Disney Unveils Beauty and the Beast Romantasy on Webtoon
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- Disney Publishing announced "Disney Cursed Love" at D23 in Anaheim, a romantasy initiative inspired by the studio's "most iconic love stories," with the first entry launching on Webtoon before expanding into print formats in 2027.
- "The Curse of a Forsaken Heart" reimagines Beauty and the Beast by sending Belle and the Beast through an enchanted stained-glass window into a cursed kingdom whose fate is tied to a princess named Emberlynne, who refused an evil sorcerer's marriage proposal.
- Emily McIntire, the best-selling author writing the debut entry, centers the story on entirely new characters Emberlynne and Lucan rather than the Disney leads, describing the dynamic as "rivals to lovers" on a quest to break a curse.
- McIntire said she wrote the story while two years into chemotherapy for Stage 4 breast cancer, calling it "the first time my creative voice poured back in" after her muse had disappeared.
- Disney and Webtoon have already brought more than 20 fan-favorite comics to Webtoon's vertical-scroll format in a dedicated Disney section, and are jointly developing an all-new digital comics platform Disney is positioning as an "expansion" to Marvel Unlimited.
- Additional Disney titles coming to Webtoon include "Star Wars Visions: The Followers of Ankok," "Disney Villains Ursula" (2026), "Gravity Falls: Lost Legends," and "The Ultimates" (2024), with further Disney Cursed Love release dates to be announced later.
Why it matters: Disney is extending a proven Webtoon collaboration — already responsible for 20+ comics in a dedicated Disney section — into the adult-skewing romantasy genre, with the first entry arriving digitally before a 2027 print release. McIntire's authorship during Stage 4 cancer treatment gives the corporate IP launch a personal origin story the press rollout is visibly foregrounding.
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