The Ultimate Parent Guide to Disney+ | Disney’s Streaming Service
The Disney Plus streaming service is here, parents, and you probably want to know if this is right for your family. Here’s everything we know about Disney+ including pricing, the shows scheduled, Disney Plus parental controls, and more. It’s the ultimate parent guide to Disney Plus. And if you need to know what to watch on Disney+ on Day 1, we’ve got that covered as well.
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The Ultimate Parents’ Guide to Disney+ | Disney’s Streaming Service
This is a move that was announced in August of 2017, and it’s finally here.
But I’m sure Netflix users are not loving the idea of needing an additional streaming service once the Disney+ kicks off.
And, I’m afraid to tell you fellow Netflix users, we’re going to WANT this one if we have kids, if we are Star Wars or Marvel fans, id we love classic Disney movies- or if anyone in our household falls into that category.
Here’s the scoop on what Disney’s streaming service has to offer families. And here’s the recap from the D23 Expo- Disney+ is coming to D23 Expo!
What is Disney Plus?
In short: it’s Disney’s streaming service coming to your home, tablets, and cell phones soon.
The Disney Plus streaming service will compete against other video streaming services such as Netflix. Customers will be able to subscribe (monthly or annual fee) to get access to Disney movies, TV shows and other content that Disney is creating or already owns.Note: Disney holds a majority share of Hulu now that it has acquired 21st Century Fox, so there’s going to be some crossover with Disney content to that streaming service. The talk is if it doesn’t “fit” with the Disney brand on Disney Plus, it will likely be developed and live on Hulu.
Why Parents Will Want (Another) Streaming Service
Because it’s Disney. I mean…
Disney is snapping up a lot of family and fan-favorite franchises lately, as well as creating their own family-friendly content like the new Christmas movie Noelle on Disney+ and the live-action Lady and the Tramp.
And most of it is going to live on this new Disney streaming service.
Want to watch classic Disney films before taking your family to Disney World? Disney+ is the place to look!
When is Disney Plus Starting?
The Disney Plus launch date is November 12, 2019, in the United States.
It will expand overseas at a later date but the goal is to be global within the next 2 years.
How Much Will Disney Plus Streaming Service Cost?
Disney CEO Bob Iger stated a few months back that they planned to come in under the cost of Netflix.
And that, my friends, is good news for parents on an entertainment budget.
Disney Plus will start at $6.99 per month or you can pay $69.99 for a full year of Disney’s streaming service.
As a parent who is always looking to stretch the family entertainment dollar, I found this news to be a welcome relief. (In fact, I scored Disney+ for less than $3 a month.)
And if that still doesn’t quite fit your budget, Kevin Mayer, Disney chairman of direct-to-consumer and international business, said there will likely be a lower-priced bundle coming as well. Stay tuned for more news on this front!
Will Disney’s Streaming Service Include ESPN or Hulu?
At this time, those will remain separate services with separate payment structures and plans.
There is an option to bundle ESPN+ and HULU for $12.99 a month.
Will There Be Ads on Disney Plus?
Parents, don’t you love how your kids can watch shows on YouTube or cable and suddenly have the “Mommy-I-Want-Its”?
No, no we do not love that.
And you won’t get that advertising aimed at impressionable kiddos with Disney’s streaming service. Huzzah!
The service is confirmed to be running ad-free when it launches.
How Will I Be Able To Watch Disney Plus?
You can plan for it to be available through your typical streaming devices: smart TVs, tablets, phones, etc.
Disney+ will be on Roku and PlayStation 4 confirmed. I’d expect that you’ll be able to use things like Amazon Fire Stick and Apple TV but those deals might not be locked in just yet.
Get this: the tablet version of the app will offer unrestricted mobile downloads. Need to fly your family to Disney cross country? Load up that tablet with some movies and shows from Disney streaming service and know your kids’ entertainment needs are covered!
Will There Be Parental Controls on the Disney Plus Streaming Service?
Yup- there sure are.
If your kids are not ready for Marvel or Star Wars content, you’ll be able to lock things down until they are.
Errr… kinda. Let me explain what’s going on with Disney Plus Parental Controls now that the app is out.
How To Set Up Parental Controls on Disney Plus
- In your web browser, go to disneyplus.com
- Log in or sign up if you haven’t done that already.
- Add a new profile and select your profile avatar.
- Type in the name of the new user and toggle the switch to Kids Profile
That’s it! Pretty easy to set up a Kid’s Profile on Disney Plus.
If you already have a kids profile set up but haven’t enabled the parent controls, you just toggle the switch under the child’s account.
The Problem with Disney Plus Parental Controls
Sounds good, right? Sounds easy? It is!
