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Disney+ is coming to Europe a week sooner than expected
If you live in Europe and you've been patiently waiting to (legally) get stuck into The Mandalorian, we have some good news. The launch date for a wider European launch of Disney+ has been brought forward by a week, the Walt Disney Company has confirmed, opening its doors in select countries from March 24th.
Disney+ loses some movies due to old licensing deals
Some titles have recently disappeared from Disney+, including beloved classics Home Alone 1 and 2: Lost in New York. ScreenCrush has listed twelve titles, in particular, which also include Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Dr. Dolittle and The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration. A spokesperson has confirmed to Gizmodo that those shows and movies have departed the service, but it's not due to a glitch or a change in policy. Disney+ had to drop them, for now, due to issues related to legacy deals.
Streaming won't get easier or cheaper
After years of declining cable subscriptions, the bundle is back. Smaller bundles at slightly lower prices, sure, but still bundles. While Netflix had some competition from Amazon and Hulu when it came to one-price-fits-all streaming in the past, the last quarter of this year has been a whirlwind of launches with just Disney+ and Apple TV+ alone.
Google's 2019 search trends mark a big year for Baby Yoda and 'Endgame'
Disney captured the 2019 zeitgeist in multiple ways, according Google's annual year in search roundup. While the streaming service is just a month old, "Disney Plus" was the top-trending search term of the year in the US, meaning it had the highest spike in traffic over a period of time. A lot of that may be down to the big Disney+ outage, along with The Mandalorian series featuring "Baby Yoda" that has been one of the biggest reasons to sign up for the streaming service.
Disney+ makes it easier to pick up shows where you left off
Disney+ had a bumpy start, with many users reporting frequent crashes and even difficulty logging into their accounts. One of the company's first moves to address the issues was to remove certain features, with one of those being the "continue watching" list. Disney has now added the list back to its platform, allowing viewers to pick up a movie or show where they left off.
Analysis suggests Disney+ doesn't stream 'The Mandalorian' in true HDR
The Mandalorian has given us Baby Yoda and, by some accounts, made Disney+ worth it. The first live-action Star Wars show, The Mandalorian packs the kind of action and visual splendor that will remind you why you love Star Wars in the first place, and it stands out as truly original content on Disney's new streaming platform. But it may not be living up to its HDR promises.
What’s coming soon to Disney+: ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and ‘Coco’
After a successful -- though also somewhat shaky -- launch, Disney has outlined the new movies and series it plans to add over the next three weeks to its streaming service. If you subscribed to Disney+ to watch shows like The Mandalorian, you know you'll be able to watch new episodes every Friday. So for the purposes of this post, we've instead highlighted a couple of surprise additions.
Disney+ will fix its 'Simpsons' widescreen problem in 2020
As soon as Disney+ launched, fans of The Simpsons noticed a big problem. In a repeat of an issue that occurred when FXX started playing old episodes a few years ago, someone made the decision to crop and zoom older 4x3 aspect ratio episodes to fill out an HD widescreen frame. It was eventually corrected, and it turns out that new owner Disney will also fix things up -- eventually. In a statement, a Disney spokesperson said that "in early 2020" it will offer a toggle for the first 19 seasons of episodes so people can choose to view them in their original format -- important for many visual gags that extend to the top or bottom of the frame -- or widescreen-adjusted. Disney: We presented "The Simpsons" in 16:9 aspect ratio at launch in order to guarantee visual quality and consistency across all 30 seasons. Over time, Disney+ will roll out new features and additional viewing options. As part of this, in early 2020, Disney+ will make the first 19 seasons (and some episodes from Season 20) of "The Simpsons" available in their original 4:3 aspect ratio, giving subscribers a choice of how they prefer to view the popular series.
Disney+ isn't working for some users on launch day
Like most new online services, it looks like Disney+'s launch isn't going to be hiccup-free. After the streaming service went live early this morning, some fans on the east coast are waking up to find that they can't connect to Disney's servers to watch any content. On Twitter, there are a growing number of reports of people running into an "unable to connect to Disney+" error message.
