Honestly, when I heard about Disney +, I didn’t really give it much thought. Sure, I was upset about losing Moana on Netflix, but I was not prepared to add another subscription service to my life. With Netflix for TV and Spotify for music, I thought I was all set.
As all of my friends and fam are aware, I’m a huge Disney fan. When I was two I made my parents play the same Disney sing-along movies for me every night before I went to bed. But still, even with Disney running through my veins I wasn’t sure if Disney + was for me. Why would I pay for another service?
However, last week, my sister excitedly called me into her room to say she bought a subscription to Disney + for the family. It was exciting for sure, but I still wasn’t sure if this would be able to pull me away from Netflix.
Despite this, here are the things that I have put on my list to watch – both old and new – for the first few weeks of watching Disney +.
- Phil of the Future
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Honestly, I couldn’t tell you why, but when my sister started running down the list of shows that Disney + had to offer, my first hope was Phil of the Future! Low and behold, they have it! Don’t ask me why it’s this show exactly, but I think part of the reason it could be is that it was on early enough on the weekends that my sister and I could watch it before my parents woke up and told us to turn off the TV. A space travelling family whose spaceship breaks down in the 2000s – what isn’t to love about this show? I hope I don’t regret watching this show again and that I’m not remembering it with rose coloured glasses.
- Encore
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I watched the first episode of Encore and was instantly hooked. I love Kristen Bell – I mean who doesn’t? And when I heard her on a late night show talking about the new show she was a part of for Disney + I was intrigued. As well as my love of Disney, I’m also super into musical theatre and Broadway. This show, where a high school cast reassemble to put an encore performance of a high school production is amazing. The first episode was a 1996 production of Annie and it brought you through the highs and lows of the cast.
- The Disney Shorts
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There isn’t one in particular I have my eye on, but I’m excited to watch the shorts that Disney has up on Disney +. I already watched Float, which reminded me how great these shorts can be and how insanely talented the writers and animators at Disney/Pixar are. Forky Asks a Question is another series of shorts I’m looking forward to watch – because who didn’t fall in love with Forky in Toy Story 4? Plus his voice actor, Tony Hale, is simply amazing and another one of my faves.
- The Imagineering Story
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As someone with a passion for Disney, watching the new docu-series The Imagineering Story is a bit of a no brainer. As someone who loves documentaries, this is simply the perfect fit. I am prepared to watch this series with a grain of salt as it’s a Disney production. I’m hoping – however biased it may be – to get a glimpse behind the scenes.
- Mary Poppins
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Okay it was really hard choosing a movie for this list, thinking about what movie I would watch first – but when Mary Poppins, the original showed up in my search I knew for sure I had found it. The amount of amazing movies available is astounding, but Mary Poppins holds a special place in my heart, and I haven’t rewatched it in years. Additionally, Mary Poppins Returns with Emily Blunt is ready to stream – and even though I had no interest in seeing it in theatres, I would probably give it a watch on Disney +. I love Emily Blunt, so it’s nothing against her – I just adore the original. But with both of them available to watch, why not?
Overall my thoughts on Disney +, are mixed. Sure, I’m excited to watch some of the content but I still don’t know if I would pay for it myself. If someone is going to fund your account then go for it and watch all the throwback vibes. But if you have to pay for it yourself, maybe do it on a monthly basis, so you can dedicate a couple of months to watching Disney.