A UK-based start-up is bringing Mickey Mouse and different iconic characters to smartphones after placing a significant content material cope with The Walt Disney Firm, in a bid to reverse declining studying habits amongst youngsters.
London-founded Comixit has secured rights to adapt greater than 100 titles throughout Disney, Pixar and twentieth Century Studios into digital comedian strips referred to as webtoons, a fast-growing format designed particularly for cell consumption.
The settlement will see globally recognised franchises together with Frozen, Ice Age and Moana reimagined as vertically scrolling, episodic comics tailor-made to youthful audiences. The corporate has already partnered with the The Beano, signalling early traction within the youngsters’s content material house.
Comixit was based in 2025 by leisure government Michael Nakan, who mentioned the platform is designed to fulfill youngsters “the place they already are”, on their telephones, whereas turning display screen time right into a extra constructive exercise.
“Disney has formed imaginations for generations,” he mentioned. “Bringing its characters into a contemporary, mobile-first format permits us to make studying partaking once more.”
Webtoons, which originated in South Korea within the early 2000s, are structured for vertical scrolling, permitting customers to maneuver by means of tales body by body on a smartphone. The format blends visible storytelling with concise textual content, making it notably accessible for youthful readers and people much less inclined in the direction of conventional books.
Nakan mentioned the thought for Comixit was sparked by declining literacy engagement amongst youngsters, citing analysis that means just one in three younger individuals aged eight to 18 now get pleasure from studying of their free time.
The beginning-up is getting into a quickly increasing market. Business estimates put the worldwide webtoon sector at round $9 billion in 2024, with projections suggesting it may develop to just about $100 billion by 2033, doubtlessly surpassing the dimensions of Japan’s manga business.
By combining globally recognised mental property with a format optimised for cell gadgets, Comixit is aiming to seize a share of this progress whereas addressing a broader cultural problem round studying and engagement.
The platform makes use of synthetic intelligence to transform conventional comedian codecs into webtoon-style content material, however the firm emphasises that every one materials is reviewed by human editors to make sure high quality, accuracy and age-appropriate requirements.
Not like many digital platforms concentrating on youthful audiences, Comixit has intentionally prevented social options resembling feedback, as a substitute specializing in a curated and moderated atmosphere designed to be secure for kids.
The corporate can be growing instruments that can permit customers to create their very own tales, including an interactive dimension to the platform and inspiring creativity alongside consumption.
Comixit has attracted backing from outstanding figures in movie and media, together with Harry Potter producer David Barron and Peaky Blinders producer Caryn Mandabach, in addition to investor Magnus Rausing.
Nakan’s personal background spans each movie and tv, with expertise working alongside director Joe Wright and contributing to main productions resembling Sport of Thrones and Home of Playing cards throughout his time at HBO.
The app is already obtainable throughout the UK, Europe, the Center East and Africa, with plans to develop into the USA, a key marketplace for each digital content material and kids’s leisure.
At its core, Comixit’s technique displays a broader shift in how content material is consumed and the way literacy could be supported in a digital-first world.
By leveraging acquainted characters and immersive storytelling, the corporate is making an attempt to bridge the hole between leisure and training, encouraging youngsters to have interaction with narratives in a format that feels native to their on a regular basis habits.
As conventional studying faces growing competitors from digital media, initiatives like this counsel the way forward for literacy could lie not in resisting display screen time, however in reimagining it.
