After months of hype, this week The Walt Disney Company officially launched its streaming service dubbed Disney+. While the platform experienced some hiccups on Tuesday (the day of its debut), the company announced that it had already reached 10 million sign-ups by Wednesday — although it’s worth noting that this isn’t the same as paid subscribers as the service is offering a seven-day free trial. In any case, this news sent $DIS stock soaring to an all-time high, which was good news for investors like myself. Setting all that aside, now that Disney+ is here, is it worth your money?
This might be a bit shocking to hear from a self-proclaimed Disney fanatic like myself but I wouldn’t say it’s a slam dunk just yet. Sure the $6.99 price tag is attractive when compared to other options (*cough* Netflix *cough*) but that’s partly because the amount of original content is nowhere near what others already have. For example, Marvel teased both at San Diego Comic-Con and at D23 that it has a slate of series on the way but, sadly, those won’t arrive for several months or even years. In the meantime, Jon Favreau’s The Mandalorian has been getting some strong reviews while, personally, I’ve fallen in love with docuseries The Imagineering Story and The World According to Jeff Goldblum. Yet, even in the case of these shows, new episodes are being released on a weekly basis instead of all at once a la Netflix.
Of course, as appealing as Disney+’s exclusives might be, the real pitch was that the platform would have a massive library of Disney classics and not-so-classics alike. On that front, the service has mostly delivered — although good luck finding specific episodes of your favorite shows as titles apparently haven’t been integrated into the service’s search engine. Also, some fans have complained about odd changes, edits, and cropping of certain programs. Still, if you’ve ever wanted to watch obscure live-action films from the 60s or binge 30 years of The Simpsons, here’s your chance.
Ultimately, if you are still interested in Disney+ and don’t feel like waiting, I do have a couple of recommendations for you. First, if you’re a Verizon customer, you’ll definitely want to look into the terms and conditions of their “Disney+ on Us” promotion that will score you a free year of the service. Also, if you’re looking beyond family-friendly content, you might consider the Disney streaming bundle that includes Disney+, ESPN+, and ad-supported Hulu for $12.99 a month. And then there’s the seven-day free trial I mentioned earlier if you want to explore the service a bit before deciding to pony up the money.
As a hardcore Disney fan, Disney+ is a no brainer — which is why I purchased a three-year subscription from Disney fan club D23 back in August. However, with so much of the service’s best content potentially still to come, I honestly think some viewers might be better off saving their $6.99 a month for a while longer. That said, if you’re looking to make the switch away from a more expensive option, then perhaps Disney+ or the bundle option might just be right for you.