Disney+ has arrived, here's everything you need to know
It's November 12th, and Disney has thrown the doors open on its streaming service Disney+. If you live in the US, Canada or the Netherlands, then you can get unprecedented access to the Disney vault as well as some interesting new original content. That includes most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Mandalorian and more. Original shows on Disney+ won't drop all at once, so plan your binge-watching accordingly. Several new series premiered tonight, and they'll each add new episodes every Friday from now on. While Disney, Pixar, National Geographic and Marvel all present tantalizing options, a last-minute surprise is the news that all of the Star Wars movies streaming right now are available in 4K Ultra HD, a first-ever for the first seven movies in the series. Other selections that are available for the first time with 4K and HDR include Hocus Pocus, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Toy Story 1-3. The price for all that is $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year -- there is a 7-day free trial -- while a bundle option for those who want to add ESPN+ and Hulu (with ads) to the subscription is available for $12.99 per month. If you're looking for the apps, these are the devices supported at launch: Amazon FireTV and FireOS, Apple iOS, Android/Chromecast, Roku, Xbox One, PS4, LG webOS smart TVs and Samsung Smart TV.
Disney+ gets every 'Star Wars' movie in 4K, Dolby Vision and Atmos
We knew Disney+ would be the new home of Star Wars ever since the service was announced, but Disney kept an interesting nugget secret until now. The entire Star Wars series, including the original trilogy and much-maligned prequels, has also been remastered in 4K with Dolby Vision and Atmos support, delivering the clearest look at the twin suns of Tatooine yet. So now, even physical media purists will have a reason to check out Disney+.
What's on TV this week: 'The Mandalorian'
Another new week, another new streaming service. Disney+ is activating on the apps and services where it's available (iOS, Android, Roku, etc.) and bringing with it a ton of archived content from Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm and even The Simpsons. The highlight show is the one we've been waiting for, with Pedro Pascal starring as The Mandalorian. But it's not the only new show appearing this week. Netflix's response to the new challenger includes new full season drops of The Toys That Made Us and The Crown, while Disney's series will give you one episode today, with new episodes added each Friday. Amazon, meanwhile, is releasing season four of The Man in the High Castle. For gamers, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is this week's biggest name, and if you prefer to avoid subscribing to an extra service, Star Trek Discovery season two is available on Blu-ray, along with anniversary releases of Spirited Away and Heathers. In sports, the F1 season is moving along with action in Brazil. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
Disney+ adds a few more Marvel movies to its list of day-one titles
With tomorrow's launch of Disney+ just hours away, the newest entrant into the streaming wars has added just a little more incentive. Nearly a month ago a mammoth video and tweetstorm previewed "basically everything" coming to Disney+ at launch, but since then Disney dropped in surprise news that Avengers: Endgame will be available day one (earlier than expected), and now it has filled out the MCU lineup with a total of 16 out of 23 movies.
Disney+ will hit the UK and four other European countries March 31st
Disney+ will officially debut in the US, Canada and the Netherlands November 12th, and Australia and New Zealand a week later. The rest of the world will need to wait a little longer to stream the likes of Avengers: Endgame and The Mandalorian on the service. But Disney fans in the UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain might want to mark March 31st on their calendars. That's when Disney+ will land in those countries.
Disney+ will stream on Amazon's Fire TV platform at launch
Disney+ streaming will go live next week, and after some wrangling between the giants, it will be available on Amazon's Fire TV platform at launch. That's according to Disney CEO Bob Iger, who revealed the deal during an interview with CNBC as his company released its earnings report today. Last month there was a report that a dispute over advertising had divided the two companies, but they've worked things out. Along with Samsung and LG smart TVs, Fire sticks will join Roku, Apple TV, game consoles and other devices in supporting Disney's direct-to-consumer offering. Disney+ launches November 12th for $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
'Avengers: Endgame' is arriving early on Disney+ next week
Disney+ will make its much-anticipated arrival in the US and Canada next week. Disney is packing the service with a vast range of shows and movies new and old, but it has another trick up its sleeve for launch day: Avengers: Endgame.
