Disney+ now available with original shows and films; over 600 titles in back catalog

It has been eleven days since Apple switched on its own video streaming service, Apple TV+. And now it’s time for Disney to get involved. Disney+ is now available to start streaming.

Disney+ is one of the newest streaming services of 2019, but, unlike many of the others (aside from what Netflix and Amazon have built up over years), Disney’s option is already loaded with content right out of the gate. It’s also one of the least expensive options out there, despite just how much content it has to offer.

With Disney+ now available we’re going to go over the details of what the service brings to the table, just how much it costs, the devices you can stream it on, and more. And as you might have guessed there’s a lot to go over, so let’s go ahead and get started.

How much it costs

This is the easiest part to answer: $7 per month. Or if you don’t want to pay on a per-month basis and prefer a single lump sum for the year, you can fork over $69.99 to do that.

Or! If you just so happen to be a subscriber to Verizon Wireless, and you fall under one of the appropriate Unlimited 4G LTE or 5G wireless plans or “new Verizon Fios Home Internet and 5G Home Internet customers” then you can get 12 months of Disney+ for free. After the 12 months if over you’ll be billed $6.99 per month by Verizon directly.

There is also a bundle you can opt for, if you prefer to pay a single amount for several services. That bundle includes Hulu (with ads), ESPN+, and Disney+. If you go that route you’ll be forking over $12.99 per month.

Disney says there aren’t any ads and there aren’t any up-charges. However, it should be noted that, at least for the time being, there will be at least one ad appearing in some circumstances. The short of it is that Disney has licensing deals out there in the wild so that its content, like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, can stream on other services like Starz.

As a result, Disney+ will be showing ads for Starz so that it can actually stream that Star Wars film, and whatever else it has licensed, on Disney+.

How to watch

Now, the devices where you’ll be able to watch Disney+ — arguably the most important part! Unsurprisingly Disney is making its streaming service available across a variety of devices and platforms so you shouldn’t have any real trouble finding a way to watch the content you’re interested in.

That includes all of Apple’s devices. You’ll be able to watch Disney+ on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, as well as the Apple TV. And what’s more, you’ll be able to subscribe to the service directly through its iOS/tvOS app, and it will integrate with the TV app so you can keep track of new episodes and get suggestions for new stuff to watch.

You’ll need the iOS app to watch on supported devices. You can find it right here.

Here’s the rest of the supported devices:

  • Android smartphones
  • Android TV media streamers
  • Google, Apple, and Chromecast built-in devices
  • Microsoft Xbox One
  • Sony PlayStation 4
  • Android-based Sony TVs
  • Roku streaming players and Roku TV models
  • Amazon Fire TV streaming devices

A global rollout

Disney+ will be available in several regions across the globe — eventually. To start, however, the focus is on North America with the United States and Canada. However, The Netherlands is also included at launch. Disney+ will go live in Australia and New Zealand on Tuesday, November 19.

And then, after that, Disney+ will be available in select countries in Europe starting in March of 2020. Beyond that, the streaming service will arrive in Latin America sometime in the first fiscal quarter of 2021.

Features

The most compelling feature of Disney+ is its supported companies. Not only do you get a huge list of Disney films to choose from, but also content from the Disney-owned Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and National Geographic brands. Plus, you can throw in former Fox properties, too, which is now owned by Disney and therefore newly Disney-branded.

Each catalog of content will have its own dedicated channel within Disney+’s primary app. So if you want to just dive into Disney content you’ll be able to do that, and the same goes for Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, or Nat Geo shows/films/documentaries.

Taking your favorite content with you and away from a constant internet connection is also a feature with Disney+. You will have unlimited downloads on up to 10 supported devices at one time, making it available to watch whenever you want.

All of the content on Disney+ is streaming at 4K and High Dynamic Range (HDR) on content that supports it.

And finally, you will be able to stream four different shows/films/documentaries on four different screens at the same time.

The originals at launch

A lot of the news cycle has been dedicated to the ridiculously large back catalog that Disney+ is bringing to the table — which is decidedly one of the elements that helps it stand out in a crowded field. However, Disney+ will also play host to a variety of original content, including documentaries, TV shows, and films.

