Walt Disney Animation has confirmed that the studio is moving away from its development of long-form streaming content for Disney+.
No More Development of Long-Form Animation on Disney+
A new article by The Hollywood Reporter announced that Disney has scrapped all plans for a “Tiana” Disney+ series, which was set to take place after the events of “The Princess and the Frog.” In the same article, unnamed THR sources indicated that the cancellation of “Tiana” is part of a broader shift by Walt Disney Animation away from animated long-form content created exclusively for Disney+.
The THR article explains that during the pandemic, Disney executives and ex-CEO Bob Chapek pushed for more original animated content to be funneled onto Disney+ in the hope that subscriber numbers would increase. However, it now appears the studio is moving back to its usual theatrical animated films and will only produce shorter content for release on Disney+.
In this context, long-form content refers to feature-length films or series with regular-length episodes, as opposed to series like “Zootopia+” or “Olaf Presents” with episodes only running around 10 minutes or less.
In addition to cancelling the “Tiana” series, Disney has also quietly cancelled an unnamed feature-length project that was also set to be released on the streaming service. The shift comes after the 2024 news that Pixar Studios will also stop producing long-form content for Disney+. “Win Or Lose,” a spinoff series from the “Inside Out” films that premiered in February, is expected to be one of the last long-form Pixar projects released on Disney+ for the foreseeable future.
THR sources indicate Walt Disney Animation will continue on its currently-planned schedule of releasing around one theatrical film per year, along with some smaller shorts or limited projects in-between. The studio’s most recent theatrical success was “Moana 2,” which is set to arrive on Disney+ later this month. Regarding upcoming films, Disney has announced the release of “Zootopia 2” in November 2025 and “Frozen III” in November 2027. Likewise, a Pixar theatrical film about switching human brains into the bodies of robotic beavers titled “Hoppers” is currently scheduled for release on March 6, 2026.
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.