Disney has had its eye on the microdrama market for quite some time, and a new series project shows how it’s planning to adapt the buzzy format to reach tweens and teens.

The studio has rolled out the first two episodes of a shortform anthology series called Locker Diaries (pictured). Each ep peers into the lives of well-known Disney Channel characters as they open up their school lockers.

The show is launching across YouTube, Instagram and TikTok in its original vertical format, and Disney+ will stream it in a horizontal viewing ratio—at least for now. But the company emphasized in a release that Locker Diaries “leans into vertical viewing” and is designed for digital platforms. 

Kicking off with a ZOMBIES storyline, 11 episodes featuring characters from the franchise will roll out on Saturdays between now and April with a Disney Channel rollout slated for next month. Subsequent batches of episodes planned for later in the year revolve around characters from Descendants and Phineas and Ferb. 

The premise offers an organic way to adapt kids programming for the vertical format; each episode is filmed from the inside of a character’s locker to justify the framing—presenting an up-close-and-personal view of the (micro)drama that ensues. For example, the first episode of Locker Diaries: ZOMBIES sees Victor trying to have a private conversation with Nova near his locker, foiled by constant interruptions from their friends. 

Last month, news emerged that Disney+ is planning to launch a vertical video feed in 2026. It’s likely that Locker Diaries in its vertical format will make its way onto the platform at that point, especially if the anthology performs well across digital platforms. It’s just one of several new strategies the streamer has been trying out to attract younger audiences, from Mouse-approved AI-generated videos to incorporating content from YouTube.