Here’s what you can expect to find on Disney+ at launch, as far as original content is concerned:

  • The Mandalorian: “After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. “The Mandalorian” is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic.”
  • Lady and The Tramp: “In Disney+’s “Lady and the Tramp,” a timeless retelling of the 1955 animated classic, a pampered house dog and a tough but lovable stray embark on an unexpected adventure and, despite their differences, grow closer and come to understand the value of home.”
  • Noelle: “In Disney+’s holiday comedy “Noelle,” Kris Kringle’s daughter is full of Christmas spirit and holiday fun, but wishes she could do something “important” like her beloved brother Nick, who will take over from their father this Christmas. When Nick is about to crumble like a gingerbread cookie from all the pressure, Noelle suggests he take a break and get away…but when he doesn’t return, Noelle must find her brother and bring him back in time to save Christmas.”
  • High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: “The 10-episode scripted series, set as the real-life East High, where the original movie was filmed, follows a group of students as they countdown to opening night of their school’s first-ever production of “High School Musical.” With meta references and some docu-style elements, it’s a modern take on the “classic” from 15 years ago. Show-mances blossom; friendships are tested, while new ones are made; rivalries flare; songs are sung; and lives are changed forever as these young people discover the transformative power that only high school theater can provide.”
  • The World According to Jeff Goldblum: “Through the prism of Jeff Goldblum’s always inquisitive and highly entertaining mind, nothing is as it seems in this new series. Each episode is centered around something we all love — like sneakers or ice cream — as Jeff pulls the thread on these deceptively familiar objects and unravels a wonderful world of astonishing connections, fascinating science and history, amazing people, and a whole lot of surprising big ideas and insights.”
  • Encore!: “Executive Producer Kristen Bell brings together former castmates of a high school musical, tasking them with re-creating their original performance in a high school reunion like no other. Emotions run high as the former students face faded friendships, former flames, self-doubt, and killer choreography. Through it all, these unlikely groups of friends—with the help of Broadway’s best—just might pull off a standing-ovation-worthy performance of beloved musicals like “The Sound of Music,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Annie” and more.”

The back catalog

Finally, we’ve arrived at the base on which Disney+ will be built. Earlier this year, Disney+ announced over 600 titles that will be available on the streaming service at launch. They also included a sizzle reel for all that content that is over 3 hours long. So we’re obviously not going to include all of the titles you can find in this impressive catalog.

There are a lot of films to choose from. That includes all of the original Star Wars films. (It will not include Star Wars: The Last Jedi yet.) It also includes titles like Herbie Rides Again and Old Yeller and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. You’ll find a few different Fox titles in the mix, too, following Disney’s acquisition of that particular branch of the larger Fox mega-corporation.

Here’s that aforementioned sizzle reel, just because:

And in a last-minute change, Disney+ is also going to have most of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films in its library at launch. (Disney+ was only slated to have a few at launch.) So you will be able to find films like Iron Man 2Captain America: The Winter SoldierThe Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2, and others right at launch. That includes the already-announced lineup of Captain MarvelIron Man 3Thor: The Dark WorldThe Avengers: Age of Ultron, and others.

However, titles like Black PantherAvengers: Infinity WarAnt-Man and the Wasp, and Thor: Ragnarok will continue to stream on Netflix until the end of 2019. After that, these titles will also be available on Disney+.

You will also be able to enjoy 30 seasons of formerly Fox’s The Simpsons!

Coming soon

There is always more coming down the pipe. You can expect new content on a semi-regular basis now that Disney+ is available. That includes Marvel’s The Hero Project, Disney’s Monsters at Work, Marvel’s WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Star Wars The Clone Wars, Marvel’s Loki, and more.

Marvel is also working on new shows focusing on She-HulkMs. Marvel, and Moon Knight.

Expect Disney to be making plenty of announcements regarding original content down the road.

In conclusion

Disney+ is stacked. There’s just no way around that. A huge draw of this service is its back catalog, thanks to the fact that Disney is essentially doing away with its Vault and putting those older films on the streaming service.

(This is a sticking point, however, as now Disney is putting older Fox films and shows in the Vault, and that’s not great.)

But the draw of the original content can’t be ignored, either. Titles like The Mandalorian look ridiculously impressive. Seriously, if you haven’t caught the series’ second official trailer, check it out below. The production values here are, well, out of this world:

But how do you feel about Disney+? Is this a day-one subscription for you? Or will you be waiting to see even more original content join its library before you sign up?