The Walt Disney Company Africa has unveiled its 2026-2027 entertainment lineup at a media event in Johannesburg on Tuesday, 20 October.
It offered a preview of its movies, television, streaming, consumer products, sport and live experiences businesses.
The showcase highlighted upcoming releases and initiatives across Disney’s portfolio, from new films and returning series to sporting events, children’s programming and community projects.
Rochelle Knock, vice president of Disney+ and Media Networks and country head for sub-Saharan Africa at The Walt Disney Company EMEA, said Disney had been part of Africa’s entertainment landscape for more than 60 years.
She said the showcase celebrated the connection audiences have with Disney’s stories and characters, as well as the breadth of its upcoming offering across cinema, television, streaming, retail and live events.
DISNEY+ EXPANDS ITS OFFERING
South African Disney+ subscribers have been introduced to a new version of the app in September 2026. The monthly subscription price is now R179 if paid monthly, or R1590 per annum upfront, which works out to R132.50pm.
The app has more personalised recommendations, an enhanced ESPN viewing experience, additional parental controls and the ability to watch while travelling internationally across Europe, the US and other destinations. The updated app retains the same movies and series.
The platform’s content offering is also expanding to include new series, returning favourites and live sport.
Earlier this year, Formula E announced a multi-year agreement that will bring every race in the championship to Disney+ from the 2026/27 season. From 18 December, Disney+ subscribers will have access to coverage of every event, including previews, reviews, practice sessions, qualifying, races and highlights.
Upcoming series include the third season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, the second season of Lucasfilm’s Ahsoka, and the sixth season of the Emmy-winning comedy Only Murders in the Building.
Other additions include The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, its spin-off The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County, true-crime docuseries Swipe Right on the Devil and the fourth season of Tracker.
DISNEY EXPANDS ITS SOCIAL IMPACT
Disney Africa is entering the 12th year of its Disney Healthy Happy Play programme, in partnership with Sporting Chance. The 2027 programme will expand its reach through regional champions, after-school sessions and Play Days, with the initiative aiming to have reached more than 300,000 South African schoolchildren since it began.
The company is also embarking on a third collaboration with local non-profit solar-powered media network Sunshine Cinema. This time, the partnership will bring Disney Jr. content in local languages to early childhood development centres across the country.
The programme will include The Lion Guard, Doc McStuffins, Spidey and His Amazing Friends and Sofia the First. Children, parents and caregivers will also take part in activities and conversations inspired by the shows.
MOVIES COMING TO CINEMAS
Storytelling remains central to The Walt Disney Company, with its film studios bringing together titles from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Searchlight Pictures and 20th Century Studios.
The upcoming cinema slate includes animated adventures, family favourites and major franchise releases running through the end of 2026 and into 2027.
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ new coming-of-age adventure, Hexed, arrives in cinemas on 27 November. It follows an unconventional teenage girl who discovers magical abilities that take her into a hidden realm of witches.
Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled for 16 December 2026. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the film brings heroes from three different universes together to face an existential threat. It features an all-star cast.
The 2027 releases begin with Ice Age: Boiling Point on 5 February. Manny, Sid, Diego, Ellie, Buck and Scrat return for an adventure involving dinosaurs and lava in previously unexplored parts of the Lost World. Baby Scrat and the enormous Jurassic Scrat also join the story.
Pixar’s original animated film Gatto follows on 5 March. Set in Venice, it centres on Nero, a black cat indebted to a ruthless feline mob boss, who develops an unexpected friendship that could help him find his purpose.
On 28 May, Star Wars: Starfighter brings an original, standalone story set in a previously unexplored period of the Star Wars universe. The film stars Ryan Gosling and is directed by Shawn Levy.
Younger audiences can look forward to The Bluey Movie, which arrives in cinemas on 6 August 2027. Based on the popular animated series, the film follows Bluey, her younger sister Bingo and their family through an eventful day when an unexpected surprise changes everything.
DISNEY’S FESTIVE CAMPAIGN RETURNS
With the festive season approaching, Disney’s annual Make the Holidays Magic campaign will return to South Africa.
The campaign celebrates the connection audiences have with Disney and its brands, alongside the country’s own festive traditions. This year’s offering will include a broad range of toys, games, accessories and clothing, as well as special holiday programming across Disney Channel, Disney Jr. and Disney+.
The Chari-Tree initiative also returns for its 12th year, supporting Reach for a Dream.
NEW SHOWS FOR DISNEY CHANNEL AND DISNEY JR.
Disney Africa operates six linear television channels across the continent, offering family entertainment, tween programming, factual content and sport.
Disney Channel will introduce Doomies, a new animated series combining spooky comedy and mystery, this month. It follows two ordinary teenagers caught up in an extraordinary situation.
The channel will also screen The Cheetah Girls: Next Gen, a music-driven film produced in South Africa. The story follows original Cheetah Girls Galleria and Chanel, alongside Galleria’s daughter Faith and her three friends, as they travel to Africa to volunteer at a wildlife sanctuary.
New seasons and episodes of Big City Greens, Vampirina Teenage Vampire, Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir, Phineas and Ferb and Dragon Striker are also planned for the coming months.
Disney Jr. will continue introducing younger viewers to its characters and stories, with two new titles on the way.
Cars: Lightning Racers follows Lightning McQueen on new adventures in Radiator Springs alongside his best friend Mater. Meanwhile, Marvel’s Avengers: Mightiest Friends features younger versions of Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, Black Panther, Black Widow and Thor.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORES THE NATURAL WORLD
National Geographic continues to use factual storytelling to connect audiences with the world around them. The brand has more than 800 million social media followers and generates over one billion impressions each month.
Arriving in December, Animal Oddballs sees Ryan Reynolds spotlight some of nature’s most unusual creatures and their behaviour. From penguins sliding on rocks to vegetarian spiders, the series explores the different ways animals adapt and survive.
In 2027, Everest: The Other Side will offer an intimate look at two people connected by love, ambition and the pursuit of the seemingly impossible. The film comes from National Geographic Documentary Films and Oscar-winning filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin.
Another upcoming title, Wolves Up Close With Bertie Gregory, follows the National Geographic Explorer to Canada for a remote and challenging expedition. Gregory films a wolf pack hunting one of its largest and most dangerous prey animals: the moose.
ESPN BRINGS MORE LIVE SPORT
Sports fans can look forward to US and international competitions across ESPN and ESPN 2’s linear channels, as well as the new ESPN hub on Disney+ in South Africa.
Rugby coverage will include France’s TOP 14, one of the leading club competitions in the sport.
Football fans will have access to live matches from the Roshn Saudi Pro League, the UEFA Women’s Champions League and several European competitions, including Turkey’s Süper Lig, the Scottish Professional Football League and the English Football League.
ESPN will also remain the exclusive English-language broadcaster of the NBA Finals in sub-Saharan Africa, while American football fans can follow the road to the NFL Super Bowl.
With new films, returning series, expanded streaming features, live sport and community initiatives, Disney’s 2026-2027 slate covers a wide range of entertainment for audiences across South Africa and the rest of the continent.
Disney unveils new films, shows and live sport
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