Disney has revealed its full slate of initial programming for its soon-to-be-launched streaming platform Disney+, announcing a further six new projects.
Disney+ made its D23 Expo, Disney's dedicated fan event, debut with its first-ever showcase presentation, new series in development and revealing key details about the streaming service to an audience at the Anaheim Convention Center in LA.
As part of the presentation, some of the team behind Disney+’s content slate including Sean Bailey, president, Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production; Kevin Feige, president, Marvel Studios; Kathleen Kennedy, president, Lucasfilm; and Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer, Disney Channel Worldwide, gave fans a first look at the service’s upcoming originals and new titles.
Ewan McGregor made a surprise appearance to announce his return as Obi-Wan Kenobi in a new untitled series from Lucasfilm.
Feige announced that Marvel Studios is developing three new live-action series: “Ms. Marvel,” “Moon Knight” and “She-Hulk,” all derived from Marvel comics.
Hilary Duff surprised the audience when it was announced she will reprise the role she made famous in an all-new Lizzie McGuire series from Terri Minsky. The Muppets will also return with a new short-form series "Muppets Now".
“With less than three months until launch, Disney+ will soon entertain and inspire audiences of all ages for generations to come, and we’re excited to preview some of the amazing original content being created for the service exclusively from our world-class brands today at the D23 Expo," Disney Direct-to-Consumer & International chairman Kevin Mayer says.
“Storytelling is the cornerstone of The Walt Disney Company and we’re thrilled to unveil a new slate of original shows from the Star Wars and Marvel Cinematic Universe, along with popular television franchises set to return with all-new series streaming only on Disney+.”
Other films and series, which will go live with the launch of the platform, discussed included:
- Star Wars series The Mandalorian
- High School Musical: The Musical: The Series
- A live action Lady and the Tramp remake
- Christmas movie Noelle
- Reality show The World According to Jeff Goldblum
- Unscripted singing show Encore, with Kristen Bell
- Forky Asks A Question, a series based off the Toy Story 4 character
Post launch titles include:
- Marvel shows The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, WandaVision, What If? and Loki
- Monsters Inc spinoff series Monsters At Work
- Original film Togo, starring Willem Dafoe
- New series Diary of a Female President
- A new season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and an untitled spinoff series based on characters from Star Wars: Rogue One
- Original film Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made and Star Girl
Further features
Disney also revealed further details around the features available on the platform including:
- Unlimited Downloads: Subscribers have access to unlimited downloads of shows and movies on the Disney+ app to watch offline later on up to 10 mobile or tablet devices, with no constraints on the number of times a title can be downloaded per year.
- High-Quality Viewing: Subscribers will enjoy an ultra-high-definition viewing experience with up to 4K Ultra HD video playback in Dolby Vision ultra-vivid imaging, HDR10, and Dolby Atmos immersive audio on supported devices for available programming.
- Commercial-free Viewing: Subscribers can access unlimited viewing of Disney+ content without having to watch a single commercial.
- Profile Customizations: Subscribers can set up to seven different profiles and choose an avatar tailored to their favorite Disney, Pixar, Marvel or Star Wars characters, with over 200 avatars available.
- Concurrent Streaming: Disney+ allows subscribers to concurrently stream video content on up to four registered devices with no up-charges.
Disney+ is rolling out across Australia and New Zealand in November, with subscription prices at $8.99AUD per month (or $89.99 per year) and $9.99NZD per month (or $99.99 per year).
Yesterday, AdNews revealed that Disney had appointed Sally O'Donoghue to the role of head of streaming for Australia, as the company hires for a raft of new roles, based out of its Melbourne office.
More news will be revealed at this year's D23 Disney conference. AdNews is on the ground in LA for the event and will bring further updates from the conference.
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