There’s no point trying to figure out why streaming services do the things that they do, especially when it comes to Disney Plus. The Mouse House’s platform has been on a rampant cost-cutting content purge and cancellation spree, and yet it still found the time to renew zombie horror series Gannibal for season 2.
While there’s absolutely no harm in awarding a second season to a manga adaptation that fared admirably among viewers, particularly one that was touted as the most-watched Japanese series in Disney Plus history, it does fly in the face of the recent cull that’s seen countless in-house originals not just axed, but removed from the content library entirely.
Willow and Artemis Fowl to name but two set Disney back over $225 million combined but now can’t be streamed anywhere, never mind the raft of other legacy sequels to have been given their marching orders, or The Spiderwick Chronicles and Nautilus being kicked out and forced to search for a new home after shooting had already been completed.
Of course, Gannibal is nowhere near as expensive as the typical Disney original, with the action unfolding in a quaint village where a relocated police officer stumbles upon some shady goings-on that quickly reveal themselves to be somewhat undead in nature.
Then again, when the belt is being tightened across the entire multimedia giant, it’s also a cause for optimism and joyous celebration that the kingdom that Walt built remains willing to carry on episodic projects that don’t hail from either Star Wars or the Marvel Cinematic Universe.