The launch of a big streaming service is always going to be difficult, but one of the things that made Disney+ impressive then and still now is the sheer size of its catalog. Spanning Disney's entire history, it features nearly their entire filmography at the click of a button. Well, mostly all of them.
Even as we reach three years out from Disney+'s initial launch, some shows and movies still aren't on the service years later for whatever reason. They range from the obscure films from the 80s that time forgot to even some genuinely popular shows whose lack of presence on the service is a massive question mark.
Aladdin: The Series (1994)
Aladdin is one of Disney's most successful and valuable IPs, so it's not a surprise most of the entire franchise is on the service. From the original animated classic, its direct-to-video sequels, and the live-action remake, it's all there for your viewing pleasure - with one large exception. Aladdin: The Series, the animated show that aired in the mid-90s, is suspiciously absent.
This is a huge deal as while The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves are on the service, those films are connected to the series as its pilot and finale respectively. This basically means you have a series premiere and series finale on a streaming platform without its actual show, and a shame too as Aladdin: The Series is also 86 episodes worth of content and widely seen as one of the better spinoffs by fans.
Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (2000)
Long before Lightyear hit theaters and gave us the origin story of everybody's favorite space ranger, there was a show on ABC Family that explored his in-universe version going on adventures with a motley crew of space ranger cadets across the galaxy. This was Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, a fan favorite series that, for some reason, has been ignored by Disney since it finished airing and is nowhere to be found on Disney+.
While there is some speculation Pixar themselves has something to say about the decision, nothing is concrete. The fact that Disney didn't put up the show in anticipation for Lightyear was even more bizarre and could have maybe been a step to preventing Lightyear from becoming Pixar's biggest box office failure.
Cory in the House (2007)
A spin-off of the much more popular and beloved That's So Raven, Cory in the House was a wonderfully bizarre premise. It takes the most popular supporting character from that show - Cory Baxter - and brings him to Washington D.C. as his dad begins working at the White House.
Kyle Massey, the show's star, has since come under legal trouble for reported sexual misconduct with minors, and that behavior is likely the reason the show has stayed dormant, and will likely stay dormant for the foreseeable future.
Ghosts of the Abyss (2003)
You would think a documentary from one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of all time, James Cameron, would be on a streaming service, but alas it is not. Ghosts of the Abyss isn't as exciting as other Cameron films, but it's not trying to be - instead, it's a unique look into the sinking of the Titanic and was the first piece of media to showcase the aftermath of the wreck in its beautiful, haunting glory.
There is a beautiful moment in the film involving the crew learning about 9/11 during the making of the film, and it's a heart-wrenching piece of documentary filmmaking that shows the power of the medium, and it should be on the service to be experienced.
House of Mouse (2001)
While it was mainly a vehicle to package Mickey Mouse Works and other related shorts into a show, House of Mouse left a mark on many kids in that generation thanks to its vibrant animation, stellar voice cast, and witty writing. It's one of the more famous pieces of Mickey Mouse-related media in recent memory, and yet it is nowhere to be found on the streaming service despite its popularity.
With the shorts already being on Disney+ in some way, shape, or form, it's possible Disney feels zero need to add House of Mouse. This is a shame though as the segments outside the shorts deserve to be seen in their own right, and it's a time capsule back into an era where Disney was more reliant on its own animated canon than the IP franchises they own now.
Make Mine Music (1946)
One of the benefits of Disney+ is its catalog of classics from the old era of Disney. Many of these shows and movies are unavailable or hard to find, so it was a godsend seeing some old package films from the early days of the Disney Animated Canon. However, there is one exception - Make Mine Music, which is the only mainline Disney film that isn't on the service.
There are several reasons for this, mainly censorship. Make Mine Music features a multitude of elements that the company doesn't want to be associated with their brand - namely gun use and nudity - and the lack of an uncensored version in Blu-Ray form has been a sore spot for fans for years.
Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (1994)
Before Jon Favreau remade The Jungle Book in 2016 to massive success, there was an early attempt to bring the classic novel to the big screen. Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, directed by Stephen Sommers, was an attempt by Disney to make a darker, more adult version of the story, albeit one that skewed even further away from the classic novel.
It's probably this reason, along with its relative obscurity nowadays, that explains why it's still not on the service. The lack of a Blu-Ray release and out-of-print DVDs also means it's a hard film to come by nowadays, so dropping it on Disney+ in the future would be a great way to preserve it for future generations.
The Legend of Tarzan (2001)
It seemed that nearly every Disney film was receiving a TV show adaptation in the early 2000s, and after its success, Tarzan was a no-brainer for one. The Legend of Tarzan only ran for a single season, but it's a decent enough show and features some solid fun for fans of the original film - if you can watch it, of course.
Its lack of presence on Disney+ isn't surprising, but what is a little weird is that they do have Tarzan & Jane on the service, a direct-to-video feature that features episodes from the show. This is a bizarre choice, to say the least, and the fact the show isn't on the service means completionists will have a harder time looking for the series.
The Shaggy Dog (2006)
The original Shaggy Dog was one of Disney's most profitable live-action films for many years, so a remake made sense to do. When it inevitably hit in 2006 however, it was mostly trashed by critics and was a box office disappointment. This likely explains its lack of presence on Disney+, which is home to the prior Shaggy Dog film as well as its sequel The Shaggy D.A..
Still, it's a bit perplexing as to why this isn't here. Tim Allen is a constant in Disney's catalog even till now, and while the film was a bomb Disney+ has multiple box office disappointments in its lineup - Underdog from the year after this is a good example - so this not being here seems weird and like an oversight.
The Watcher in the Woods (1980)
A film with a massive cult following among certain sections of Disney fans, The Watcher in the Woods is a weird film from a weird period of Disney's history. The Watcher in the Woods, which is a supernatural horror film, is a film that Disney would never dare release today and the amount of urban legends around the film is proof of that.
This could likely explain why it's not on Disney+, though there are also likely other reasons for it too. The film was infamous for its troubled production that resulted in an ending so incomprehensible it was pulled from theaters to reshoot, and it's likely that Disney is probably simply ashamed of the film for that reason. It's a shame though - the film is actually very good for what it is and one of their more interesting live-action efforts.