Disney+ Review: Strong library, weak Originals
Disney+ finally launched in Switzerland. Time to take a closer look at «Disney's top priority», slated by some as the new streaming king.
I can hardly wipe the grin off my face. There he is, staring right at me: The Mandalorian. The titular protagonist of Disney+'s flagship series «The Mandalorian». The iconic visor is placed perfectly in the Disney+ main menu: at the top, right next to the popular and recently watched tabs.
And the five mini-tabs underneath just keep getting better: they're the ones that really count. Disney's brands: the lifeblood of modern Disney streaming content.
Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.
I'm suddenly overwhelmed by childhood memories. Memories of countless hours spent watching «Darkwing Duck», «Ducktales» or «Gargoyles». Or memories of me watching «Iron Man» for the first time 12 years ago and subsequently writing my very first real movie review – or at least trying to. Oh yeah, the internet never forgets. And then there's «Star Wars», the movie that sparked my love for cinema and film music when I was about seven or eight years old.
It's hard not to wallow in nostalgic feelings.
After all, that's just want Disney wants. And not just with me. With all of us. That's exactly what subscribing to Disney's current «number one priority» means: buying nostalgia.
A ticket back to your childhood.
Disney+'s big strength: its back catalogue
Once upon a time there was a man named Walt Disney. With a starting capital of 250 dollars, he founded his first company in the early 1920s in Kansas City and created his first cartoon characters. Three years later, he and his brother moved to Hollywood, where they founded the Walt Disney Company. Five years later – in 1928 – «Mickey Mouse» was created, and Walt Disney became the most famous cartoon animator and film producer in the world.
About 90 years, more than 400 films and more than 60 Oscar wins later, Disney is currently ranked 70th in Forbes' list of the 2000 largest companies in the world. And this should continue to be the case. The brand's next step: to enter the streaming war with Disney+. Only recently, Disney ex-CEO Bob Iger even called the project «Disney's No.1 priority».
In concrete terms, this means that all the classics that Disney keeps in its bunker, the Disney-Vault, are now available on the streaming service. In addition, there's virtually all the content from Disney brands Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.
At least in theory. According to a press release, the service carries 500 films and 350 series. Plus exclusive in-house productions that are only produced for Disney+ – Disney Originals. I haven't verified this number. But your diligent comments suggest that quite a bit of content is missing. Especially in German-speaking countries.
Such as «Goofy and Max». But not «The Goofy Movie». «Avengers: Endgame» won't arrive until September. «Agents of Shield» is here, but only the first three seasons. The 20th Century Fox «X-Men» movies, acquired in 2019, are all available – except for «Logan» and «Dark Phoenix». According to critics, «Onwards» is great, even though it disappointed at the box office. And guess what, it can only be found in the USA, but not in Europe. And, and, and.
Nevertheless, the back catalogue, i.e. the library of exclusive in-house productions, is perhaps the most attractive on the streaming market. Especially with such strong Hollywood brands as Marvel and Star Wars. In addition, the possibility of creating up to seven profiles per account and streaming on up to four devices simultaneously.
Also: Disney automatically streams the content in the best possible version supported by the playback device. In other words: UHD resolution, HDR10 format and, where the device supports it, Dolby Vision. The latter is especially true for Disney's own productions. Not so much for ancient series such as «Doug» or classics like «Lady and the Tramp».
And all this for 9.90 francs a month or 99 francs a year. A declaration of war; Netflix charges 21.90 francs per month.
The App: pleasant menu navigation and a good overview
The design is reminiscent of Netflix and Amazon Prime: tiles against a dark background, with each column representing a category. Recommendations, Blockbusters, «Recently Watched» and stuff like that. If it has the Disney logo in the lower right corner of the tile, it's a Disney Original. Similar to Netflix' red «N» or the apple logo on AppleTV+.
