The ingeniously orchestrated announcement of “basically” everything coming to Disney+ when the direct-to-consumer service launches on November 12th lit up the internet before the streaming service dropped. Responses to the announcement, which came with a string of tweets 630-long (a world record no less) and a 3 hour+ video on YouTube, varied from elation (woo, so many original Disney animated classics!) to befuddlement (if you don’t know what Fuzzbucket is, there might not be any help for you) but overriding response seemed to be outrage. More specifically (and maybe this was just on Twitter), but people were pretty miffed because their favorite movie wasn’t a part of the announcement. (The Enchanted fans were active and they were loud.) And now that Disney+ is live, folks are finding out some of their favorite titles aren't on there just yet. But calmness and patience aren’t traits generally associated with the internet, so we thought we’d rundown just why your favorite movie wasn’t a part of the big reveal and isn't on Disney Plus just yet.
They Need to Save Some Titles for the First Year
Yes, the Disney+ catalog is absolutely phenomenal. And that library is being emphasized because, to be honest, the first year of the direct-to-consumer platform is going to be relatively thin, especially compared to the behemoth that is Netflix (where there’s at least one movie and one TV show that you have to watch each and every week). And to fill in all those holes in the schedule, Disney will keep dumping content onto the platform throughout 2020, when other licenses expire and they’re able to reestablish licenses for other titles (more on that in a minute) and when remasters of old classics are complete (again, sit tight). But my point is: since there isn’t that much new stuff on Disney+, there’s going to be a lot of old stuff – and that old stuff will be doled out judiciously over the course of the year. Case in point: The Mighty Ducks arrives on July 1, 2020, and D2: The Mighty Ducks and D3 won't be hitting Disney+ until January 1, 2021.
Remastering Takes Time
Another aspect that hasn’t been publicly addressed is that a number of older titles and specials (think the opening of Epcot Center and that time the Muppets went to Walt Disney World, etc.) are being laboriously remastered so that they’ll look just as good next to, say, Captain Marvel on the streaming platform. And this takes time. The amount of titles from the so-called “dark period” at Disney (between 1966 and 1984, when, following Walt’s death, the studio was creatively rudderless) that are coming to this service is pretty astounding. But there will be more and they will look great. So: sit tight and wait for that obscure TV special or movie that you feel like only you remember, because eventually it’ll be on Disney+ and it’ll look fantastic.
Rights Issues, Dude
Part of what makes the new digital landscape so cumbersome is that it forces giant media conglomerates (like Disney) to untangle previously held licenses and partnerships. And it goes beyond Disney’s aggressive partnership with Netflix, announced just a few short years ago. Before Disney+ was born, Disney struck a deal for Netflix to be the streaming home of new releases. It's why movies like Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther are on Netflix right now instead of Disney+, but they'll be coming soon enough (June 5, 2020 for Infinity War and March 4, 2020 for Black Panther), and Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame will be the first Marvel Studios movies to forgo Netflix altogether and go straight to Disney’s own direct-to-consumer platform.
There are a number of premium channels and cable channels, both traditionally linear formats, that license Disney content and play that content a lot. Just think about how many times you’ve come across the Star Wars marathon on TBS but always somehow manage to turn it on during the gladiator scene from Attack of the Clones. That is the kind of stuff that needs to be undone or at least smoothed over before Disney can exclusively stream those same movies on Disney+. And God knows what’s going on with properties like Dick Tracy, which seemed like a rights nightmare to begin with and has surely only gotten more complicated as the years wear on. Patience is a virtue, especially when it comes to complicated legal matters.
Maybe It’ll Be on Hulu Instead
Another aspect of what makes this list so confusing is that the delineation between what will appear on Disney+ and what will be on Hulu has yet to be established. National Treasure: Book of Secrets is on Disney+. But what about Armageddon, a movie that inspired attractions at both Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida and Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris? Looks like that asteroid is bearing down on planet Hulu. But why? This is maybe a bigger thing to unpack, but it seems like most non-Disney branded projects, no matter how cuddly and Disney+-y the might seem (meaning things from Touchstone, like Phenomenon, or Hollywood Pictures, like Encino Man) will be relegated to Hulu. Ditto R-rated fare like Pretty Woman or things that just cross the line.
Synergy, Synergy, Synergy
Some titles are undoubtedly being held for synergy-related reasons. Imagine there’s an attraction or show opening at the park, or a live-action remake of a beloved animated classic. What’s a surefire way of getting that property into the forefront of a consumer’s mind? By re-releasing the original right beforehand. This has been a brand strategy since the company started releasing merchandise related to its 1951 classic Alice in Wonderland in store shelves alongside merchandise for 2016’s live-action sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass. They did it again for properties like Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. And it’s easy to see them incorporating a Disney+ element to this strategy in the future. Plus, there are things like holidays, anniversaries, and other benchmarks that will make for an ideal time to launch new and classic content across the platform. If anyone can make this kind of grand synergistic experiment work, it’s Disney+.
So sit tight, folks. Your favorite Disney movie will probably turn up on Disney+ (or Hulu) eventually. For now, rest easy with the 600+ titles that are now available on Disney+. And for more curated recommendations, check out our lists of the best movies on Disney+ and the best TV shows on the streaming service.
