Disney and Higher Ground, the production company founded by former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, have greenlit an original animated fantasy series called Journey for Disney+, marking the first major production partnership announcement for Higher Ground since the company parted ways with Netflix earlier this year.
The series is produced by ICON Creative Studio in association with Disney Television Animation under Disney Kids & Family, the division formerly known as Disney Branded Television. Journey was created by Matt Munn, whose credits include Ice Age: Collision Course and Spies in Disguise. Munn will executive produce alongside Peabody Award-winning Steve Loter, known for Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and Kim Possible. Jessie Dicovitsky, head of television at Higher Ground, also serves as executive producer.
The show centers on a young heroine named Journey whose home city comes under threat when its protective energy shield begins to fail. Answering a mysterious call, she ventures beyond the city walls into forbidden lands, where she uncovers the truth about her father’s disappearance and discovers a powerful magic within herself that may hold the key to saving her people. Music is described as a driving element of the series.
The partnership comes after Higher Ground announced in April that it was winding down its eight-year first-look deal with Netflix in favor of a more independent approach. The company previously created the animated series We the People and Ada Twist, Scientist under that Netflix deal, as well as the live action family franchise Waffles + Mochi. Journey represents its first major foray into animation outside of that arrangement.
The series joins Disney Kids & Family’s animated lineup on Disney+, which includes Bluey, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+, Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends, Big City Greens and Phineas and Ferb. The announcement comes ahead of the Annecy International Film Festival in France, where Disney Kids & Family will have a notable presence, including a preview of The Doomies and an exclusive first look at Cars: Lightning Racers.