Disney + has been on the books for some time now. It was announced back in August of 2017 that the Walt Disney Company would be launching its own streaming service in the next few years. Over the last few days, we’ve learned a lot more details about it. What is the Disney + streaming service? How much does it cost? When does it launch? I’ve got everything you need to know right here.
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What is the Disney + Streaming Service?
If you’re already used to the likes of Netflix, Prime Video, and Hulu, adding Disney + to your lineup will be a breeze. While I haven’t gotten any insider information into how it operates, it appears to be very similar to other streaming services.
Disney + will be available on home, tablet and mobile devices. It is an app, so your device must have application abilities. All tablets and smartphones have this, but make sure your TV set is up-to-date (or you have a Roku to compensate). It will also be available on PlayStation 4 devices, but no word yet on Amazon Fire Sticks, Apple TV, XBox, or other similar devices.
How Much Will Disney + Cost?
The most anticipated question of all revolves around cost. How much will Disney + cost? Users will have two options when deciding to purchase Disney +. $6.99/month will get you started or $69.99 will cover you for a full year. The full year cost breaks down to about $5.83/month, so you can save yourself just over $13 if you pay for the yearly cost instead of paying monthly.
UPDATE: How to Sign Up for Disney+ NOW
After the 2019 D23 Expo, members of the D23 community were invited to sign up for a 3 year subscription to Disney+. Members who sign up are part of the “Founders Circle” and will receive 3 years of Disney+ streaming for $140.97. That is a savings of $23 per year and it makes your cost less than $4 per month.
First, sign up for D23 membership if you don’t already have one. You do not have to be a paid member to sign up for Disney+. I have a free, “general” D23 membership. If you sign up today, you might have to wait 36 hours for that initial email to come in that offers you the Disney+ sign up.
If you’re already a member, login to you account.
Next, click “My Account” and then click “View Account.” You should see an option to “Redeem Now” to sign up for Disney+. You will then be emailed a code to enter. Once received, go back to the D23 website and enter that code.
Finally, choose how you’d like to pay! I was able to pay with PayPal, which is awesome, but you can also use a credit or debit card. Sadly, this offer is for US customers only (sorry international friends)!
UPDATE #2: Verizon Wireless Customers Can Get Disney+ FREE
How can Verizon customers get Disney+ free for 1 year? It’s super simple. Now that Disney+ has launched, all you need to do is visit this website to get started.
Who is eligible for this promotion? All unlimited accounts are eligible including Verizon Unlimited, Go Unlimited, Beyond Unlimited, Above Unlimited, Get More Unlimited, Do More Unlimited, Play More Unlimited, and Star Unlimited. Business accounts are not eligible. Also, new Fios and 5G Home customers are eligible, but not existing accounts.
The offer does not include ESPN+ or Hulu.
What Other Disney Properties Will Be Included?
Next, in case you were unaware, the Disney/Fox merger was recently completed, bringing a whole new crop of shows and movies under the Disney umbrella. Does that mean ESPN + and Hulu will be included with Disney +? No, not just yet. There may be future bundles, but at launch they will not be included.
Are there Any Parental Controls? What about Ads?
Hallelujah! No ads! Thank you Disney! Ads are the one thing I always disliked about their Disney Now app that allows you to watch Disney Junior, Disney Channel, etc. Ads for toys and other “junk” kids don’t really need is always so fun (please read that last bit with sarcasm).
Additionally, if your kids are a little young for some of the content (ahem maybe Star Wars or Marvel), there are parental controls! I imagine the controls will work similar to Netflix in that it will require a pin code to access restricted content.
What Shows and Movies Will Be on Disney +?
Finally, we’ve come to the best part of this article. What is your $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year going to get you? A whole lotta awesome if you ask me! We learned that not only will the new movies coming out this year be streamable on Disney +, but there will be tons of brand new content as well!
Check out the list below for what will be streaming starting November 12, 2019 when it launches in the US, Canada, and the Netherlands. On November 19, 2019, it will launch in Australia and New Zealand.
