The animated series follows a 12-year-old named Leo, trapped in a world ruled by giants, who has to win soccer-style battles to get home. It premieres in summer 2027 on Disney+ and Disney Channel.
Lionel Messi has won just about everything a soccer player can win. Now he’s coming to Disney+ as a cartoon.
Disney released the first teaser for Messi and the Giants, an animated series inspired by Lionel Messi, per WDW News Today and Cartoon Brew. It debuted at San Diego Comic-Con Malaga in Spain, where more than 3,000 people were in the room, per Cartoon Brew.
The show premieres in summer 2027 on Disney+ around the world and on Disney Channel in the U.S.
What is Messi and the Giants about?
A kid, a lot of giants and a ball.
The series follows Leo, a 12-year-old who gets trapped in an alternate world ruled by giants, per Cartoon Brew. To get home, he has to beat legendary giants in soccer-style battles played with magical “orbs,” and help put back together the broken realms of Iko.
There’s a catch. Everyone else in that world can use special powers.
Leo can’t. He has to win with skill, teamwork and refusing to quit.
It’s hard not to think of Messi’s own story. He was famously small as a kid and needed growth hormone treatment before he became one of the best players ever.
Who voices Leo in Messi and the Giants?
Milo Burgess-Webb, an Argentine actor, voices Leo, per WDW News Today.
The theme song is performed by Luck Ra, an Argentine singer, per WDW News Today.
Messi himself is an executive producer, per Cartoon Brew.
When does Messi and the Giants come out?
Summer 2027. Disney hasn’t announced an exact date.
The teaser gives a first look at the show’s style and its giants.
Who is making Messi and the Giants?
A lot of companies, per Cartoon Brew:
Atlantis Animation, based in the Canary Islands, is doing the animation.
Sony Pictures Television, Sony Music Latin Iberia and Sony Music Vision are behind the production.
Dan Creteur is the director.
Messi first announced the project with Sony Music in March 2023, per Cartoon Brew, so it has been a long road to a teaser. Disney+ came on as the streaming home later.
Why is Messi making a cartoon?
Kids already know who he is.
Messi has played for Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Miami, and he led Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title. For a lot of young soccer fans, especially in the U.S. since he joined Inter Miami in 2023, he’s the player.
An animated series lets him reach kids who are just getting into the sport, with a hero who isn’t a superstar yet. Leo has to earn it.
Is Messi and the Giants a Disney original?
Not exactly. It’s a Sony production that Disney+ is streaming and Disney Channel is airing, per Cartoon Brew.
That’s becoming more common. Streaming services are picking up shows made by other studios, and Disney just signed its own deal to send some of its shows to Netflix.
For Disney+, it’s an easy win. It gets the most famous soccer player in the world on its platform, aimed squarely at families.
What other sports shows are on Disney+?
Disney+ already carries some ESPN programming, including sports documentaries.
Messi and the Giants skips real games entirely. It’s a fantasy adventure that happens to use a soccer ball, and that might be exactly what makes it work for kids.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Cartoon Brew (Oct. 2026), premise, premiere window, production companies, director, executive producers and project history
WDW News Today (Oct. 2, 2026), the Comic-Con Malaga debut, the voice cast and the theme song
Disney on YouTube, the official teaser
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