Featured image taken from the cover of RH/Disney’s upcoming graphic novelization of Zooptopia.
Penguin Random House has announced an extension of their licensing and distribution deal with Disney Publishing. The deal, which became effective immediately on May 1, 2025, includes children’s books, middle-grade, young adult, and adult novels, manga, reference books, and more based on properties from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios, and National Geographic.
Christopher Angelilli, SVP and editor-in chief of licensed publishing at Random House Children’s Books, says, “We are honored to grow our long-time collaboration with the Walt Disney Company. Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, and 20th Century Fox [sic] properties are brimming with opportunities to reach young readers with entertaining content. Additionally, we are beyond excited to work with National Geographic Kids and carry forward its commitment to educating the next generation about the wonders of our world.”
Scott Shannon, President of the older-skewing Random House Worlds, adds, “By building upon the legacy of our decades-long relationship, we will appeal to lifelong Disney fans who crave more stories about their favorite characters. And for those readers looking to get a glimpse into what makes the Walt Disney Company so magical, we will produce even more content they’ve come to trust—from new reference guides to behind-the-scenes books.” Tonya Agurto, SVP, Publisher, New IP & Global Business Development at Disney Publishing, states, “At Disney, we are storytellers at heart, with characters that appeal to every age and stage of life. These agreements with PRH will enable us to reach even more fans to extend the adventures of the characters they love.”
Beyond that, the announcement is light on specifics, mentioning manga, but not original graphic novels, or single-issue comics. Therefore, it remains to be seen how this deal will affect current Disney comics and manga licensees like Viz Media, Dark Horse, Dynamite Entertainment, Mad Cave Studios, Tokyopop, and even Marvel Comics itself. (Though for what it’s worth, many of those publishers are already clients of Penguin Random House’s distribution arm.) As always, for any and all changes that do occur, stay tuned to The Beat.
