Disney+ Is Here and You Might Be Able to Get It For Free
The internet's been buzzing this week with the debut of Disney+, the ad-free streaming service peddling all the family favorites from this entertainment giant, including movies and TV shows from its family of brands: Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and 20th Century Fox.
Read on for details on the new service, whether you're just looking to pass the time until you can catch Frozen 2 in theaters, or you're anxious to introduce the "classics" of your youth to a new generation of viewers. Some lucky Verizon subscribers can even enjoy the new Disney+ for FREE.
Create a profile for each kid or family member within the Disney+ service.
What Is Disney+?
There's no shortage of streaming services on the market, so what makes Disney+ different ... and worth your money? The service, which launched on November 12, promises a catalog totaling more than 7,500 television episodes and 500 movies by the end of year one. Programming draws from Disney's vast collection of titles stretching all the way back to the 1930-shorts that put it on the map. More than 10 million had signed up for it by launch day, according to Disney.
In addition to familiar feature films (hello, Pixar library and the Disney Princess Collection), a vast Out of the Vault collection, educational documentaries from National Geographic, and fan favorites like The Simpsons, the platform features a wide array of brand-new shows and programming. On tap are a variety of feature films, documentaries, scripted and unscripted series, and short-form content. Disney + will also be the exclusive home of all the new Disney releases in 2019 and beyond, including anticipated titles like Captain Marvel (now streaming!), Toy Story 4, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, the aforementioned Frozen 2, and more.
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Stream or download Toy Story and more.
Exclusive original programming includes a planned 14 live series. Concurrent with launch, Disney+ is now streaming its original High School Musical: The Series, and The Mandalorian, a new Star Wars spin-off show that takes place in the time between the fall of the Empire and emergence of the First Order.
Sixteen documentaries, unscripted series and live specials will live on Disney + including a forthcoming behind-the-scenes look at the making of Frozen 2. Other titles that look particularly interesting for families with kids include the Magic of Animal Kingdom, which profiles the animal care team at Disney's Central Florida park of the same name plus those at Epcot's SeaBase Aquarium. Disney die-hards will love shows like Prop Culture, which looks at the props that have helped bring Disney's stories to life, and The Imagineering Story, which highlights the design history of Disney's world-wide network of theme parks.
Nine films exclusive to the platform are also in the works, including two currently available: a live action remake of the classic Lady and the Tramp, as well as the holiday comedy Noelle.
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Parents can enjoy all the classics with their kids.
How Much Does It Cost and Where Can I Get it for Free?
Subscriptions to the platform cost $6.99/month or $69.99 per year. You can take advantage of a free seven-day trial before you buy, too. A bundle of Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ can be purchased for $12.99/month. Verizon Unlimited customers are eligible for this free one-year subscription offer. Please note that the offer isn't open to all Verizon subscribers, only those on the unlimited plans. New Fios Home Internet and 5G Home Internet customers are also eligible for a FREE year of Disney+. Those on these eligible Verizon plans who already excitedly paid for Disney+ can re-enroll through Verizon, which says it will put your existing Disney+ subscription on pause while you enjoy the free promotional period.
Once you've signed up, you'll be able to add up to seven unique profiles for family members and stream on four devices simultaneously, meaning someone can be watching on a tablet and the TV at the same time. Parenting win! All content can also be downloaded for on-the-go viewing, aka plane rides and road trips. The platform can be streamed on a variety of devices from smart TVs, phones, laptops and tablets to streaming devices like Chromecast, Apple AirPlay, and Amazon FireTV, as well as gaming consoles and set-top boxes.
Top Kids Movies Streaming on Disney+ Now
For more information on Disney+ or to subscribe, visit its website. For a sampling of some of the titles streaming now on Disney+, see below (or just watch the absurdly long (3-hours+) teaser Disney put together at the top of the page).
101 Dalmatians
A Bug's Life
A Goofy Movie
An Extremely Goofy Movie
Bambi
Bao
Big Hero 6
Born in China
Cars
Fantasia
Finding Dory
Finding Nemo
Free Solo
Frozen
Fun and Fancy Free Hercules
High School Musical
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Inside Out
Iron Man
Lady and the Tramp
Lilo & Stitch
Mary Poppins
Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers
Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
Moana
Monsters University
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Ratatouille
Remember the Titans
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Sleeping Beauty
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Star Wars: A New Hope
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (animated film)
Steamboat Willie
The Good Dinosaur
The Incredibles
The Little Mermaid
The Parent Trap (1961)
The Prince & The Pauper (1990)
The Princess Diaries
The Rocketeer
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (short)
The Sword in the Stone
The Three Caballeros
Thor: The Dark World
Toy Story
Tron (1982)
Up
Wall-E
Zootopia
All photos courtesy of Disney