Disney+ SG reimagines horror titles with pontianaks and vampires

Disney+ Singapore has reimagined popular horror TV series from a variety of perspectives that are distinctive to Singaporean culture. As part of its latest Horror Star Campaign, Disney+ Singapore shortlisted three local artists to create digital artworks inspired by the thrilling horror titles available on the streaming platform, including The Walking Dead, What We Do In The Shadows, and American Horror Stories. 

A spokesperson told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that through this campaign, which will last until 16 September 2021, the brand hopes to create relevance for these shows to its Singaporean audience, and provide a platform for local artists to share their unique perspectives of its popular horror titles. Disney+ declined to comment on the monetary value of the campaign.

Local artists Adeline Tan, Chris Chai and Ng Yin Shian sought inspiration from the horror shows while adding in a familiar Singaporean spin to their works. These artworks will be featured across all Disney+ Singapore social media platforms. 

For The Walking Dead, Tan, a full-time illustrator who has worked with brands such as Facebook, Sonos and Uniqlo, conceptualised an apocalyptic scene set in Singapore. She drew inspiration from the series, where small-town Georgia sheriff Rick Grimes wakes up from a coma after being wounded in his line of duty, to find the world infested by zombie-like “walkers”. In her artwork, Tan incorporated the familiar wildlife of Singapore, featuring the undead versions of native species of scavengers and hunters, including the mynas, otters, and community cats.

Meanwhile, Chai, a full-time illustrator and artist, interpreted the story of What We Do In The Shadows through the lens of local Chinese legends and folklore. In Chai's artwork, he featured jiangshi, also known as Chinese hopping vampires, lingering around vintage Peranakan-styled houses. Chai also drew parallels to the comedy and absurdity of the comedy horror series, which follows four vampires who have been roommates for hundreds of years, in New York City’s Staten Island. 

Ng, an illustrator and designer whose works have been featured by brands such as Metallica, Apple and Pizza Hut, took liberties to put a distinctive Southeast Asian twist on her artwork for American Horror Stories. Checking off all the iconic scenes from the series, including a run-down house with haunted by spirits, Ng utilised an old traditional Malay attap house as the setting of her artwork. In her piece, the Pontianak, a vengeful vampire-ghost from Malay folklore, haunts the attap house. As a tribute to the local culture, the attap house is also filled with traditional furniture that are common in many Southeast Asian households, including the vintage rotary dial telephone, gramophone players, and intricate porcelain plates.

Ng explained that research played a huge role in her creative process, and she selected the pontianak to be the central motif throughout her artwork to put an unmistakable local twist on it. “With the pontianak being a well-known part of Malay folklore, I felt that it was important to feature a traditional Malay house, and I took a deep dive into finding archival photographs of these houses,” she added.

Meanwhile, Disney+ also worked with Moving Bits to create more bespoke videos for the campaign featuring the zombie, pontianak and vampire. As the filming occurred during the Hungry Ghost Festival, the team used it as an inspiration for the videos which are currently running on Disney+'s social media channels. The turnaround time for the videos were two weeks and MARKETING-INTERACTIVE understands that there is a possibility of the videos being adapted for other Southeast Asian countries.

https://twitter.com/DisneyPlusSG/status/1428304728123863043

Disney+ launched in Singapore on 23 February 2021, offering an expansive selection of movies and shows from Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, National Geographic, and new general entertainment content brand, Star. Disney+ is currently available in 61 countries and 21 languages across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, with Hong Kong to join the ranks in November this year.

Join our Digital Marketing Asia conference happening from 9 November 2021 - 25 November 2021 to learn about the upcoming trends and technologies in the world of digital. Check out the agenda here.