Bob Iger, CEO of Disney and aspiring owner of everything imaginable, confirmed that Disney’s long talked-about streaming service will be called Disney+, or Disney Plus, or what have you. Previously, a report misunderstood the name of the service to be Disney Play, but it looks like the House of Mouse is taking a different naming convention from Google.
Expect to see newer Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel Studios films start to pop up on Disney+ rather than Netflix. Additionally, the acquisition of 21st Century Fox will give Disney a controlling stake in Hulu—Iger has promised that Disney+ and Hulu will still be able to coexist, with Hulu being a home for “general entertainment” and Disney+ for “family fare.”
So let’s try to summarize all of the “family fare” projects that we know of that are coming to Disney+. Take a deep breath, and:
- The Mandalorian
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars season 7
- Obi-Wan Star Wars film (rumored)
- Cassian Andor Rogue One prequel series
- Loki miniseries (confirmed)
- Scarlet Witch miniseries (reportedly)
- Winter Solider/Falcon miniseries (reportedly)
- Television shows based on High School Musical, Monsters Inc., The Muppets, The Mighty Ducks
- Untitled Marvel Television project, potentially several in development
- Live-action remakes of Lady and the Tramp (currently filming), Peter Pan, The Sword in the Stone
- Remakes of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Father of the Bride, The Parent Trap
- Various original film projects, including Magic Camp, Noelle, Timmy Failure (all in post-production), Stargirl, Togo (both currently filming)
- Flora & Ulysses film adaptation
- A television remake of High Fidelity
- Docuseries Ink & Paint
Honestly, just looking at that list is exhausting. After writing numerous stories about streaming services, I have almost completely run out of things to say about them. As many have pointed out, all of these services are splitting the market, somehow turning streaming into a worse alternative to cable TV.
Disney+ is still due to launch in late 2019. Better start saving your money now, lest you incur the wrath of a cartoon mouse.