Disney+ Is Now 2 Years Away From An Adaptation Of The 2000s' Best Banned Book Series

For more than two decades, Warrior Cats has remained one of the most successful children's fantasy franchises ever published, even as it has frequently appeared on lists of challenged and banned books in schools and libraries. Now, after years of failed adaptation attempts, the bestselling feline saga is finally making the jump to television with an official animated series arriving on Disney+ and Disney Channel in 2028.

The announcement marks a major milestone for a franchise that has sold more than 90 million books worldwide. While adaptations of popular fantasy series have become increasingly common, Warrior Cats has somehow remained absent from screens despite its enormous fanbase. With production now underway, Disney is betting that one of the defining children's fantasy series of the 2000s can introduce an entirely new generation to ThunderClan, ShadowClan, and the rest of Erin Hunter's expansive world.

Disney Is Finally Giving Warrior Cats the Adaptation Fans Have Waited Decades For

The upcoming series will adapt Warrior Cats: The Prophecies Begin, the original six-book arc that introduced readers to Rusty, the ordinary housecat whose life changes forever after joining ThunderClan as Firepaw. Rather than attempting to condense the sprawling mythology, the show will begin where the franchise itself started in 2003.

The creative team suggests Disney is taking the adaptation seriously. A.C. Bradley, known for Ms. Marvel, What If...?, and Tales of Arcadia: Trollhunters, will serve as showrunner, while Emmy-winning animator Rodrigo Blaas directs the series. Animation studio Original Force is producing the project on behalf of Tencent Video, with El Guiri Studios collaborating on production.

This adaptation also represents the franchise's first officially authorized animated project. That distinction matters because Warrior Cats has spent years stuck in development limbo. A live-action film announced in 2016 never progressed beyond early planning, making Disney's commitment the first adaptation to officially move into production.

Warrior Cats Has Only Grown Bigger Since 2003

Published under the collective pen name Erin Hunter, Warrior Cats has expanded far beyond its original novels. The franchise now includes more than 100 books across multiple story arcs, super editions, novellas, and companion guides, while remaining a fixture on The New York Times bestseller list for roughly 20 years.

Its audience has also exploded online. The official Warrior Cats website attracted more than 2 million users over the past year, while fan-created YouTube videos generate around 50 million monthly views. On TikTok, the franchise has accumulated nearly 3 billion views, proving its popularity extends well beyond readers who first discovered the books in the early 2000s.

Gaming has become another major pillar of the brand. Warrior Cats: Ultimate Edition on Roblox has surpassed 735 million plays and consistently ranks among the platform's most popular branded experiences. Combined with new U.S. toy launches in 2026, the franchise has quietly evolved into a multimedia powerhouse long before the Disney series premieres.

Why Disney Could Be the Perfect Home for the Warrior Cats Franchise

Disney Kids & Family has steadily expanded its lineup of animated series in recent years, balancing original productions with adaptations of beloved children's properties. Warrior Cats fits comfortably alongside franchises that emphasize adventure, emotional storytelling, and richly imagined fantasy worlds while offering something noticeably different from Disney's existing catalog.

The timing also feels ideal. Fantasy animation has enjoyed renewed popularity thanks to streaming platforms, and many of the original readers who grew up with Firestar's story are now adults eager to revisit the series. At the same time, younger audiences have already embraced the franchise through Roblox, TikTok, and YouTube, giving Disney an unusually broad cross-generational audience before the first episode even airs.

Although fans will still have to wait until 2028, the project finally gives one of the 2000s' defining children's fantasy series the adaptation it has deserved for years. After building a worldwide following across more than 90 million book sales, dozens of languages, and over 100 published titles, Warrior Cats is ready to prove its story belongs on television just as much as it has on bookstore shelves.