Bob Iger opened Walt Disney Company Investor Day 2019 speaking about the world of entertainment, and in particular, the vital and ever-evolving direct-to-consumer market.
The Disney CEO described the Company’s dedication to creating superior content to be distributed through new and innovative venues. Iger and his team then went on to provide all new details about how each of the Walt Disney Company’s three streaming services will work. Although Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu will all be separate services, consumers can purchase all three together at a discounted price.
DISNEY+ will be an ad-free subscription service featuring both new and original content from Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel and National Geographic. In addition, new releases from these brands will arrive on Disney+ immediately following their theatrical runs, including Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, Aladin, Toy Story 4, The Lion King, Artemis Fowl, Maleficent, Frozen 2 and Star Wars: Episode IX.
At Disney+, consumers can find all of their Disney favorite films, old and new, in one place, to watch any time they want. Classic films from the Disney vault, recent Disney animated and live-action hit films, and even the exclusive release of the live-action Lady and the Tramp will all be available to viewers upon the launch of Disney+. Frozen 2 fans will enjoy a special documentary about the making of the movie, as Into the Unknown premieres on Disney+. Frozen 2 will appear on the service after it completes its theatrical run as well!
The world of Pixar will be fully represented, with all of its movies featured on Disney+, including special shorts and features just for the streaming service. Forky Asks a Question is a series of 10 shorts starring Toy Story 4’s newest toy. Within the first year of Disney+, Bo Peep will also appear in her own series entitled Lamp Life, depicting the life and adventures of Woody’s main squeeze.
National Geographic will have of 250 hours of programming available, including consumer favorites such as Brain Games, Cosmos, and Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted. The National Geographic collection will also include special releases such as The World According to Jeff Goldblum, where host Goldblum uncovers the history and scientific significance of everyday objects. Magic of the Animal Kingdom, set at both Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Epcot’s SeaBase Aquarium, is another series planned for Disney+, and allows viewers to go ‘behind the curtains’ to see the work of Disney Cast Members as they care for the endangered species at these Disney Parks.
The full library of Star Wars movies and animated series will be available for streaming, including the exclusive Disney+ episodic series, The Mandalorian. Another new series from the team of Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk will be set in the Rogue One time period with Cassian Andor as its focus. And fans of Clone Wars will be happy to find their beloved series on Disney+ as well!
Marvel lovers will find a big selection of their favorite movies to choose from on Disney+, as well as new series and long-form stories created specifically for the service and promising the same theatrical quality expected from Marvel. These shows will further explore the Marvel Universe and the lives of some of its most famous inhabitants, and storylines will cross among the series and films, serving to connect them all and keep their audiences engrossed and invested. Some of the shows announced so far include WandaVision, a live-action series starring Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany as the Vision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Marvel’s What If…?, an animated episodic series that will examine important moments from the Marvel Universe and turn them upside down. Another highly-anticipated series features Loki as its lead, and stars Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as Thor’s brother who is both villain and hero.
Celebrating its 36th anniversary, Disney Channel will have 5000 hours of original content as well as all of the Disney Channel Original Movies available on Disney+ when it launches. In addition, a new series based on the hugely popular Disney Channel High School Musical movies will premiere on the service: High School Musical: The Musical: The Series will follow students from the original school play putting on their own version of High School Musical.
Disney+ will also be the home to special movie premieres, such as Noelle, starring Anna Kendrick as Santa’s daughter, Timmy Failure, a story of a boy and his imaginary-friend polar bear, and the exclusive documentary The Imagineering Story.
Disney’s recent acquisition of 20th-Century Fox means movie classics like The Sound of Music and The Princess Bride can be found on Disney+, too. And that other 20-th Century Fox classic – the animated series, The Simpsons? Yes, consumers will find all 30 seasons on the new Disney streaming service!
Finally, as Disney now owns 60% of Hulu, Disney hinted at a possible international rollout, giving subscribers the option of limited ads, ad-free subscriptions, and an on-demand service with live TV. Hulu subscribers would also have the ability to add Disney+ to their existing accounts.
As a subscriber to Disney+, all of the content found on the service will be downloadable and accessible offline, on mobile phones, tablets and smart TVS. Presently, Disney+ has partnered with Roku TV and Playstation 4, with more platforms promised to come.
Disney has provided a sneak peek of the app’s interface, with appears simple to use, and allows users to customize their own profiles with Disney character icons. Parental controls can be set according to the age of the children using the service.
Disney+ is set to launch on November 12, 2019. For an annual subscription, consumers will pay $69.99, or $5.83 per month. Paying on a month-to-month basis will cost $6.99.