Disney/Marvel/Star Wars Films
- 101 Dalmatians
- A Bug’s Life
- A Goofy Movie
- An Extremely Goofy Movie
- Bambi
- Bao
- Big Hero 6
- Born in China
- Cars
- Fantasia
- Finding Dory
- Finding Nemo
- Free Solo
- Frozen
- Fun and Fancy Free
- Hercules
- High School Musical
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
- Inside Out
- Iron Man
- Lady and the Tramp
- Lilo & Stitch
- Mary Poppins
- Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers
- Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
- Moana
- Monsters University
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- Pixar Short Films Collection Vol 1
- Ratatouille
- Remember the Titans
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Sleeping Beauty
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope
- Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
- Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- Star Wars: Episode VIII: The Last Jedi
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 film)
- Steamboat Willie
- The Good Dinosaur
- The Incredibles
- The Little Mermaid
- The Parent Trap (1961)
- The Prince & The Pauper (1990)
- The Princess Diaries
- The Rocketeer
- The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (short)
- The Sword in the Stone
- The Three Caballeros
- Thor: The Dark World
- Toy Story
- Tron (1982)
- Up
- Wall-E
- Zootopia
Disney TV Series
- Amazing Planet
- Andi Mack (seasons one–three)
- Boy Meets World
- Brain Games
- Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan
- Dr. K’s Exotic Animals
- Dr. Oakley Yukon Vet
- Drain the Ocean
- DuckTales (1987)
- DuckTales (2016, season one)
- Earth Live
- Goof Troop
- Great Migrations
- Howie Mandel’s Animals Doing Things
- Kim Possible
- Malcolm in the Middle
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (animated)
- Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man (animated)
- Mickey and the Roadster Racers (seasons one and two)
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
- Mickey Mouse Shorts
- One Strange Rock
- Raven’s Home
- Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue
- Star Wars Rebels
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 series)
- That’s So Raven
- The Incredible Dr. Pol
- Unlikely Animal Friends
- Wicked Tuna
- The Simpsons
NEW Content Coming to Disney +
Also, not to be outdone by Netflix and Prime Video originals, Disney will also be producing new content including Marvel shows, Star Wars shows, Disney original movies, Pixar originals, and original tv shows! Here’s what we can expect:
Disney Movies on Disney +
- Lady and the Tramp: a live action remake with Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux, available November 12.
- Noelle: a film starring Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader about Kris Kringle’s daughter, Noelle, who has to rescue her brother, Nick.
- Stargirl
- The Sword in the Stone (remake)
- Three Men and a Baby (remake)
- Togo: a sled dog movie starring Willem Dafoe.
Pixar Originals on Disney +
- Forky Asks a Question: Forky from Toy Story 4 gets his own show!
- Lamp Life: more details to come, but possibly starring Bo Peep.
- Monsters at Work: A series continuing the story of Mike and Sulley from Monsters, Inc.
- SparkShorts: A short film series designed to showcase new storytellers and techniques from creators across the Pixar Studio as a whole.
New National Geographic Shows on Disney +
- Magic of the Animal Kingdom: a behind-the-scenes look at the work that goes into caring for the animals and environment of the Animal Kingdom in Walt Disney World.
- The World According to Jeff Goldblum: Two words, Jeff. Goldblum. Is it really necessary to say more?
New Series from Disney on Disney +
- High School Musical series
- Encore!: a reality show with former castmates of a high school musical, hosted by Kristen Bell.
- The Phineas and Ferb Movie
- Diary of a Female President
- Escape to Witch Mountain series
- Cinema Relics: Iconic Art of the Movies: will explore props and costumes of iconic Disney films.
- Walt Disney Imagineering documentary
- A Timmy Failure film
- (Re)Connect: series about a family unplugging from technology.
- Earthkeepers: documentary about saving endangered species.
- Rouge Trip
- Be Our Chef: cooking competition show for families.
- Shop Class
- Ink & Paint: documentary about animation and the women behind it at Walt Disney Studios.
- Into the Unknown: The Making of Frozen 2
Marvel TV Shows on Disney +
- Hawkeye series starring Jeremy Renner (Fall 2021).
- Falcon and the Winter Soldier: series featuring Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie reprising their movie roles (Fall 2020).
- Loki: a live action series about everyone’s favorite god of mischief starring Tom Hiddleston (Spring 2021).
- Marvel’s Hero Project: a documentary about real-life young heroes serving their communities.
- Marvel’s What If…?: imagining what the Marvel Universe would look like if different events of decision were made.
- Marvel 616 (working title): documentary about the intersection between Marvel stories and the real world.
- WandaVision: Scarlet Witch aka Wanda Maximoff and Vision are getting their own series. Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany will be reprising their movie roles (Spring 2021).
- UPDATE: Addtional Marvel shows announced at D23 include She Hulk, Ms. Marvel, and Moon Knight.
We also learned most of these shows will not be ready on November 12, 2019. Keep checking back for updates on when these shows will be available!
New Star Wars Shows on Disney +
- The Mandalorian: a live-action series focusing on the time between Episode VI (Return of the Jedi) and Episode VII (The Force Awakens) starring Pedro Pascal.
- Rogue One prequel series: bringing back Diego Luna as Cassian Andor and Alan Tudyk as K2SO.
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars: a new season coming exclusively to Disney +.
- UPDATE: Announced at D23, Ewan McGregor is reprising his role as Obi Wan Kenobi in a new series for Disney+!
Should I Get Disney +?
Finally, everyone wants to know if they really need Disney +. I mean, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that all Disney owned content would be pulled from Netflix this year, so yeah, I think you do need it.
If you’re into any of those series or movies I mentioned, it’s going to be your only place to watch them. Considering the reasonable cost of the service, what’s one more to add on? At this rate, cable seems on its way out anyway, am I right?
You’ve got some time to decide though, if Disney + will be right for your family. Hopefully my post will help you make that decision!