After Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu transformed how we watch television, Disney is now getting into the game with its very own streaming service.
Disney+ launches on Tuesday, costing $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year.
The company projects between 60 to 90 million subscribers by 2025.
Best of all, the service is ad-free, meaning no waiting for commercials.
Click here for the full list of shows and movies you can watch.
Below are my Top 5 Reasons to Watch Disney+.
1. The Vault Opens
Disney has long promoted its mythical “vault,” urging fans to buy animated classics on VHS or DVD before they’re sealed away for decades. Now, the vault is opening as Disney+ will stream the movies as part of your subscription.
The library includes historic achievements from Walt Disney’s lifetime, including “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1937), “Pinocchio” (1940), “Fantasia” (1940), “Bambi” (1942), “Cinderella” (1950), “Sleeping Beauty” (1959), “101 Dalmatians” (1961), “Mary Poppins” (1964) and “The Jungle Book” (1967).
It also includes beloved favorites from the so-called Disney Renaissance, including “The Little Mermaid” (1989), “Beauty and the Beast” (1991), “Aladdin” (1992), “The Lion King” (1994), “Pocahontas” (1995) and “Mulan” (1998).
Don’t worry, all your favorite Pixar titles are available as well, including “Toy Story” (1995), “Finding Nemo” (2003), “The Incredibles” (2004), “Cars” (2006), “WALL-E” (2008) and “Inside Out” (2015), in addition to non-Pixar gems, including “Frozen” (2013), “Zootopia” (2016) and “Moana” (2016).
2. Return of the Jedis
“Star Wars” fans can explore a galaxy far, far away in the original TV series “The Mandalorian,” which will be available the day of launch. Jon Favreau will serve as showrunner for eight episodes, filling in the timeline after “Return of the Jedi” and before “The Force Awakens.” Pedro Pascal stars as the title hero in a cast that includes Nick Nolte, Giancarlo Esposito and Taika Waititi voicing a droid.
In February 2020, we’ll get the seventh and final season of “Star Wars: The Clone Wars.” The 12-episode season hopes to stick the landing with the final four episodes written and directed by co-creator Dave Filoni.
Fans are also excited for two untitled prequel series in the pipeline. A “Rogue One” series will provide the origin story for Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and the K-2S0 droid (Alan Tudyk), while an Obi-Wan Kenobi series will star Ewan McGregor in the years before “A New Hope.” Filming will commence in 2020.
Until then, you can stream the original trilogy of “Star Wars” (1977), “The Empire Strikes Back” (1980) and “Return of the Jedi” (1983); the prequel trilogy of “The Phantom Menace” (1999), Attack of the Clones” (2002) and “Revenge of the Sith” (2005); and the new chapters “The Force Awakens” (2015), “Rogue One” (2016), “The Last Jedi” (2017), “Solo” (2018) and eventually “Rise of Skywalker” (2019).
3. Superhero Expansion
Superhero fans found it bittersweet when “Avengers: Endgame” wrapped Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but much of Phase 4 will arrive on Disney+.
In fall 2020, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” reunites Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan in their famous Avengers movie roles as Captain America’s sidekick and nemesis, alongside Emily Van Camp and Daniel Brühl.
In spring 2021, Tom Hiddleston returns as Thor’s evil brother in “Loki,” playing his deliciously sinister villain who died in “Infinity War” but was brought back in an alternate universe in “Endgame” to regain possession of the Tesseract.
Spring 2021 will bring the outside-the-box “WandaVision,” starring Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany as Scarlet Witch and Vision. The six-episode series will co-star Teyonah Parris, Kathryn Hahn, Randall Park and Kat Dennings.
Fall of 2021 finds Jeremy Renner returning to his Avengers archery role in “Hawkeye,” this time training protégé Kate Bishop, who has yet to be cast. It’s one of several female-led projects in the works, from “She-Hulk” to “Mrs. Marvel.”
Of course, you can also stream existing Marvel films, including “Iron Man” (2008), “Iron Man 3” (2008), “Thor: The Dark World” (2013), “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014), “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015), “Ant-Man” (2015) and “Captain Marvel” (2019). The record-breaking smash “Avengers: Endgame” will arrive on Dec. 11.
4. Disney Channel Nostalgia
For decades, teenagers watched their favorite Disney Channel shows on their regularly scheduled lineup, but Disney+ offers them anytime, any place.
That means live-action hits like “Boy Meets World” (1993), “Even Stevens” (2000), “Lizzie McGuire” (2001), “That’s So Raven” (2003), “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” (2005) and “Hannah Montana” (2006). Hilary Duff will soon return for a new “Lizzie McGuire” reboot, playing Lizzie as a 30-year-old in New York.
You’ll also get live-action TV movies like “Cheetah Girls” (2003), “High School Musical” (2006), “Descendants” (2015) and “Freaky Friday” (2018), as well as the oddly-titled “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” (2019) — what a mouthful — a new 10-episode series based on the song-and-dance favorite.
You can also stream animated classics like “Adventures of the Gummi Bears” (1985), “DuckTales” (1987), “Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers” (1989), “TaleSpin” (1990), “Darkwing Duck” (1991) and “Goof Troop” (1992), as well as every episode of “The Simpsons” (1989-present), which Disney acquired from Fox.
New animation includes 39 episodes of “Chip’n’Dale,” a “Toy Story 4” spinoff “Forky Asks a Question” and an upcoming “Monsters, Inc.” spinoff “Monsters at Work.” Also get ready for “Phineas & Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe” as the animated brothers try to rescue their sister from aliens.
5. Educational Documentaries
Finally, if educational documentaries are more your speed, Disney+ includes National Geographic’s new 12-episode series “The World According to Jeff Goldblum,” exploring such topics as ice cream, tattoos and sneakers.
Natalie Portman will narrate Disneynature’s “Dolphin Reef” about a Pacific bottlenose dolphin named Echo. It’s directed by “Bears” alum Keith Scholey.
Kristen Bell produces the reality series “Encore!” where she reunites the former castmates of a high school musical for one more performance — even though most of them moved on to other jobs. Now that’s a cool concept!
ABC journalist Bob Woodruff and his 27-year-old son Mack host “Rogue Trip,” a travel guide to various locations to help you plan your next family vacation.
Film history buffs will enjoy “Cinema Relics: Iconic Art of the Movies,” a behind-the-scenes look at Disney props and costumes, from “Mary Poppins” to “Pirates of the Caribbean,” while “Ink & Paint” charts the history of Disney animation, focusing on women who were unsung heroes behind countless Disney classics.
You’ll get an inside look at Disney theme parks with “Be Our Chef,” a cooking competition between two families hoping to create the next Disney Parks dish, as well as “One Day at Disney,” profiling a day in the life of Disney staff members to peel back the curtain on Imagineers, animators and park employees.
In addition, you’ll have access to Nat Geo’s archives of “Bizarre Dinosaurs” (2009), “Journey to Shark Eden” (2010), “Wild Yellowstone” (2015), “Expedition Mars: Spirit & Opportunity” (2016), “Origins: The Journey of Humankind” (2017), “Secrets of Christ’s Tomb: Explorer Special” (2017), “Planet of the Birds” (2018), “Mars: Inside SpaceX” (2018) and “Into the Grand Canyon” (2019).
Click here for the full list of shows and movies you can watch on Disney+.
