe pageant and the US space station, Skylab, crashes just beyond the city’s suburbs. Against this backdrop of international cultural and political shifts, three families in a tight-knit coastal community find their marriages, friendships, and futures put to the test.”

On the documentary front, Fearless: The Inside Story of the AFLW is a world-first look at the AFL Women’s Competition. “The six-part series spotlights four clubs: Adelaide Crows, Collingwood, GWS GIANTS, and Western Bulldogs. This inspiring series is about more than football. With the AFLW at the forefront of celebrating diversity and inclusion and redefining gender norms, the series will explore the journey, sacrifice and history in the making, as the trailblazing women of the AFLW pave the way in professional sport and help change the sporting and cultural psyche of Australia.”

Matildas: The World at Our Feet is a docu-series about the team as they prepare for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023, and “the six-part docu-series chronicles the highs and lows as well as the extraordinary teamwork, trust and spirit required – as the squad looks to create history and leave an unrivalled legacy for the sport in Australia and abroad.”

Shipwreck Hunters Australia features five underwater filmmakers and two archaeologists who embark on a mission to discover long-lost ship-wecks. The description for the series says the series is “combining new evidence, archival research and all-out adventure “Shipwreck Hunters Australia” is a vibrant journey into the mysterious past led by modern day ocean explorers.”

Lastly, Chasing Waves is about exploring surf culture in Japan, “highlighting the dramatic push and pull between convention and innovation. By chronicling the lives of both the trendsetters and the traditionalists, the series paints a captivating holistic picture of the global surf industry.”

In the lifestyle and factual category, there’s Donna Hay Christmas, a four-episode series which is posted by food and lifestyle icon Donna Hay, which is about “bringing to life stunning but simple recipes for the perfect entertaining and feasting, plus special styling moments for a truly magical Australian Christmas.”

And finally, there’s What’s Your Toy Story? a series being developed with Rove McManus as a new competition series that will see “teams of kids and grownups show off their creativity, innovation and storytelling skills as they bring their own toy stories to life.”

Look forward to learning more about these series over the coming year and into 2023.