Disney took to Twitter to announce their overwhelming slate of titles that will be available at the launch of their brand-new streaming service, Disney+. The multimedia juggernaut listed over 600 with nearly half being movie titles. Despite Disney’s evergrowing catalog of movies, there were some notable titles missing from their launch date programming list.
Disney+ will look to be the supreme streaming service when it becomes available to a segment of subscribers on Nov. 11. For the past year, the streaming service has been keeping everyone on the edge of their seats with constant rumors and announcements regarding the original projects that are in development. To make matters even more exciting, Disney+ promised to make a large portion of its brilliant library of titles available at launch. With ownership of Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar, and now 20th Century Fox, there was no sort of worry when it came to a shortage of options.
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As Disney+ announced their official launch list, many people scoured the list and noticed that a few big titles were missing. It’s important to remember that Disney+ plans to bolster the lineup as the first year goes on. There’s even a chance that they announce another slew of titles in the days to come. For now, here are the biggest titles that will not be included in the launch of Disney+.
Tarzan
Disney+ will be chock full of animated classics during its launch. The beloved titles such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, The Fox and the Hound, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and nearly everything in between. The launch will also feature 2002’s Tarzan & Jane, the sequel to 1999’s Tarzan – which is surprisingly missing from the list. Tarzan was the first animated feature film based on the story by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was an absolute hit at the 1999 box office, becoming the second-highest animation release behind Toy Story 2. The movie’s original song, ”You’ll Be in My Heart,” by Phil Collins also won an Academy Award. Even though a number of Disney’s animated movies were removed from Netflix ahead of the Disney+ launch, Tarzan was not one of them. That said, it seems likely that the title will make its move within the streaming service’s first year.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
One of the most highly-anticipated aspects of Disney+’s launch is the arrival of the new Star Wars series, The Mandalorian. Now that the House of Mouse is the official home to all things from the galaxy far, far away, fans will have all Star Wars titles at their fingertips, eventually. Star Wars: The Last Jedi is missing from the launch list, the only title from the previously released installments of the Skywalker Saga that’s not included. It’s interesting that the 2017 title wouldn’t be included considering Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theaters in December. But there’s no reason to worry since Disney+ has plans to add both titles, as well as Solo: A Star Wars Story, within the first year.
Up
Fans of the groundbreaking animated films and shorts will be glad to know that the majority of the Pixar’s backlog will be available at launch. Streamers might have to wait a bit for the recently released Toy Story 4, but there are also a few other titles notably missing from the launch, including the Best Picture nominee, Up. The touching tale centering on the unlikely friendship between a widower and a young boy will not be making the transition to Disney+ in November. The title is currently contracted with Starz for the time being but it will make the move sooner rather than later.
X-Men Movies
One major live-action franchise that will be largely absent come November is Fox’s slate of X-Men movies. Disney recently purchased 20th Century Fox and the rights to its titles, including their Marvel properties. None of those Marvel films, however, are included in the launch list. Titles such as Deadpool and Logan will never make their way to subscribers since Disney+ is staying away from R-rated titles. The rights to some of the Fox-owned properties are a little rocky but it’s safe to assume that X-Men titles will eventually be added. For the time being, subscribers can enjoy X-Men animated series from the ’90s.
Maleficent
Disney is gearing for the release of Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, the sequel to 2014’s Maleficent. The movie scored mixed reviews from critics but it turned out to be a heavy-hitter at the box office. Angelina Jolie and Elle Fanning are set to reprise their roles as Maleficent and Princess Aurora, respectively. Considering the sequel hits theaters mere weeks before Disney+ gets rolling, it was assumed that the company would want to cross-promote its titles. That’s not entirely the case for Maleficent since it’s currently missing from the list. It’s possible that the streaming service is holding off on the reveal since they have teased more announcements are coming.
The Mighty Ducks
In early 2018, it was announced that Disney was considering rebooting The Mighty Ducks for a brand-new TV series for the forthcoming streaming service. Updates on the project have been limited since the initial reports but their interest in the franchise led fans to believe that the live-action trilogy from the ’90s would be a prioritized release on Disney+. Unfortunately, supporters of the rag-tag hockey team will need to be patient because all three titles are missing from Disney+’s initial slate of launch titles. The service will, however, include the unrelated animated series, Mighty Ducks, on day one.
Avatar
Avatar was shown on the demo used by the company when previewing the Disney+ app but the 2009 blockbuster is nowhere to be found on the launch list of titles. This comes as a surprise considering the title was Fox’s most successful film in history, so obtaining the rights to the full franchise was a major bright spot for Disney. There’s even an entire theme park dedicated to the world of Pandora at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom. With James Cameron hard at work on Avatar 2 ahead of the 2021 release, the original film is expected to hit Disney+ within the first two years.
Incredibles 2
It makes sense why the release of Toy Story 4 on Disney+ might be delayed on the streaming service considering the movie premiered a few months ago. Incredibles 2, on the other hand, debuted in June of 2018 and later made its debut on Netflix. The sequel to the 2004 film, as well as Coco, will be the last Pixar movie to power through their Netflix contract before moving over to Disney+. Any Pixar title that released after Incredibles 2 will head to the Disney-owned service within a few months of their wide release. Incredibles 2 is expected to hit Disney+ around the summer season of 2020.
Avengers: Endgame
Out of the 23 films that make up the MCU, only seven will be available on Disney+ on the November launch date. Of the titles missing, the biggest is Avengers: Endgame, the culmination of a decade worth superhero-packed storytelling. Omitting one of the company’s most influential titles for its day one celebration might be a bit of a surprise, but the title will make its streaming service debut on Dec. 11. What’s more perplexing is Disney’s plan to scatter the remaining MCU titles over the course of the service’s first year. With so many original series tied to the MCU at the forefront of developmental slate, it was understandable to assume that the Marvel movie catalog would be a little heftier from the start.
Song of the South
Song of the South was one of the most influential films in Disney’s history due to its mix of live-action and animation. The 1946 movie featured the original song, “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” which went on to win an Academy Award. The film was also the basis for the popular Disney theme park ride, Splash Mountain. That said, Song of the South remains one of the most controversial titles in Disney’s history. The movie, set during the Reconstruction Era in Georgia, is understandably criticized for its racial stereotyping when it comes to the depiction of the African American characters, including the plantation setting. It was never released on home media, and it’s safe to assume that Disney+ will rightfully ignore Song of the South‘s existence.
