Disney+ Launches First Vertical Series “Locker Diaries”

With the success of vertical videos on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram continuing to get more and more popular, Disney has been looking to follow suit, as over the past few months, we’ve seen Disney+ introduce new content in the vertical format in some countries, including the United States.

One of the first original shows to be released is “Locker Diaries”, which will feature characters from “Zombies”, “Descendants” and “Phineas & Ferb” in bite-sized adventures that blend comedy, drama and thrills, all unfolding in school hallways and told through open locker doors.

The first season will feature characters from the popular “Zombies” franchise, with eleven episodes, which star Malachi Barton, Freya Skye, Swayam Bhatia, Julian Lerner and Mekonnen Knife, who have reprised their roles from “Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires”.   

The first two episodes are out now, and a new episode will be released each Saturday until mid-April. These new “Locker Diaries” episodes will be released on Disney+, along with the Disney Channel’s social media channels on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.   The episodes featuring “Descendants” and “Phineas & Ferb” characters will debut later this year.

These episodes will also be broadcast on Disney Channel and added to Disney Channel On Demand.

One of the reasons why Disney is heavily investing in short vertical videos is to increase engagement, especially with younger audiences on mobile devices. Recently, Disney+ launched its vertical feed in the United States and will soon be incorporating user-generated AI generated shorts.

Roger’s Take:  Disney needs to create content that connects with younger audiences, and it has to meet those users where they are.  I think incorporating original short-form content into its schedule is going to be a little hit and miss, depending on how audiences respond to it.  

When I first heard of Disney incorporating short-form vertical content into Disney+, I was rather sceptical, as while I do enjoy the odd doomscroll on YouTube Shorts or Reels, it’s all generally low-quality user-generated content or just clips of shows/videos.  

I’m not the target audience for “Locker Diaries”, but I do appreciate Disney taking the effort to try different formats and styles.  If this doesn’t work, at least they tried, and no doubt, they’ll be able to change the style/formats as they learn what works and what doesn’t.  

What do you think of the idea of “Locker Diaries”? Let me know on social media!