Until Netflix came along, my primary source of entertainment was the stack of Disney VHS tapes in my family living room. I think back to those morning viewings of The Little Mermaid and late nights laughing along with A Goofy Movie. When Netflix started streaming in 2007, and when it released its first original content in 2013, that all changed. We grew up, leaving VHS tapes to accumulate dust in wooden closets while we watched episode after episode of How I Met Your Mother and Orange is the New Black. And while we had some of those old movies on Netflix, it looks like my old dusty wooden closet is turning a digital corner on November 12.
Disney+ is bringing all of our childhood favorites onto one streaming service. I know, we are already paying for Netflix and Hulu, what more could streaming services want from us? A Disney+ membership will be $6.99 a month, with Netflix and Hulu charging $8.99 and $5.99 respectively for basic plans. The total of those three plans is about $22, the price of two trips to the movie theater, and as a college student, who has time to go to the movie theater twice a month? For that reason alone, Disney+ might just be worth it. Here’s why:
- All the DCOMs are back
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We’ll have easy access to all the classics, the Cheetah Girls, the High School Musicals, and the Halloweentown films (they’re so good, hear me out). But there are so many we’ve forgotten without them available to stream. We welcome back Ice Princess, the Michelle Trachtenberg passion story that made us dream of being figure skaters. We welcome back Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato as a princess and a pauper in The Princess Protection Program. And let’s not leave out Smart House, the first movie that ever scared me and also might have come true by now thanks to Amazon Alexa. The early 2000s were Disney Channel glory days and the early 2020s are all about the return.
- We can finally binge watch Suite Life of Zack and Cody
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Those Friday 8 p.m. primetime Disney Channel shows are streamable. That means so much for our generation and those after us. Now we can expect that every Gen Z kid will have seen Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place. We can go back and watch episodes of That’s So Raven and Lizzie McGuire. We can remember our childhood crushes on all of Miley Stewart’s boyfriends and realize that we’re probably older than they were while filming the show. We can bop to all the Phineas and Ferb anthems. Remember So Random!? Not to mention, the platform will have both Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert and Jonas Brothers: The Concert Experience.
- Marvel at all those superhero movies!
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You have no excuses to not be fully caught up through Phase 3 of The Avengers. If you’re not in the mood for Disney Channel, Marvel action movies are readily accessible.
- In with the new
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What do Kristen Bell, Jeff Goldblum, Anna Kendrick, and Bill Hader have in common? They’re all incredibly talented performers and they are all hosting or starring in Disney+ original content. On another note, I’m genuinely concerned/curious to see what Disney+ is doing with High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (yes, that’s the title) and live-action Lady and the Tramp.
- But of course, never out with the old
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On top of the Disney Pixar films and princess movies, there’s everything from the Star Wars franchise to The Lion King to Saving Mr. Banks. Everything we could ever want and more. We’ll finally get the chance to get that one movie we never saw in theaters or that one TV show we missed out on because it was before our time, while also reliving our childhoods, and that’s what Disney’s all about.
I guess Disney+ might just be worth it. Check out Disney’s thread of streaming content to see if any of your other dreams have come true. If only we could bring back the summer Disney Channel Games. Then Disney+ would really be peaking.
Gifs Courtesy of Giphy