Does Disney+ Deliver?

Disney Plus has revolutionized the streaming industry. Released on November 22, the Walt Disney Company’s new streaming service gives you ad-free access to all things Disney, offering fans a top-notch experience. The service is available for $6.99 a month and can be accessed on any mobile device, computer, or Smart TV.

     All of a sudden, Disney Plus has opened Disney’s vaults of old content for fans to watch on demand, reuniting people with shows and movies that they love.

     “Disney Plus is Disney at its best,” Third Former Orion Wister said. “It brings back all the best shows that we know and love like The Simpsons and Gravity Falls, and also brings back Pixar movies like Up and Monsters, Inc., which are, in my opinion, some of the best movies of all time.”

     Now that all of this content is available, many people have started binge-watching their childhood favorites.

     “I think that Disney Plus has binge-watching capability. Mainly, I’ve been binge-watching old shows like Zach and Cody,” Third Former Connor Pinsk said.

     Along with providing addictive content, Disney Plus makes it easier for families to watch their favorite movies together. 

     “We probably own a hundred Disney movies, but throughout [my daughter’s] childhood, some of them have gotten lost or damaged, and now they’re all available in beautiful 4k right there on the TV,” Upper School physics teacher Ms. Carol O’Brien said.

     While Disney Plus has benefited many fans’ lives, it has simultaneously shaken up the streaming industry, rivaling Netflix, the current leader in the business. Disney Plus gives fans access to content that many people grew up watching, which is unique in the age of streaming.

“If you want more variety, you go to Netflix, but if you want nostalgic shows and things that really bring you closer with yourself, then you watch Disney Plus.”

Orion Wister ’23

     “If you want more variety, you go to Netflix, but if you want nostalgic shows and things that really bring you closer with yourself, then you watch Disney Plus,” Wister said.

     This extensive archive of classic shows and movies that Disney Plus offers lets people connect with their past.

     “[My daughter] is finding movies and shows that she hadn’t seen with me, but that I’ve seen, so she’ll ask me when I saw it, where I saw it, and what was special about it, which is nice,” Ms. O’Brien said.

     Although Netflix has a greater variety of newer content, Disney Plus has made several originals, which are only available on the streaming service. 

     The Mandalorian, a Star Wars spin-off and Disney Plus original, is the service’s keystone project, and has enthralled Star Wars fans.

     “I really like [The Mandalorian],” Pinsk said. “It’s zooming in on a different part of the Star Wars universe that we haven’t really seen before.”

     Disney includes a wider range of content than one might expect.

“People think that Disney Plus would lack variety, but what they don’t realize is that Disney owns so much, like National Geographic, Star Wars, and Marvel.”

Connor Pinsk ’23

     “People think that Disney Plus would lack variety, but what they don’t realize is that Disney owns so much, like National Geographic, Star Wars, and Marvel,” Pinsk said. 

     On top of the content, Disney Plus offers an overall better-valued streaming service than Netflix. Disney Plus lets four users simultaneously stream on the same account for $6.99 a month, whereas that same capability is unavailable on the basic or standard Netflix subscription, and is only available on Netflix Premium, which costs $11.99 a month.

     “Netflix has really just messed with us. I don’t want to pay twelve dollars a month just so my whole family can watch. I would like to have one account, and everyone can watch,” Wister said. “That’s why Disney Plus is so great.”