Why Disney’s First Vertical Drama Is Climbing Streaming Charts

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Disney recently launched its first TV show designed for vertical viewing (like on smartphones) on Disney+, and it quickly became a hit. Disney+ has grown into a leading streaming service with a large library of films and shows, and like many platforms, it’s been investing in creating its own original movies and series.

Disney+ offers a diverse range of original shows appealing to all ages, including popular titles like High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Loki, Andor, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians. To attract even more viewers, Disney+ is experimenting with a new, short-form video format, starting with Locker Diaries: Zombies, which is already proving successful on the streaming service.

What Is Locker Diaries: Zombies About?

Disney’s Zombies is a very popular series that started in 2018 with a musical movie. The story first appeared as a Disney Channel Original Movie, directed by Paul Hoen. Zombies centers around Zed, a zombie who plays football, and Addison, a human cheerleader.

The world of Zombies faced a crisis when an explosion at the power plant transformed half the population into zombies. Those who weren’t affected built a wall for protection, but a breakthrough came with the invention of bracelets that control the zombies’ urges. Now, zombies and humans can live alongside each other. Over time, the story has expanded to include other creatures, such as vampires.

Although critics weren’t big fans, the movie Zombies was popular with audiences and led to four sequels and two TV shows. Now, a new installment called Locker Diaries: Zombies has arrived. This series continues the story of characters from Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires and is unique because it’s designed to be viewed in a vertical format, like on a mobile phone.

Locker Diaries is a series of 11 short videos made for phones, with new episodes dropping every Saturday until mid-April. You can watch it on Disney+ as well as on Disney Channel’s YouTube and TikTok accounts.

Why Disney+ Is Embracing Vertical Videos

While some fans were surprised by the vertical video format of Locker Diaries: Zombies, Disney had previously announced plans to experiment with this style. In January 2026, Disney revealed they were interested in creating vertical content to explore different possibilities across various types of programming (according to Deadline).

Disney is aiming to increase how often people use its services, particularly because short-form video is so competitive. Other platforms, like YouTube with its Shorts, have already created similar content to compete with popular apps like Instagram Reels and TikTok.

Disney recently stated they have plenty of ideas for short videos and will be thoughtful about how they release them to ensure viewers have a consistent and enjoyable experience. Currently, Locker Diaries: Zombies is their only video made specifically for mobile viewing, and they haven’t announced any further plans for this type of content.

Short-Form Content Is Here To Stay

It’s surprising to see short-form vertical videos on Disney+, but given how much content creation has changed, Disney was slow to try out this style of video.

TikTok revolutionized content creation and viewing, building on ideas first popularized by Snapchat and Instagram Stories. Its short, vertical video format isn’t ideal for traditional movies – many have found that out – but it’s a great fit for TV shows and short, easily digestible content.

Short-form video platforms like YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels already feature shows, so it was inevitable that larger services like Disney+ would start creating similar content. I was surprised, however, to see Disney+ focusing on videos designed to be watched vertically, like those on TikTok and Reels.

Disney is trying out a new vertical video format to get more people engaged with their content, recognizing that most viewers watch on their phones. The key to success will be creating content that appeals to audiences who enjoy this style – not all viewers prefer vertical videos.

Disney+ is experimenting with a new kind of content – short, vertical videos like ‘Locker Diaries: Zombies’ – and it will be interesting to see what else they create in this style. It also remains to be seen if other streaming services will follow suit with similar storytelling formats.

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2026-02-17 02:52