Disney joined the International Documentary Association on October 18, 2019, and announced a handful of new nonfiction series and documentaries that will air on Disney+.
- Howard – The untold story of Howard Ashman, the brilliant lyricist behind Disney classics like “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid” and creator of musicals including “Little Shop of Horrors.” The film will stream exclusively on Disney+ in 2020.
- Untitled Mickey Mouse Documentary – Academy Award, Grammy Award, and Emmy Award-winning documentarian Morgan Neville (“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” “20 Feet From Stardom”) is producing an untitled Mickey Mouse Documentary for the service. Directed by Jeff Malmberg (“Marwencol,” “Shangri-La”), the film will work to decode Mickey’s deeper significance, getting to the core of what his cultural impact says about each of us, and about our world. From Tremolo Productions and Lincoln Square Productions, the film will strive to be the definitive analysis of Mickey as a cultural icon.
- People & Places will re-launch Walt Disney’s Academy Award-winning series of documentary short films. Following in Walt’s footsteps, the series will focus on real-life stories of extraordinary people and places from around the globe that embody the Disney ethos — all told by a mix of up-and-coming and established filmmakers.
- Wolfgang, directed by David Gelb (“Jiro Dreams of Sushi”), will be an intimate portrait of the life and work of the original “celebrity chef,” Wolfgang Puck.
- Marvel’s 616 – Multi-talented artist Gillian Jacobs (“Love, “Community”) will direct the first episode in the previously announced documentary anthology series “Marvel’s 616.” From the perspective of what it means to be a woman in what’s perceived to be a male-driven industry, “Higher, Further, Faster” will shine a light on the trailblazing women of Marvel Comics and explores how they found ways to tell stories of representation and inclusion. Jacobs will be joined by Paul Scheer, David Gelb, and Andrew Rossi, among others, to helm additional episodes of the series. The episodes will focus on a range of topics including an intimate look at the cosplay community, Marvel’s influence and relationship with hip-hop, illustrators who live and work internationally, and following a high school theater production of Marvel and Disney’s “Spotlight” program. “Marvel’s 616” will stream exclusively on Disney+ in 2020.
- Science Fair – National Geographic Disney+ will also be the exclusive global streaming home for National Geographic’s Emmy Award-winning documentary film “Science Fair,” which will be available when the service launches on November 12. The winner of audience awards at Sundance Film Festival and SXSW Film Festival, “Science Fair” follows nine high school students from around the globe as they navigate rivalries, setbacks and, of course, hormones, on their journey to compete at The International Science and Engineering Fair.
- Encore – Executive Producer Kristen Bell shared the first extended look at her unscripted series “Encore!.” The series brings together former castmates of a high school musical, tasking them with re-creating their original performance in a high school reunion like no other. Each episode follows a new cast of returning alumni as they attempt to pull off a standing-ovation-worthy performance of beloved musicals like “The Sound of Music,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Annie” and more. “Encore!” will stream exclusively on Disney+ November 12.
- The Imagineering Story – Prolific documentarian and Academy Award and Emmy Award-nominated director and producer Leslie Iwerks (“The Pixar Story,” “Citizen Hearst”) gave a look inside the production process of her documentary series “The Imagineering Story.” The six-hour saga chronicles the 67-year history of Walt Disney Imagineering, a place best described as equal parts artist studio, design center, think tank and innovation laboratory. “The Imagineering Story” streams exclusively on Disney+ November 12.
- The World According to Jeff Goldblum – Jeff Goldblum, who executive produces and stars in “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” from National Geographic, premiered the series’ “Tattoos” episode for the audience before giving a peek inside his curious mind. Each episode of the series is centered around something we all love — like sneakers or ice cream — as Jeff pulls the thread on deceptively familiar objects and unravels a wonderful world of astonishing connections, fascinating science and history, amazing people, and a whole lot of surprising big ideas and insights. “The World According to Jeff Goldblum” streams exclusively on Disney+ November 12.
