Fans Pounce as Disney Picks Up an Animated 'Warrior Cats' Series for Disney+ and Disney Channel
Disney has picked up an animated adaptation of Warrior Cats, the feral-cat-clan saga based on Erin Hunter's 90-million-selling book series from Coolabi. Created and showrun by AC Bradley, the series is set to premiere in 2028 on both Disney+ and Disney Channel, and fans of the long-running franchise are already buzzing.
One of the most fiercely beloved book franchises in middle-grade fiction is heading to the screen with a major partner behind it: Disney has picked up an animated adaptation of Warrior Cats, the sprawling saga of feral cat clans created by Erin Hunter. The series is set to premiere in 2028 on both Disney+ and Disney Channel, and longtime readers of the franchise are already pouncing on the news.
Key Details
- Premiere: 2028
- Where to watch: Disney+ and Disney Channel
- Showrunner: Created and showrun by AC Bradley
- Director: Emmy winner Rodrigo Blaas
- Source material: Erin Hunter's Warrior Cats book series
- By the numbers: 90M+ copies sold across 38 languages
Disney's Animated Warrior Cats Series Explained
The project comes from Coolabi Group, the brand owner behind the property, and adapts Erin Hunter's books following the adventures, rivalries, and high-stakes drama of multiple clans of wild cats. The series is created and showrun by AC Bradley, with Emmy winner Rodrigo Blaas — known for his work tied to Finding Nemo — directing. Animation will be handled in collaboration with El Guiri Studios and Original Force, the latter producing a version for China's Tencent Video as well. When it arrives in 2028, Warrior Cats will join Disney's animated family lineup alongside marquee hits like Bluey and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+.
What Is Warrior Cats? A Phenomenon by the Numbers
For readers who haven't crossed paths with the franchise, "Erin Hunter" is actually a pen name for a team of authors who have collectively built one of the most enduring sagas in young readers' fiction. The books center on clans of feral cats navigating loyalty, leadership, survival, and warfare in the wild — a surprisingly epic, lore-dense world that has kept fans devoted for two decades. The scale is staggering: the books have sold more than 90 million copies and been translated into 38 languages. Beyond the page, Disney points to roughly 50 million views a month across user-generated Warrior Cats content on YouTube, nearly 3 billion views on TikTok, and a Roblox game that has been played more than 735 million times. In other words, this is a fandom that built itself long before a studio ever got involved.
What Disney and Coolabi Are Saying
In announcing the pickup, Ayo Davis, president of Disney Kids & Family, framed the series as exactly the kind of storytelling the studio is chasing for global family audiences.
"We're always seeking out fresh, imaginative storytelling that resonates with families around the world. Warrior Cats has inspired a generation of fans, and we couldn't be more excited to partner with Coolabi Group to bring this phenomenal series to life on Disney+ and Disney Channel."
Coolabi's Will Harrison echoed the sentiment, casting Disney as the ideal home for the brand's next chapter.
"Disney is the perfect partner for such a hugely loved brand, and we look forward to expanding the fanbase further both in the U.S. and globally when the series hits the small screen."
Why the Timing Matters
The announcement, first reported by Deadline, lands just as the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival gets underway — the animation industry's biggest annual gathering and a natural stage for splashy new projects. It also arrives during a clear push by Disney into the kids and family space, following the recent rebrand of Disney Branded Television into Disney Kids & Family under Davis. For a franchise with this kind of built-in audience, the moment looks deliberately chosen.
The Buzz
Why is this lighting up fan circles? Because Warrior Cats isn't a niche pickup — it's a 90-million-copy book series with a fiercely loyal, decades-deep community that has spent years making its own art, animations, and games to keep the clans alive. Seeing Disney officially fold this world into its animation slate validates years of fan devotion and promises the polished, big-budget adaptation readers have long imagined. For many, it's the rare announcement that turns a grassroots fandom into a mainstream event.
Why Fans Are Buzzing
For the Warrior Cats faithful, this is the news they've been waiting on for years — a definitive, well-resourced adaptation backed by a studio with the reach to put the clans in front of a worldwide audience. With a 2028 premiere on both Disney+ and Disney Channel, an Emmy-winning director, and a showrunner steering the world, expectations are understandably high. The challenge for Disney will be honoring the dense, emotionally serious lore that earned the books their devoted following while opening it up to newcomers. If the team gets it right, Warrior Cats could become one of Disney's signature animated franchises of the late 2020s. For now, fans have a release window, a creative team, and plenty of time to speculate about which clans will make the cut.