The Walt Disney Co. announced details for its Disney+ streaming service today.
The company’s highly anticipated Investor Day offered a deeper look into the company’s upcoming Disney+ streaming service, which will launch in the U.S. on Nov. 12 for $6.99 per month. While the company previously shared some of its nonfiction lineup, the senior management team, headed by Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, gave fans the “more” they’ve been waiting for.
“Disney+ marks a bold step forward in an exciting new era for our company — one in which consumers will have a direct connection to the incredible array of creative content that is the Walt Disney Company’s hallmark,” Iger says. “We are confident that the combination of our unrivaled storytelling, beloved brands, iconic franchises, and cutting-edge technology will make Disney+ a standout in the marketplace, and deliver significant value for consumers and shareholders alike.”
“We’re extremely excited about our growing portfolio of direct-to-consumer offerings,” says Kevin Mayer, Disney’s chairman of Direct-to-Consumer and International. “As we demonstrated today, with Disney+ we will deliver extraordinary entertainment in innovative ways to audiences around the world. We’ll continue to enhance the user experience with a constant pipeline of high-quality programming, making the service even more appealing to consumers.”
At launch, the service will offer viewers a robust library of theatrical and television content, releasing more than 25 original series and 10 original films, documentaries, and specials — all within the first year.
Below are the new original titles for Disney+ announced today.
From Marvel Studios
- The Falcon and The Winter Soldier: This live-action series features Anthony Mackie returning as Falcon and Sebastian Stan reprising his role as Winter Soldier.
- WandaVision: The live-action series features Elizabeth Olsen returning as Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany reprising his role as The Vision.
- Marvel’s What If…? is the first animated series from Marvel Studios and takes inspiration from the comic books of the same name. Each episode will explore a pivotal moment from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and turn it on its head, leading the audience into uncharted territory.
From Walt Disney Animation Studios
- Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2: This documentary series will show the hard work and imagination that went into making one of the most highly anticipated Walt Disney Animation Studios features of all time.
From Pixar Animation Studios
- New Toy Story-based projects will include Forky Asks a Question, an animated short series, and the short film Lamp Life.
From National Geographic
- The World According to Jeff Goldblum: In this documentary series, Goldblum pulls back the curtain on a seemingly familiar object to reveal a world of astonishing connections, fascinating science, and a whole lot of big ideas.
- Magic of the Animal Kingdom: This documentary series takes viewers behind the scenes with the highly respected animal-care experts, veterinarians, and biologists at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and Epcot’s SeaBase aquarium.
From Disney Television Animation
- The Phineas and Ferb Movie (working title) is an animated film featuring many of the original voice cast.
Disney also announced that all 30 seasons of The Simpsons will be available on the streaming services, and audiences will also have access to family-friendly Fox titles, such as The Sound of Music, The Princess Bride, and Malcolm in the Middle. In all, the service will boast more than 7,500 television episodes and 500 films.
In addition to dropping a whole boatload of titles in our laps, Disney also previewed the platform’s interface, showcasing an experience that seemingly makes it easy for subscribers to navigate, discover, and watch their favorite shows. Of course, there are dedicated pages for Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic. Plus, subscribers can create their own custom profiles for personalized experiences.
Following its U.S debut, Disney+ will rapidly expand globally, with plans to be in nearly all major regions of the world within the next two years.