Clicking on the tile leads to an overview of the contents. There you'll find a short summary of the content, available episodes, seasons, picture and sound quality. And: extras. From making-ofs and deleted scenes to bloopers and trailers. Similar to bonus material on Blu-rays or DVDs. Great for nerds like me. I don't remember seeing anything like that on Netflix or AppleTV+ either. And a click on the Plus logo adds the content to the watchlist.
Then there's the aforementioned mini tiles per Disney brand: one click on the Pixar logo takes you to all available Pixar movies, the Star Wars logo to the Star Wars movies including spin-offs, live-action and animated series. And so on. The overview page is designed to fit each franchise.
Cool! Very cool, actually.
The additional columns below «Movies» or «Series» are also great. For example, the «Darth Vader Collection» column, which lists all content in which Darth Vader appears – whether it's a film, series or cartoon.
Alternatively, you can also browse through the gigantic library via the main menu. Essentially, there's «Watchlist», «Movies», «Series» and a dedicated «Disney Original» page. Similar to how Netflix does it.
All in all, the app appears clear and tidy, regardless of whether it's operated via smart TV, smartphone, desktop or tablet.
The glaring weakness: Disney Originals
As attractive as Disney's back catalogue is, its offer of Originals is sparse. And not only in terms of size. In quality as well; most Disney Originals range from average to okay. Something I already know from Netflix. A danger to both streaming services: various studies like this one show that in-house productions are decisive for the attractiveness of the streaming service.
Read here for more details:
In summary, average originals do Disney+ more harm than the competition. After all, Netflix and Prime can score with diversity. Following this motto: no matter what you're looking for – there's definitely something for you. Cardhouse thrillers. Sex-education dramas. Mafia epics. Touching cartoons. The list goes on and on. Disney+, on the other hand, only knows family entertainment. If the House of Mouse wants to establish itself in the long term, there's no room for mediocrity. Its competition is simply too strong and too numerous for that.
There are few exceptions to this mediocrity. «Togo» for example, a great film based on true events: when diphtheria broke out in Nome in 1925, a small town in Western Alaska, the antidote had to be brought from Anchorage. There are no roads between Anchorage and Nome, which lie 1600 kilometres apart. A group of sled dogs comes to the rescue: Togo, the 12-year-old sled dog of musher Leonard Seppala (Willem Dafoe), is about to tackle the longest and most difficult of the 20 sections.
The relay, which went down in history as the Serum Run to Nome, is common knowledge among American children.
Or «The Imagineering Story», one of the best documentaries about Disney there is. It puts the spotlight on the artists and engineers who are responsible for all the robots, attractions and backdrops that can be seen in the movies and theme parks.
«The World According to Jeff Goldblum» is also great. It's a shallow infotainment series, which still radiates a lot of Goldblum charm.
And of course: «The Mandalorian», the figurehead of Disney+. A story that just screams «Star Wars». Seldom have I seen a series that is so well crafted. Except for HBO's «Game of Thrones», a production unique amongst the entire TV landscape.
But even so: «Togo» and «The Imagineering Story» haven't been a blinding success. Only «The Mandalorian». And we'll have to wait until August 2020 for the next hotly anticipated Disney+ show. At the earliest. That would be Marvel's «Falcon and the Winter Soldier». It is possible to fill the four-month waiting period with classics you've already seen. At least at first. But in a year or two, Disney will have to offer more to keep subscribers happy.
Conclusion: I like Disney+, but...
Disney is targeting our childhood memories with its huge back catalogue. Just how in «The Last Jedi», R2-D2 plays Luke Skywalker the famous message of a princess in distress that once moved young Luke to take his first step into a larger world. The memory of days long past is meant to lead him to train a new generation of Jedi.
«That was a cheap move», the meanwhile old and grumpy Jedi Master says to his friend, before he gets up and starts Rey's Jedi training.
Disney's move is just as cheap – and just as effective. I'll allow it, knowing that the House of Mouse satisfies nostalgic needs above all. No more. No less. Fair enough, fine by me. Especially at that price.
But: I'm convinced that Disney has to deliver more – and above all better – content produced specifically for the streaming service. Because I don't deny that nostalgia can be milked. But not forever.
Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»
