Disney Is Launching a Romantasy Webcomics Series on Webtoon Inspired by Movies Including ‘Beauty and the Beast’
Disney has announced “Disney Cursed Love”, a new romantasy webcomics initiative for Webtoon that reworks some of its best-known love stories with darker magic, curses and adult-oriented romance. Its first title, “The Curse of a Forsaken Heart”, draws on “Beauty and the Beast” and will debut digitally before receiving print editions in 2027, extending Disney’s effort to reach readers through webcomics.
The series is written by bestselling author Emily McIntire and illustrated by Samairu. In the opening story, Belle and the Beast are pulled into a cursed kingdom where its fate depends on Princess Emberlynne, who rejected an evil sorcerer; the narrative centres on new characters Emberlynne and Lucan. Disney has already adapted more than 20 comics for Webtoon and is also developing a new digital-comics platform with the company as an expansion of Marvel Unlimited.
- Disney is launching darker romance-focused webcomics on Webtoon.
- The first story reimagines elements of “Beauty and the Beast”.
- Print editions are planned for 2027.
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Disney is a global entertainment company known for films, television, theme parks and characters such as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Webtoon is a digital comics service designed mainly for reading on phones, where stories are often released in short instalments that readers scroll through.
Romantasy is a popular blend of romance and fantasy, usually involving magical worlds, danger and relationships at the centre of the plot. Retellings in this genre often take familiar fairy tales or fictional settings and introduce new characters, darker elements or storylines intended for older readers.
Disney has increasingly used comics and digital platforms to extend its established stories beyond films. Working with Webtoon allows it to reach an audience that regularly reads serialised online fiction, while print editions can later bring the same stories to bookshops.
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The case for
Supporters may argue that the initiative is a creative way to introduce established Disney stories to an adult readership that enjoys romantasy, while giving writers and artists room to build new characters and stakes rather than simply retelling familiar films. They may see Webtoon as an accessible format for reaching readers where they already consume serial fiction, and regard darker themes as a legitimate evolution of fairy-tale material with long traditions of reinterpretation.
The case against
Critics may argue that attaching adult-oriented romance and darker material to Disney-associated stories risks blurring a family-focused brand that many audiences understand as suitable for children. They may also worry that turning recognisable classics into a commercial romantasy franchise prioritises brand exploitation over originality, potentially making it harder for audiences to distinguish these adaptations from the films on which they are loosely based.