My husband already had the new Disney+ streaming service locked and loaded on our Roku TV yesterday morning. And even though there were a few glitches with it on mobile, we had no problems perusing the many offerings and watching a couple of shows. Let’s just say I’m a little exhausted this morning. Two words: The Mandalorian.
If you’re wondering if Disney+ is worth the $6.99/month price tag, here’s a quick rundown of what you get, and why I think it’s definitely worth a look (spoiler alert).
With the ability to play content across four devices, Disney+ offers a huge range of existing content, as well as new shows and movies you haven’t seen anywhere else. Here’s what stood out to my family:
Related: Here’s a complete list of the Disney+ offerings
Star Wars and Avengers
If you’ve got a Star Wars or an Avengers fan in your home (or if you’re like us, both), then they’re going to freak out when they see everything that’s available. The Avengers movies! Captain Marvel! And all of the Star Wars movies (perfect for catching up on before The Last Skywalker hits theaters in December). And of course, the original series The Mandalorian, which my husband and I both enjoyed.
Original Content
I was surprised at the number of original shows and movies on Disney+, including my new favorite, Encore. This show, hosted by Kristen Bell, brings in Broadway directors, musical directors, and choreographers, to help a former high school theater group remake their high school musical. I might have gotten a little teary watching Santana High School’s re-production of their 1996 version Annie. Sniffle.
But that’s not all: Life According to Jeff GoldBlum, along with Marvel’s Hero Project (just to name a couple) which stars the amazing Jordan Reeves who we had the pleasure to meet a few years ago, are super highly rated.
Blasts from the Past
My husband and I spent way too much time going “OMG Do you remember that? And that!” Last night. You’ll find all the Herbie movies (huge fan, here), along with more obscure titles, like “Cat From Outer Space” that you’ll enjoy watching with your own kids. There were a bunch of titles I had never even heard of, but you old folks like Liz probably will. (ha, just kidding Liz).
Disney Classics
I’m writing this to the sweet sounds of the original Lady and the Tramp, but that’s just one of what feels like a zillion Disney Classics. Frozen! Beauty and the Beast! There are so many Disney classics that you’re getting your year’s worth just in those.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s what we discovered in our first 24 hours, and let me just say, we’re pretty excited. Yes, the issue with streaming services is that many of them overlap, so in cutting cable (or adding them on), you could end up spending way more if you’re adding this to your arsenal of Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon. But at $7/month (which I generally pay to rent two of these movies), you’re getting a whole lot of family favorites, all in one place.
