《超异能族》第一季不仅火遍整个亚洲，在全球范围也引起热议，引发的韩剧热潮足以媲美《鱿鱼游戏》第一季。《超异能族》为全球超级英雄剧集创造出了一种新的叙事逻辑，那就是好的超英剧并不需要恢弘的特技场面支撑，完美融合变异后的超级英雄元素、国家历史重大转折点、爱情以及两代人之间温暖的亲情所创作的高质量剧本，同样能够激起全球观众们的追剧热情。This is an important part of its efforts to enter the asian streaming media market and strive for a larger market share.
It was learned from the International Finance News APP that Hollywood entertainment leader Walt Disney Company (DIS.US) is intensifying its investment in exclusive collections of Japanese anime works, while also extending the licensing rights for Korea's superhero series, which is an important part of its efforts to enter the asian streaming media market and strive for a larger market share. Disney's strongest competitor in the streaming field, Netflix (NFLX.US), has been paying increasing attention to the Japanese and Korean markets in recent years, creating hit Korean dramas such as 'Alice in Borderland,' 'Sweet Home,' and 'Squid Game,' which have sparked binge-watching trends worldwide, proving that Korean dramas can attract a global audience to binge-watch just like popular series such as 'True Detective' and 'Stranger Things.'
On Thursday, Disney's streaming platform 'Disney+' announced at its Asia-Pacific content showcase in Singapore that it has renewed the Korean superhero series 'The Ability Family' for a second season. Disney stated that the series, created by Korean webcomic artist Kangfull, has been highly successful globally and has won more than 10 industry awards. The company has also deepened its collaboration with Kangfull and is set to release the highly anticipated global mystery series 'Light Shop.'
The first season of 'The Ability Family' not only became popular throughout asia but also caused a stir globally, sparking a Korean drama craze comparable to the first season of 'Squid Game.' 'The Ability Family' has created a new narrative logic for global superhero series, showing that good superhero dramas do not necessarily need grand special effects to support them. By perfectly blending post-mutated superhero elements, major historical turning points in the nation, love, and warm family bonds between generations, high-quality scripts have managed to ignite the binge-watching enthusiasm of global audiences.
In addition to ramping up investments and striving to create more hit Korean content, Disney+ will also adapt the hit mobile game 'Disney Twisted Wonderland,' developed jointly with manga artist Mato Ito, into an animated series next year. The series has already expanded into the novel and manga fields, garnering a large following, and adding it to Disney's streaming platform 'Disney+' is the next step in expanding into new formats and audiovisual media.
Disney+ will also have exclusive distribution rights for some anime works from Kodansha, one of Japan's largest integrated publishing companies, including the highly anticipated second season of 'Go! Go! Loser Ranger!'
In a statement, Disney stated that anime remains one of the core factors attracting audiences, with standout works including the heavyweight 'Sand Land: The Series' created by Akira Toriyama, the creator of 'Dragon Ball,' based on Akira Toriyama's manga of the same name.
Disney's significant investments in Korean and Japanese anime and TV series come as part of its strategy adjustment to improve profitability, especially for its streaming platform 'Disney+.' Disney's goal is to achieve a $1 billion operating profit target in its just-begun 2025 fiscal year for its streaming business.
Disney is currently focusing on the Asia market to help expand the local user base and strives to attract a wider international audience with popular series or animations, while reducing some content investments in Southeast Asia. It is understood that Disney's business in the Indian market has merged with the media business under the large Indian enterprise Reliance to establish a joint venture named JioStar.
"Original stories produced in the Asia-Pacific region have become the mainstream content of popular entertainment consumption - they are created by top local production teams and these popular series are increasingly resonating globally, with a large and passionate fan base," said Carol Choi, Disney's Executive Vice President of Original Content. "Our content strategy continues to focus on planning original stories driven by high-quality teams and outstanding directing talents from the region."
