J
OPINION
I
I
DISNEY* FIRST IMPRESSIONS
STORY BY ZACHARY WHITLEY
OPINION EDITOR
On Nov. 12, Disney opened its
vault to the public with Disney+.
For those unaware, ,Disney* is the
latest in a line of. new streaming
services and arguably the most
anticipated one at that.
Disney* gives you access to
almost the entire vault of Disney
classics, Pixaf|classics, Star, Wars
films, the Marvel Cinema'*
Universe, National Geographic
most 21st Centur^fox prope
Additionally, Disney* plans
releasing exclusive live-
Marvel and. Star Wars content.
With such a massive array
intellectual properties under lo<
and key, it’s reasonable to expe<
that Disney might price-
their customers to make
pay for access to such a collectioi
but that’s where Disney subv^J
expectations — they undercut |
market.
At the low price of $6.99 pi
month or $69.99. per year, you1
can access their 4k, ad-free
content and the ability for four
screens to watch at the same
time. If you’re willing to spend a^fl
little more, you can upgrade toja
package that bundles ESPN* and
H uluw ith Disney* for $12.99 per
rnonth. Compare these prices
their largest
and you
can see why Disney* is a force to
be reckoned with. With Netflix’s
basic plan, you pay $8.99 for one
screen at a time — not even in
HD. To see the same quality that
Disney* offers, you’d need to opt
Netflix’s $15.99 monthly plan.
How is Disney* able to get
away with such a low price? With
a genius marketing scheme.
Not only does Disney* plan on
releasing new content on a weekly
basis (to avoid subscription^
cancellation) but they also own
the licenses to all the content on
Disney*, so they don’t have to
pay out to other studios (unlike
Netflix.) On that same note, the
more adult-oriented
content
Disnejow ns will fit nicely on their
other streaming platform, Hulu.
How is Disney*?
On launch, the platform feels
okay. I want to get it out of the
way that I’m a huge Disney fan,
but something on Disney* feels
missing. When I first booted it up,
I immediately started watching
“ Aladdin” (94’, not 2019) and I
became overcome with nostalgia.
As I perused more of the streaming
service, this childlike trance of
nostalgia quickly dissipated, and
I think it’s from a lack of new,
I content. Many people have grown,
up , seeing (and loving) Disney
movies, but it’s almost as if there’s
an oversaturation of Disney in our
culture. It’s bard to sit down and
watch Disney movies all the time.
On the other hand, Disney*’ s
exclusive content is really well
made, but it’ s hard to express my
feelings about it. Mostly due to
being only two episodes in and
only having a few seBes' to choose
from.
As it is right now, Disney* is
held back frb^Teaching its full
potential lim y by this lack of
new content. With the amount
of original content Disney has
announced for the platform and
plans oh eventually releasing, this
can easily he turned around.
If you really love Star Wars,
Pixar, Marvel or Disney classics,
I ’d say pick it up. With such a low
costcompared to other streaming
services, there’s not much to lose
except $7. If you’re interested in
the new inventive content that
Disney* plans on offering, I’d
wait a couple months. Most likely,
you probably already own all the
movies on Disney* anyways so I’d
wait for the exclusives to finish
airing or until there’ s a better
selection.
If you’re new to streaming
services in general, you’d better
get used to them. Consumers
have fallen in love with the idea of
picking and choosing the content
they watch and with the advent of
Disney*, there’s only going to be
more and more. Maybe one day
we’ll have a universal box where
we can flip between all types of
content without having to buy
individual services.
HnKWBHWI®:-
1. "The Mandaloriari:" The first venture into a live-action .
Star Wars series follows a lone^ bounty hunter post Return
of the Jedi.
2. "The Lion Kina:" Widely-known and widely-loved
animated classic that tells the story of a young lion filling
the footsteps of his father.
3. "The Simpsons:" Disney's acquisition o f Fpx brought
forth some of the most well-loved gems into the
limelight, The Simpsons being one of them. With 30
seasons available for streaming, this raunchy animated
series .isn't something to pass on. "
Clackamas Print
thedackamasprint.com
November 20,2019