Disney+ is boosting its library by running a Starz ad (update)
When you first launch Disney+ after it becomes available next early week, you might find something that wasn't supposed to be there. According to The Verge, the streaming service will show some subscribers an ad promoting premium TV channel Starz after they finish the initial sign-up process. Disney confirmed to Engadget that the one-time promo will be shown to some users once they finish signing up for the service and entering payment details.
New 'The Mandalorian' trailer looks like the Star Wars we're used to
Need a reason to stay interested in Disney+? Between Netflix's content assault, an HBO Max event tomorrow and Apple TV+ launching this week, Disney's plan to stand out is apparently this new trailer for its live-action Star Wars show, The Mandalorian. Fortunately, in contrast with early reviews for Apple's TV shows, the one minute 45 second preview delivers, with action showing not only star Pedro Pascal's character, but much more of the world than earlier teasers. Disney+ launches November 12th with its price set at $6.99 per month or $69.99 annually.
A 'Hocus Pocus' sequel is in the works for Disney+
Variety reports Disney is developing a sequel to its 1993 comedy Hocus Pocus for its upcoming Disney+ streaming service. The original starred Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as a trio of sisters that were captured and executed in 1693 for practicing witchcraft in Salem, Massachusettes. The sisters come back 300 years later when they're brought back to life by a family that moves from the east coast city to California. At the moment, there's no word on whether the three stars will reprise their roles, though Variety notes Workaholics writer Jen D'Angelo will pen the sequel's script.
Disney+ downloads will disappear when they leave the service (updated)
While Disney leans hard on nostalgia for content from its vast archives to push its upcoming Disney+ package, one downside is that licensing deals signed years ago will mean some movies aren't always available. In the past, it's made limited availability of content part of the business model, rotating classics in and out of the Disney vault to encourage purchases while they're available. As CEO Bob Iger explained during an interview at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit 2019, that shouldn't be an issue -- as long as people keep subscribing. Asked about the availability of older movies (around 25 minutes into the video below), he referenced the three-hour "All Your Favorites" sizzle reel Disney released last week, and said that there is "some of it but very very little" that will be removed from the service at times. However, as long as someone is an active Disney+ subscriber, he said, they'll be able to watch downloaded copies of those movies anyway. It's not the perfect solution, but it may nudge some people to get -- and keep -- that annual subscription, even in future years if Disney ever raises the prices. Disney+ launches November 12th, with a $6.99 per month / $69.99 annual price tag. Update 11:30AM ET: It seems that Iger's statements have caused some confusion. While he seemed to be suggesting that any videos you downloaded from Disney+ would continue to be available as long as you were a subscriber, regardless of changes in licensing or things going back in the "vault" so to speak, that's not necessarily the case. A Disney spokesperson clarified to The Verge that, if a movie or show leaves the Disney+ platform, then it will no longer be available as a download. To give you the full context of Iger's statement, we've included a transcript below. Q: I have a quick, you mentioned the breadth of content and you kind of, you guys exploded the internet, I think it was last week, with this incredible flex of everything from the vault. Now I grew up in the tradition of the Disney vault, you know the movie would come out and then it would go back in the vault, and if you didn't get it, it was gone. So I'm just curious as the mother of a five year old, is the stuff gonna stay on Disney Plus or are you gonna take The Love Bug away? A: No, no, no. What you're referring to they've someone in our marketing department decided to put out a trailer which I think was a snippet from every one of the movies and television shows that will be on and it was a three and a half hour trailer. It was kind of inventive although I have not gotten through it all yet. Virtually all of the library is on Disney Plus and will be available. There's some encumbrances from deals that we had, legacy deals that we had before, which will prevent some of it from being on initially, and will cause some of it but very very little to come off for brief periods of time. But by and large, almost all of it is there. And if you are a subscriber, you can download it and put it on a device and it will stay on that device as long as you continue to subscribe. So in your case if you wanted to download 10 classic Disney films that may not have all been available at once before, you can do that basically fill all of your hard drive space on one of your devices and your child can watch wherever they are.
