Disney+ Annnounces Slate of New Original Projects

While the roster of originals on Disney+ was pretty minimal when the service launched back in [...]

While the roster of originals on Disney+ was pretty minimal when the service launched back in November, the production slate has only continued to grow in the months since. Several different projects have been in various stages of production recently, including Marvel's WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, as well as the second season of Star Wars: The Mandalorian. On Wednesday morning, Disney+ announced even more original shows to its growing lineup, all of which are focusing on unscripted ideas.

During a panel at the Realscreen Summit in New Orleans, Disney revealed the first details regarding its new unscripted programs. The streaming service is set to reboot the fantasy reality competition series The Quest, this time with teenage participants. Disney is also producing a brainteaser competition called The Maze, National Geographic's Meet the Chimps, and an untitled series that follows Pixar's SparkShorts program.

"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," said Agnes Chu, senior vice president, Content, Disney+. "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."

The Quest is an "innovative reality competition" that takes place in the fictional world of Everealm. Filmed at a castle in Austria, The Quest's contestants will come face to face with mythical beings and magical encounters as part of a fully immersive competition experience. The series is executive produced by Mark Ordesky, Jane Fleming, David Collins, Michael Williams, Rob Eric, Bertram van Munster, Elise Doganieri, and Mark Dziak.

The Maze is a much different kind of competition that will pit teams of five (one adult and four teen relatives) against one another as they solve riddles and decipher clues that lead them through European cities. The Maze is also executive produced by van Munster, Doganieri, and Dziak.

National Geographic's Meet the Chimps shows the ins and outs of one of the biggest wildlife sanctuaries in the entire world, a 200-acre refuge in Louisiana known as Chimp Haven, which is home to more than 300 chimpanzees. Meet the Chimps is produced by Blink Films and executive produced by Justine Kershaw and Michael Welsh. Virginia Queen will direct the series.

Several Pixar SparkShorts have already made their debut on Disney+, and the new unscripted series will follow the process behind the program and show how the new talent is selected. Brian McGinn, Jason Sterman, and David Gelb serve as executive producers.

Which of these new Disney+ shows are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments! If you haven't signed up for Disney+ yet, you can try it out here.

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