As you can see from our D23 coverage. all things Disney, Marvel and Star Wars were revealed at the fan fest, but Disney’s deal with WEBTOON was not left out of the mix.
Disney Cursed Love is a new initiative featuring some of Disney’s most iconic love stories. The possibilities are endless, but the first story features Belle and the Beast, so cursed love indeed – however they have a very different look from traditional Disney animation for the webtoon version.
The line will debut with The Curse of a Forsaken Heart written by NYT best selling author Emily McIntire with art by Samairu. It will run on WEBTOON as a webcomic before getting a print edition in multiple formats in 2027.
The story:
Belle and the Beast (in its human form) get sucked into a magical world through an enchanted stained-glass window. Once trapped, they quickly realize the fate of the realm is tied to the kingdom’s princess, Emberlynne: a woman who didn’t yield to the marriage proposal of an evil sorcerer. As a result of her refusal, the entire kingdom is cursed to live without love and anyone who steps foot inside it is also cursed. Belle and the Beast will have to not only find their way back to their own love, but also help the princess find hers in order to lift the curse from the kingdom and return home.
McIntyre appeared on the Future of Digital Comics: Disney, Marvel, & WEBTOON panel at D23 and said “If you’re a Disney fan, you’ll get that nostalgic feeling — Belle and her prince are there, living happily ever after, and then they’re pulled into this world with new characters. I love putting in Easter eggs that give you that butterfly feeling from the first time you fell in love with these legendary Disney characters, and hopefully fans fall in love with these new characters just as much.”
They also announced 20 new titles for the Disney section on WEBTOON, all existing series that have been reformatted for the vertical scrolling platform.
These include:
- Star Wars: Visions The Followers of Ankok (2023)
- Star Wars: Visions The Ronin and the Droid (2024)
- Disney Villains Hades (2023)
- Disney Villains Maleficent (2023)
- Disney Villains Ursula (2026)
- Gravity Falls: Lost Legends (2018)
- The Ultimates (2024)
The panel and news are part of a longterm collab between Disney, Marvel and WEBTOON, which has already seen 20 titles formated for the platform. The panel also featured CB Cebulski, Editor Asia Originals, Marvel Comics, and Susan Cheng, WEBTOON Managing Producer.
“I feel the same way about WEBTOON that I did when experiencing some of those comics for the first time when I was younger,” Cebulski said on the panel, “that joy of discovering a new form of storytelling all over again.
“That’s what WEBTOON does — taking what Marvel did traditionally and finding a new way to tell it,” he continued, “adding the most kinetic energy, controlling the pacing so you feel like the Vulture’s flying and Spider-Man’s falling, the same feelings you get watching a film like Brand New Day/”
“For me personally, seeing these characters that I grew up with — that my parents recognize, that my grandparents recognize — has been really surreal and awesome, to see them become part of the everyday WEBTOON reading experience,” said Cheng.
There will be more Disney Cursed Love news coming soon
