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Netflix vs. Disney Plus in animated feature films
Netflix is emphasizing an area of content production that is essential to Disney Plus’s brand and history: animated feature films.
“Netflix’s remark on animated feature film particularly jumped out to us with Klaus just nominated for an Oscar and Netflix building to multiple significant animated feature films per year,” said J.P. Morgan analysts. According to Netflix, Klaus was watched in around 30 million homes globally during its first month, and the film received a high level of repeat viewing.
Additionally, Netflix expanded its partnership with Nickelodeon (owned by ViacomCBS) to produce original animated feature films and television series based on Nickelodeon characters as well as new intellectual property. Netflix relies on episodic programming from companies such as DreamWorks and Nickelodeon to provide youngsters with shows that they will watch over and over again. Children are willing to watch the same cartoon shows repeatedly, which makes Netflix beneficial.
Netflix against Disney Plus on it’s weaknesses and diverse choice for niche content
It’s well known and quite obvious that Disney has been building libraries for decades. With Disney, Netflix is up against a firm that has been producing animated feature films since the 1930s and has amassed a big library of material. It’s not like the other studios have been sitting on the sidelines, however. Netflix is attempting to grow a library as soon as possible, which involves cash to spend.
Where the Disney empire is weakest and where there is great worldwide demand, Netflix may try to take on the House of Mouse. For niche content, there is a fairly large and dedicated audience. Netflix might focus on areas where Disney cannot.
Netflix spent $15 billion on original content in 2019
Netflix is hardly a newcomer to the world of animation. Netflix was reported to spend a total of $15 billion on original content in 2019.
It has had an agreement with DreamWorks Animation since 2013, in which the animation company, currently owned by Comcast’s NBCUniversal, has brought popular animated film characters to new episodic content: “The Boss Baby – Back in Business.”
Images of “The Boss Baby: Back in Business” – Netflix animated series
In 2016, Netflix and DreamWorks increased the partnership, however the companies did not specify the duration of the pact. In the course of their collaboration, Netflix has become the global home, except China, for a number of original shows, including Trollhunters, Dragons: Race to the Edge, and Dinotrux, and has also been granted streaming rights to the DreamWorks Animation feature film library. Numerous projects are currently under development, including the recently announced Jurassic World Series.
Images of “Troll hunters: Rise of the Titans” – Netflix animated series:
Image of “Dragons: Race to the Edge” – Netflix animated series
Images of “Dinotrux” – Netflix animated series (produced by Dreamworks)
Anime series, the niche that Netflix leverages as competitive advantage against Disney Plus
Anime is popular all throughout the world, but notably in Asia. Given the fact that Disney is not a large player in the anime industry, it makes reasonable that Netflix would take the lead. Netflix isn’t bound by the same outdated Hollywood ideologies as Disney. On the other hand, Netflix is a data-driven service that follows numbers. Netflix’s long-term bet on anime’s global popularity seem to be the correct one based on global and North America market size and demand for anime.
Netflix is beefing up its foreign footprint in advance of Disney’s international launch. Netflix recently announced that 21 feature films from the renowned Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli, would be added to its streaming service in numerous worldwide regions – subtitled in up to 28 languages and dubbed in nearly 20 for the first time. Netflix has also recently purchased the rights to the next animated film in the well-known Pokémon franchise.
Netflix has radically changed the media landscape. Disney can only play catch-up with its own streaming service, which does not have the same anime-centric strategy as Netflix.
To sum up, on a broader scale, Disney continues to hold the competitive advantage. However, the obvious thread that Netflix as a young company presents the most significant competitor with regard to the development of original, niche animated content library such as anime series is looming big to Disney Plus every day.
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Animost – Vietnam 3D Animation Studio
hello@animost.com
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Image Credit: Imdb.com
Reference Sources:
- Animation World Network: https://www.awn.com/
- Cartoon Brew – Technology: https://www.cartoonbrew.com/tech
- Befores & Afters – Visual effects and animation journalist: https://beforesandafters.com/
- Bloomberg News: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/
- Insider: https://www.insider.com/
- Business Primary: https://businessprimary.com/business-news/how-netflix-plans-to-use-animation-to-challenge-disney-plus/