Look at this stuff. Isn’t it neat? Wouldn’t you think my collection’s complete? That’s what guests at Disney’s annual Investor Day on April 11 may have felt after watching the presentation on what to expect on Disney+, the company’s upcoming streaming platform.
Disney+ is slated to launch exclusively in North America on Nov. 12, 2019. The platform had originally been announced to launch in September 2019, but the company wanted to make sure an ample amount of content would be available from the jump on day one.
With Disney now owning Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, National Geographic and recently acquwired 20th Century Fox, there is seemingly an endless supply of entertainment aimed to compete directly with big-name streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu. Perhaps not uncoincidentally, Disney’s contract with Netflix expires this year, which currently grants them the exclusive right to newer Disney films such as “Coco” and “Incredibles 2.”
With Disney+ in development for several years now, there are many original series and films already in the works. Among them will be a live-action adaptation of “Lady and the Tramp,” a spin-off “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” “Star Wars” first ever live-action scripted series “The Mandalorian” and docuseries “The World According to Jeff Goldblum.”
Pixar will be getting in on the action too, with a “Monsters Inc.” inspired animated series “Monsters at Work.” Original stars Billy Crystal and John Goodman are slated to return as Mike and Sully respectively. Following the release of “Toy Story 4” in the summer, “Lamp Life,” a short film centered around the character Bo Peep will be available upon the launch of Disney+.
Disney CEO Bob Iger was excited for the announcements to finally be official.
“It’s a big deal. All Disney in one place never existed before,” Iger said while speaking on Good Morning America, “that’s (like) going to Disneyland every day of the week.”
When asked to describe how to categorize the shift in Disney’s direction going forward Iger said he believes that it is not a re-imagination of the company, but rather, “an extension for the company of what it has done for 96 years,” adding, “we don’t try to live up to (fans’) expectations, we try to exceed them.”
The starting price for Disney+ will be $6.99 per month with the option of saving money to lock in for a whole year at $69.99. The service will also begin ad-free. For QU students who are already piling up the subscriptions to other services such as Netflix and Hulu, it still seems to be worth the hype.
Freshman diagnostic medical sonography major Morgan Figueira says, “I would want a free trial to see if it would be any better than Netflix,” but goes on to add, “I’d be willing to pay as long as I could play it on multiple devices.”
Similarly, sophomore biomedical science major Ally Maas also felt like the cost was not bad.
“I think that’s a reasonable price. If you’re a super fan, then it’s definitely worth it,” Maas said. “If you aren’t, then you probably wouldn’t be getting it anyway.”
According to Disney’s Twitter account (@Disney), “In year one, you’ll be able to rediscover more than 7,500 episodes and 500 films from our library.” In terms of television shows this includes old fan favorites such as “Boy Meets World,” “Goof Troop,” “Kim Possible” and “DuckTales.”
With the 20th Century Fox merger, Disney also now owns the rights to “The Simpsons,” whose entire 30 seasons will be available exclusively on Disney+. As shown on a segment during “Good Morning America,” this acquisition also allows Disney to put classic film “The Sound of Music” right next to the likes of “Mary Poppins” and “Cinderella.”
Lastly, just because a series has previously ended, don’t count out a Disney+ revitalization. Fans of Cartoon Network series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” can look forward to a seventh season of the show that was thought to be finished. In addition, Disney Channel hit “Phineas and Ferb” will return with an original movie in which most original voice actors have signed on to reprise their role.
As we have come to learn, Disney is full of surprises and magic. It shouldn’t come as a surprise if even more shows and films are added to the already stacked lineup between now and November. Until then, fans will have to see Disney’s blockbusters on other platforms or the old fashioned way, in theaters.
