Should you get Disney+?

The war of the streaming services rages on, and into the field steps a familiar face, one which continues to absorb all intellectual properties it can into a family-friendly format. Yes, Disney has a streaming service coming to the UK in March 2020, and having spent Christmas in the U.S., I’ve had a glimpse of what the media overlord has to offer.

As the name suggests, Disney+ is far more limited than most streaming services in terms of what it can offer. The service’s appeal therefore banks almost entirely on nostalgia and new exclusive content. On the one hand, those who grew up on Disney films or Disney Channel will have a treasure trove of content to go through. The service knows its audience as it brings up suggestions for 90s content, princesses and classic animated movies. The dedication to collect every property Disney has into one place goes into some of its more insidious properties (except Song of the South and the WWII propaganda shorts) with the Disney sequels that went straight to video or DVD on initial release. If you haven’t witnessed the horror and the pain that is Belle’s Enchanted Christmas or Little Mermaid: Return to the Sea, now is your chance.

As the name suggests, Disney+ is far more limited than most streaming services in terms of what it can offer

The other incentive of the service is the new content, which at this point in time is in its infancy but looks set to expand heavily within the next couple of years. At present the main draw of Disney+ for those seeking something new is Star Wars: The Mandalorian, currently the best thing to come out of the Disney takeover so far. With its gritty Western tone and meme-worthy Baby Yoda, it may even reassure those who feel their childhoods have been cruelly torn asunder by J.J. Abrams. Furthermore, the live action remakes continue with Lady and the Tramp available only on the streaming service, making its impact even more minimal than would have been the case if the film had been released in cinemas.

In the future, however, more shows are going to appear and be more important for people to be caught up on, especially in the MCU. Half of Phase 4 will be on Disney+ and it’s been announced that events in these shows will impact the narratives of the films, or at the very least crossover. The incentive therefore will be for people to get Disney+ purely to keep up for years to come, or at the very least get the service for a month to catch up on what Bucky, Falcon, Loki, Wanda, Vision or Hawkeye are up to.

If you’re not into watching old Disney movies and shorts, or indeed are desperate to follow Marvel’s shows, then Disney+ may be something to watch for the free week’s trial or maybe a couple of months at most

If you’re not into watching old Disney movies and shorts, or indeed are desperate to follow Marvel’s shows, then Disney+ may be something to watch for the free week’s trial or maybe a couple of months at most. Despite the lower price, it hasn’t got all the material it needs to warrant a long-term commitment at present. For families, though, it may make an ideal streaming service as it has timeless animated entertainment for children, National Geographic to educate them, The Simpsons to turn to afterwards and a non-annoying interface. If you love Disney, you’ll love having it all in one place. If you fear that Disney will take over the world one company at a time, then the birth of this streaming service will help convey that fear, as the Mouse is always looking for more.