When Disney announced that their new streaming service would be launching in the UK in late March, I didn't originally plan on subscribing. Those who have read previous posts on this blog will know my feelings on the cinematic monopoly that is forming under their leadership, and bringing that into direct competition with platforms like Netflix that give new, previously unheard voices in the film and TV industry a voice did not sound appealing to me. However, as we all know, the pandemic is still here. Upon the launch of the platform, my sister and I had entered a downward spiral in finding ways to keep ourselves occupied and decided to utilize the free trial and watch Moana. An excellent film that neither of us had previously seen. After a couple more days with the platform, we had rediscovered many childhood favourites, caught up on some of the content by the incredible talent at Disney's animation studios that we had missed, and even dipped into some original programming. However, how does this platform hold up to other streaming options, and is there enough to keep you busy during the lockdown?
Here's my hypothesis: if you love Disney, this is absolutely for you. Even if you only slightly like Disney now but loved it as a kid and have many fond memories with their vast grove of content, you will get a lot out of this service. The platform is separated into the five main 'brands' encompassed by the company, so it is easy to browse based on what you are in the mood for. My sister and I have enjoyed revisiting some of the 2D animated classics from our childhood, such as Mulan, Robin Hood, Treasure Planet and Atlantis, some of which I hadn't seen in so long that they felt like discovering something brand new. However, if you are looking for something a bit more 'mature' that will appeal to anything other than what you might call a 'family' audience, you may be disappointed. The Walt Disney brand is synonymous with content that can be enjoyed by people of any age, so the company's recent acquisition of 20th Century Fox seemed like a logical step for them as it would allow them to put out content for a different age range in a place that would not directly affect the identity of the parent brand. This, however, has not been the case. More mature upcoming projects (including a new Die Hard) have been axed, and the studio's representation on the new platform has been lacking. It seems to me that the name 'Disney+' has imposed severe limitations on the content available, and if a separate brand identity had been created for the platform that included divided segments for Disney, Fox, Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and National Geographic, a more diverse selection may have been possible. As unlikely as this is, I shall not be happy until I see Darth Vader riding a Xenomorph chasing Paul Rudd, the Colin Firth character in Kingsman on his murder spree and Goofy across the site's header.
As for original content, the selection is... mixed. For every Mandalorian, an incredible achievement of technology that has united the Star Wars fandom more than any other piece of content put out this decade, there is a High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which is just as awkward as its title. While most of it maintains the high quality we have come to expect from the Disney brand, others fail to reach that standard and instead resemble the content formerly put out on their YouTube channels for free both in terms of budget and duration. A particular highlight for me so far is the final series of Star Wars: The Clone Wars; it is a testament to the passion of the original animation team to just how much love they have poured into this long-awaited conclusion and brought their additional experiences from the last ten years with them. With new content from Pixar and Marvel Studios on the horizon, the future looks promising, but struggles with the same lack of variety as the platform's second-hand offerings.
To conclude, is Disney+ what you need to see you through these difficult months? Well, for £5.99 a month, the quality and quantity of the content you get for money is, for the most part, impeccable. However, to get the maximum enjoyment out of it, you will need to be a Disney die-hard. There is enough Disney Channel back catalogue to satisfy anybody who grew up with cable TV, and any comic book movie fanatic will get a kick out of having the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe available at the click of a button, but for the average consumer, it is perhaps... too much Disney. Platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime have benefitted from their licenses to a wide spectrum of content from many of the industry's most popular publishers, and I feel the new competitors in the streaming wars are missing what gave those pioneers such a wide appeal. With Disney's seemingly infinite budget, it seems all of the limitations of the platform are entirely self-imposed, and usually I would suggest that there is plenty of room for growth, but I fear what that growth would mean for the media industry. Personally, I will be looking into more progressive platforms for my streaming needs in future.
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