By Zach Johnson
Save the date for some epic holiday programming!
Today, Disney Branded Television unveiled its fall and winter premiere dates for new original movies and series on Disney Channel and Disney Junior. Halloween and Christmas will come early this year when two Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs), Under Wraps and Christmas Again, debut October 1 and December 3, respectively. The animated series The Ghost and Molly McGee, exploring the unlikely friendship between an eternally optimistic girl and a grumpy ghost, will debut October 1. That’s not all! Mickey will bring the holiday fun to Disney Junior with two new movies, Mickey’s Tale of Two Witches and Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas, airing October 7 and December 2, respectively.
In addition, Emmy® Award-nominated writer and producer Travis Braun has extended his overall deal to develop and produce both animated and live-action content across linear and streaming platforms for Disney Branded Television. He has a live-action DCOM in development, and Disney Junior has greenlit Pupstruction, a new series for preschoolers.
Finally, Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends, which follows the adventures of Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy, and Miles Morales, has been renewed for season two by Disney Junior!
Read on for all the details on the movies and series:
Under Wraps—Friday, October 1, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel
The contemporary comedic remake of the 1997 Halloween classic of the same name follows three 12-year-old friends, Marshall (Malachi Barton), Gilbert (Christian J. Simon), and Amy (Sophia Hammons). They happen upon and awaken a mummy (Phil Wright), which they affectionately name Harold, and must rush to return him to his resting place before midnight on Halloween. Along the way, the team narrowly escapes a nefarious group of criminals intent on selling the mummy to the highest bidder. When Harold is inevitably captured, Marshall, Gilbert and Amy must band together to stand up to the criminals, face their fears and rescue their new—but rather “ancient”—friend. Also starring are Melanie Brook as Buzzy, Brent Stait as Kubot, Jordana Largy as Diane, Jaime M. Callica as Ted and Karin Konoval as Ravensworth. Produced by MarVista Entertainment, Under Wraps is directed by Alex Zamm with Todd Y. Murata and Fernando Szew as executive producers for MarVista Entertainment. Based on the original movie written by Don Rhymer, the writing team for the remake is Zamm and William Robertson.
The Ghost and Molly McGee—Friday, October 1, at 9:35 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel
The animated buddy-comedy follows tween optimist Molly (voiced by Ashly Burch), who lives to make the world a better place, and grumpy ghost Scratch (voiced by Dana Snyder), whose job is to spread misery. When one of Scratch’s curses backfires, he finds himself forever bound to Molly. A production of Disney Television Animation, the series was created by Emmy® Award-winning writing and producing duo Bill Motz and Bob Roth, who both serve as executive producers alongside Emmy Award winner Steve Loter. Britta Reitman serves as producer.
Mickey’s Tale of Two Witches—Thursday, October 7, on Disney Junior
On Halloween, Mickey tells Pluto a story about two witches-in-training, Minnie the Wonderful and Daisy Doozy, who must pass four tests to graduate from the Witch Academy in Happy Haunt Hills. While Daisy isn’t confident about passing, she and Minnie join forces, along with Count Mickula and the gang, to defeat a mischievous ghost. Minnie and Daisy learn that working together makes their magic and their friendship stronger. Rob LaDuca and Mark Seidenberg are executive producers. The movie is a production of Disney Television Animation.
Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas—Thursday, December 2, on Disney Junior
After a series of mishaps, Mickey, Minnie and the gang are separated all over the world and must try to get back to Hot Dog Hills by Christmas Eve. A mysterious and jolly stranger shows up to tell them about The Wishing Star, which could be the secret to bringing everybody home in time to celebrate together. LaDuca and Seidenberg are executive producers. The movie is a production of Disney Television Animation.
Christmas Again—Friday, December 3, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel
Disney fan-favorite Scarlett Estevez stars as Rowena “Ro,” a high-spirited teenager experiencing a lackluster Christmas. Ro isn’t handling her parents’ divorce well because she wants her life back the way it was: her parents back together, her dad’s new girlfriend and son out of the picture, and their family traditions to remain the same. After a disappointing celebration with her family, including her sister Gabriela “Gabby” (Ashlyn Jade Lopez), Abuela Sofia (Priscilla Lopez) and Abuelo Hector (Tony Amendola), she makes a wish to a neighborhood Santa for a “do-over” and unexpectedly finds herself reliving Christmas day over and over … and over again. Now, in order to break the strange magical loop, Ro must learn to appreciate her loving family as it is, as well as the true meaning of Christmas.
Also starring are Daniel Sunjata as Mike and Alexis Carra as Carolina, Ro’s parents; Beth Lacke as Mike’s girlfriend, Diane; and Gary Anthony Williams as Santa. Christmas Again is directed by Andy Fickman and written by Doan La. Fickman also serves as an executive producer with long-time producing partner Betsy Sullenger.
Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends Greenlit for Season Two
A sophomore season of Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends, the first full-length Marvel series for preschoolers, has been greenlit into production after its impressive debut on Disney Channel, Disney Junior, and DisneyNOW earlier this month. The first seven episodes will be available Wednesday, September 22, on Disney+, and new episodes will continue to roll out Fridays on Disney Channel (9 a.m. ET/PT) and Disney Junior (12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. ET/PT).
Joe D’Ambrosia, senior vice president, Original Programming and general manager, Disney Junior, said, “After just a week and a half into the launch of Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends, we are already seeing how well the series is resonating with preschoolers and their families. With this season two order, we’re excited to continue our collaboration with Marvel and bring even more stories of friendship and cooperation, and of course, exciting adventures with Team Spidey, to our young audience.”
“The premiere of Marvel’s Spidey and his Amazing Friends has been a seminal moment in our journey to bring Marvel’s stories to preschool audiences,” said Dan Buckley, president of Marvel Entertainment. “Spider-Man has always been a character to break new ground for Marvel in every medium, so we’re thrilled Peter, Gwen and Miles are resonating with so many fans. We can’t wait to continue bringing that joy and experience to young kids and their families with a second season.”
Disney Sets New Overall Deal with Travis Braun, Greenlights New Series Pupstruction
Travis Braun has extended his overall deal with Disney to develop and produce both animated and live-action content across linear and streaming platforms for Disney Branded Television. The deal also includes a first look at any of Braun’s projects for other Disney-owned platforms, including additional streaming and theatrical releases. Additionally, Pupstruction, a new series from Braun for the preschool audience, has been given a greenlight for Disney Junior, and a Disney Channel Original Movie is also in development.
Braun said, “I’m thrilled to continue to call Disney my home and bring imaginative, new worlds to life under the thoughtful leadership of Peter Rice, Gary Marsh, Joe D’Ambrosia, Ayo Davis and their teams. We share a passion for telling rich stories that matter to audiences around the world in the way that Disney’s content always has. It is truly a privilege to help write this next chapter of the magic that I grew up on.”
Braun’s newest project for Disney Junior, Pupstruction, follows the adventures of the world’s first all-dog construction company, Pupstruction. It centers on Phinny, an innovative young corgi, who might be the smallest pup on the crew but proves that you don’t need big paws to have big dreams or big ideas. Braun is the series creator and executive producer. Vic Cook serves as executive producer and Robyn Brown is co-producer/story editor. Abigail Nesbitt is supervising director. The series is produced by Titmouse in association with Disney Junior and is slated to premiere on Disney Junior and Disney+ in 2023.
