Disney’s Carol Choi Talks BTS And Super Junior K-Pop Docs, Korean Crime Drama And Passion Projects In Japan
18.01.2023 - 21:37
/ deadline.com
Disney’s Carol Choi has seen it all in the East Asian entertainment business, working for the studio in various roles in China from 2006, then heading up The Walt Disney Company Korea, before being appointed Managing Director of The Walt Disney Company Japan. She currently wears two hats, also serving as Executive Vice President, Original Content Strategy, across the Asia Pacific region.
Disney moved into Asian local-language content in a big way in 2021, unveiling a bumper slate of Korean, Japanese and Indonesian originals for its Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar streaming platforms, followed by another wave of content announcements late last year. Choi oversees the studio’s long-term collaborations and partnerships with content creators and artists across the region, including a deal struck last year with Korean entertainment giant HYBE, home of the world’s biggest boy band, BTS.
Two shows under that deal are already streaming – concert film BTS: Permission To Dance On Stage – LA and reality show In The Soop: Friendcation, which follows the travel adventures of BTS member V and his famous actor and singer friends. Next up are a one-off film about J-Hope, the first BTS member to release a solo album, and docu-series BTS Monuments: Beyond the Star.
Disney is also working with other Korean partners on K-pop docs, including Super Junior: The Last Man Standing, which starts streaming today (January 18); as well as music-themed dramas such as Soundtrack #1, which was recently commissioned for a second season.
In Japan, in addition to a large slate of anime projects, Disney recently released live-action crime drama Gannibal and is working on fantasy series Dragons Of Wonderhatch, a hybrid of live-action and anime elements.