David Farnor | On 30, Jan 2020

Since its launch in the US last year, Disney+ has made headlines with its plans for new Marvel adventures and the success of its Star Wars series, The Mandalorian. The House of Mouse is thinking bigger than its popular brands, though, also lining up a string of unscripted TV projects to debut on the service.

Top of the slate is a reboot of ABC’s The Quest, reports Deadline. The reality series hails from the exec-producers of Netflix’s Queer Eye, and CBS contest The Amazing Race. The new version of the show will follow teen contestants and will film at a castle outside Vienna, which doubles for the fantasy world of Everealm. There, the young players will encounter mystical beings as they’re immersed in a magical 360-degree world through digital technology, high-quality creature design and scripted characters who interact with them.

Court Five’s Mark Ordesky (The Lord of the Rings) and Jane Fleming, David Collins, Michael Williams and Rob Eric from Queer Eye producer Scout Productions are behind the show, alongside The Amazing Race co-creators Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri.

Eric says: “The Quest is a truly unique unscripted show as it takes contestants into a fully immersive world of magic and fantasy. There is no better partner than Disney+ for this type of enchanted storytelling.”

Also on the slate is adventure competition The Maze, which sees five teams (one adult and one teen) try to solve riddles and clues that guide them through European cities. All the teams will convene at a final destination, but only one will solve The Maze.

Disney+ has also ordered a new documentary going behind-the-scenes at Pixar. From Chef’s Table producer Supper Club, the show will follow Pixar’s SparkShorts, a scheme that offers a group of employees the chance to make their own animated short. Brian McGinn, Jason Sterman and David Gelb executive produce.

National Geographic, Disney+’s nature brand, will also head into wildlife sanctuary Chimp Haven for Meet the Chimps. The 200-acre refuge in Louisiana is home to more than 300 chimpanzees, which will be followed over the course of six episodes. Produced by Meet the Penguins and Meet the Orangutans producer Blink Films with Justine Kershaw and Michael Welsh serving as executive producers, and Virginia Quinn as series director, the series builds on the release of nature documentary The Elephant Queen, the streaming platform’s first original movie.

“These projects take people on epic adventures, immerse them in fantastical worlds and shine a light on extraordinary people and creatures, which are all important benchmarks of our Disney+ nonfiction content philosophy,” Agnes Chu, senior vice president, Content, Disney+, said in a statement when the projects were announced at the Realscreen conference this week.

“We are thrilled that we get to bring the groundbreaking The Quest back to life, and can’t wait for people to discover The Maze, our special subjects in Meet the Chimps and the innovation and wonder of making Pixar’s Sparkshorts.”

Disney+ will launch in the UK on 24th March 2020, with a price of £5.99 a month. For more information on the launch, click here.

Add to Watchlist