Disney has greenlit an animated Artemis Fowl series for Disney Channel and Disney+. Eoin Colfer, who wrote the books, announced it himself during a "25 Years of Artemis Fowl" panel at New York Comic Con, and he will executive produce. The announcement is dated 11 October 2026. It confirms the format, the two platforms and part of the creative team. It does not give a premiere date, an episode count or any casting.

What Disney greenlit on 11 October

The release calls Artemis Fowl a global bestselling book franchise and says it "has been greenlit for an animated TV series adaptation on Disney Channel and Disney+". The news came from a convention panel rather than a schedule announcement or a trailer.

Disney describes the series as an action-adventure fantasy. The premise it gives follows 13-year-old genius Artemis Fowl as he uncovers an underground world of armed, dangerous and surprisingly high-tech fairies, then plans to capture one and steal its magic to heal his dying mother and save his family.

Disney's wording is that the franchise "has been greenlit". The release does not say the series is already in production, and it gives no delivery window or production start, which separates a commitment to make the show from a place on a schedule.

The two producers joining Eoin Colfer

Colfer executive produces, and the release says he is "bringing his creative vision to dig deeper into the characters and lore of the beloved book series". Ben Juwono, described there as an Emmy and Annie Award winner, joins him; his credits are Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur and Big Hero 6: The Series. Colleen Evanson's credits are Prep and Landing: The Snowball Protocol, DuckTales and Monsters at Work.

Ayo Davis, president of Disney Kids & Family, said in the release that the books had held readers for more than two decades, and that an animated series gives Disney a chance to introduce a new generation to Artemis' world while honouring longtime fans. Colfer said he was "proud and delighted" to be part of the team putting the animation on screen, adding that everyone is so talented and so positive that he feels certain the fairy world is in excellent hands.

The release does not name the studio that will animate the series.

Twenty-five years, 35 million copies and 48 languages

The first novel appeared in 2001, and the release says the series marks the 25th anniversary of that book this year. It puts worldwide sales at more than 35 million copies, translated into 48 languages. Those are Disney's figures rather than independently audited sales data.

How the series premise differs from the 2020 film

The books have been adapted once before. Disney's own movie page for the 2020 Artemis Fowl describes a 12-year-old Artemis whose father has been kidnapped, and who must infiltrate the fairy world and hand the kidnapper the Aculos, described there as the fairies' most powerful magical device, to pay the ransom. The same page lists the film as PG and 1 hour 35 minutes, released on 12 June 2020 and debuting exclusively on Disney+, directed by Kenneth Branagh, with Ferdia Shaw as Artemis and Judi Dench and Colin Farrell among the cast.

The animated series starts elsewhere. Its Artemis is 13, and the family member in danger is his dying mother rather than his kidnapped father. The fairy world, and the plan to take something out of it, run through both.

Disney's October 2026 release does not mention the 2020 film, so it does not say whether the series adapts the same novel again or tells a new story, and it gives no reason for the change.

Two concept panels: an empty coat by a locked door labeled “2020 FILM / KIDNAPPED FATHER,” and a bedside lamp beside a blank frame labeled “ANNOUNCED SERIES / DYING MOTHER.”
Concept illustration comparing Disney's published 2020 film premise (a kidnapped father) with the announced series premise (a dying mother). It does not depict official character art or establish whether the series adapts the same novel again. The mother is described as ill, not deceased.

Where it lands in Disney's animation slate

The release places the series in "the growing slate of animated storytelling for Disney+", naming Dragon Striker, Phineas and Ferb, Big City Greens and the upcoming Messi and the Giants, Kingdom Hearts, Warrior Cats and Journey. It presents the project as part of a continuing push into stories for children and families.

The surrounding months fit that description. An animated Darkwing Duck series was announced on 22 September 2026, and Disney+ showed a first look at Messi and the Giants on 2 October 2026. Neither of those announcements carries a premiere date, and neither does this one.

The "Next on Disney+ and Hulu" listing for October 2026, published on 16 September and read on 12 October, does not include Artemis Fowl anywhere in the month.

What the announcement leaves open

The release also leaves episode length, named characters other than Artemis, the number of books to be adapted and plans for multiple seasons unannounced. As of 12 October 2026, Disney had not published a first image.

Regional availability is another gap. Disney Channel and Disney+ are named, but the release does not describe which territories get the series on which platform, or whether the two will show it on the same schedule. In the United States, Disney+ is sold on its own or in bundles whose subscribers can stream Hulu and ESPN content inside the Disney+ app.