But there’s a problem with Disney+ parental controls. They don’t really keep kids from finding those PG-13 shows if they want to look for them.
Disney Plus’ parental controls don’t have a lock to keep kids from toggling over to an older family member’s account.
If Lucy (who is 8) wants to watch on Luke’s profile (who is 16) she can. Without a PIN or a password, the Disney Plus parent controls are easily beat.
While most Disney+ Content is generally safe for kids, parents should feel secure that their littlest ones won’t be exposed to something they prefer they don’t see.
Hopefully, a PIN or password will be added to the Disney Plus parental controls soon.
What Will Be On Disney+ Streaming Services?
This is where things get good!
Parents: there’s one thing you need to know upfront and that’s what will NOT be on Disney Plus.
And that’s any Rated R films. They will live solely over on Disney owned Hulu, so most of the content showing on Disney Plus should be family-friendly.
There will be new content and shows based upon Marvel, Pixar, and Star Wars characters like The Mandalorian, as well as some documentaries (like the World According to Jeff Goldblum), reality shows, and contest shows. And don’t forget all the Christmas movies on Disney Plus!
And you can count on over 500 of Disney’s own movies coming out of the Vault as well as 7000+ television show episodes to live on this new streaming service.
At Launch, Disney Plus Will Include the Following
We’re getting our classics, y’all! Disney Plus’ launch offerings will include a”Signature Collection,” which will be made up of 13 films including classics such as Aladdin, Bambi, and The Lion King.
After your family sees the new Live-Action versions of Aladdin and The Lion King this summer, they are going to love watching these movies on repeat!
- Pixar is going to have 18 of their films available as well. This includes family favorites like Incredibles 2, Toy Story 4 (!!!) and Coco.
- LucasFilm’s Kathleen Kennedy announced that the whole of the Star Wars films are coming to Disney Plus. What’s the best order to watch Star Wars? I have strong feelings on this!
- The Simpsons. While this one is debatable on how family-friendly it actually is, Disney owns it now (thanks, Fox merger!) and the whole series is moving to Disney Plus streaming service.
- Love Marvel Movies? ME TOO! So you’re going to want to subscribe to Disney+ for access to these films alone. MCU head Kevin Feige announced that many of the Marvel movies will be on Disney Plus including Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame. Want the full list of Marvel movies available at launch? Here you go!
Disney Films Available at Disney Plus Launch
- 101 Dalmatians
- A Bug’s Life
- A Goofy Movie
- An Extremely Goofy Movie
- Bambi
- Bao
- Big Hero 6
- Born in China
- Cars
- Fantasia
- Finding Dory
- Finding Nemo
- Free Solo
- Frozen
- Fun and Fancy Free
- Hercules
- High School Musical
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
- Inside Out
- Iron Man
- Lady and the Tramp
- Lilo & Stitch
- Mary Poppins
- Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers
- Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
- Moana
- Monsters University
- Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
- Pixar Short Films Collection Vol 1
- Ratatouille
- Remember the Titans
- Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Sleeping Beauty
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace
- Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope
- Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
- Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
- Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 film)
- Steamboat Willie
- The Good Dinosaur
- The Incredibles
- The Little Mermaid
- The Parent Trap (1961)
- The Prince & The Pauper (1990)
- The Princess Diaries
- The Rocketeer
- The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (short)
- The Sword in the Stone
- The Three Caballeros
- Thor: The Dark World
- Toy Story
- Tron (1982)
- Up
- Wall-E
- Zootopia
Disney Television Series Available at Disney Plus Launch
- Amazing Planet
- Andi Mack (seasons one–three)
- Boy Meets World
- Brain Games
- Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan
- Dr. K’s Exotic Animals
- Dr. Oakley Yukon Vet
- Drain the Ocean
- DuckTales (1987)
- DuckTales (2016, season one)
- Earth Live
- Goof Troop
- Great Migrations
- Howie Mandel’s Animals Doing Things
- Kim Possible
- Malcolm in the Middle
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (animated series)
- Marvel’s Ultimate Spider-Man (animated series)
- Mickey and the Roadster Racers (seasons one and two)Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
- Mickey Mouse Shorts
- One Strange RockRaven’s Home
- Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue
- Star Wars Rebels
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 series)
- That’s So Raven
- The Incredible Dr. Pol
- Unlikely Animal Friends
- Wicked Tuna
- The Simpsons
What Original Content Will Be On Disney+?
More details are coming, but we’ve already been promised quite the slate of original Disney, Star Wars, Pixar, and Marvel content.
And this fangirl CANNOT WAIT for all the new shows to binge!
Check out this list and let me know which one your family is most excited about.
New Marvel Shows on Disney Plus
- Marvel’s Hero Project, a documentary series featuring positive changes youngsters are making in their communities.
- Hawkeye & Kate Bishop, a new Marvel series featuring Jeremy Renner.
- “Marvel’s What If…?” series will imagine what the Marvel Cinematic Universe would look like if different events took place. Think: what if… Peggy Carter became Captain America. Or if Loki found Thor’s hammer. Oh the possibilities!
- Marvel’s 616 (working title), a documentary series exploring the intersection between Marvel’s stories and the real world.
- “Loki” a live-action Marvel series starring Tom Hiddleston. YES, YES, YES!
- “WandaVision” featuring Scarlet Witch & Vision, played by Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany.
- “Falcon and The Winter Soldier” The buddy duo I’ve been dying to see since Captain America: Civil War is happening: the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie) are getting their own series.
- Marvel What If…?
New Star Wars Shows on Disney Plus
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars new season (exclusive to Disney’s streaming service).
- The Mandalorian: a live-action Star Wars TV series being developed by Jon Favreau. Details just came out about this series at the 2019 Star Wars Celebration.
- A Star Wars Rogue One prequel TV series. This one is going to star Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk.
New Pixar Shows on Disney Plus
- Monsters at Work– An animated series spinoff of Pixar’s Monsters, Inc
- Forky Asks a Question – Toy Story 4 character gets his own short series
- Lamp Life – not a lot of details just yet but I heard it has to do with Bo Peep!
- SparkShorts – the Pixar Animation Studios short film series designed to discover new storytellers and explore new storytelling techniques from across the studio.
New Disney Movies on Disney Plus
- Lady and the Tramp live-action remake starring Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux
- Togo, a sled dog movie starring Willem Dafoe.
- A Three Men and a Baby remake.
- A Sword in the Stone remake.
- Noelle, a movie starring Anna Kendrick.
- Stargirl film.
New National Geographic Shows on Disney Plus Streaming Service
- The World According to Jeff Goldblum You had me at Jeff Goldblum. Sign me up!
- Magic of the Animal Kingdom- My Disney World loving heart is leaping and soaring over this news.
New Disney Series on Disney Plus
- High School Musical series– I personally am dying to see how this turns out. WILDCATS!
- Encore!, a reality show that reunites former castmates of a high school musical to re-creating their original performances of productions like The Sound of Music, Beauty and the Beast and Annie.
- The Phineas and Ferb Movie I’m so happy to see this one- my family loves these guys and they have been missed.
- Escape to Witch Mountain series. This brings back so many old-school vibes for me.
- Cinema Relics: Iconic Art of the Movies series that will revisit props and costumes of some of our most beloved Disney films.
- Diary of a Female President, about a 12-year-old Cuban-American girl will be a 10-part series.
- Walt Disney The Imagineering Story documentary
- A Timmy Failure film directed by Spotlight’s Tom McCarthy.
- (Re)Connect reality series focused on families divided
- Muppets Series– this one is rumored and not confirmed yet.
- Earthkeepers a documentary about people working to save endangered species.
- Rogue Trip is a travel guide to far corners of the world. The traveler in me is excited for this one!
- Be Our Chef will be a new cooking competition show that has families creating dishes for Walt Disney World.
- Shop Class is a competition series between students.
- The Mighty Ducks is also rumored to be under consideration as a new series.
- Ink & Paint – a documentary about Animation at Disney
- Into the Unknown: Making Frozen 2, a documentary series showing how the film was made.
What is Happening to The Disney Movies on Netflix?
Disney CEO Bob Iger stated in November of 2018 that Disney will pull its content from Netflix in 2019.
Sorry, Netflix, but Disney is taking its ball and going home- or rather to the Disney Plus streaming service.
And I know many of us are hoping that the Marvel shows like Jessica Jones or Luke Cage find a new home on a Disney owned streaming service- but that relationship is super complicated. And I don’t think we’re going to see that happen any time soon.
But if it did, they would go on Hulu anyway since those shows are definitely not for kids!
Do You Still Need Netflix Once Disney Plus Streaming Service Comes?
I can’t speak to your families television habits, but I know we’re going to keep both.
Netflix is pretty much killing it lately with their own creative content and I’m sucked into things like The Umbrella Academy, The Ted Bundy Tapes, Unicorn Store, etc. Sure… those are all pretty much NOT for kids, which is why I think parents might want to keep Netflix around a bit longer.
Need more Disney+ news? You know I’ll bring it to you! But you can also visit DisneyPlus.com to register your email and receive updates on the service.
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Patty Holliday is the owner and creator of all things No-Guilt Universe. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.
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