As 2019 creeps ever closer, new details are surfacing on the new streaming service that Disney plans on launching late next year.
It was previously announced that new films such as Magic Camp and Noelle would debut on the service, but now there are reportedly a total of nine feature films either currently in production or advanced development.
Two of those films include hybrid live-action remakes of Lady and The Tramp, being helmed by industry vet Charlie Bean (Tron: Uprising, The Lego Ninjago Movie), and Sword in the Stone.
On the television side of things, the service will air the previously announced Monsters, Inc. series based on the Pixar franchise and the long-awaited revival of the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars, as announced at San Diego Comic Con last month. There will also be a live-action Star Wars series produced by Jon Favreau (Iron Man, The Jungle Book), with a budget said to rival that of Game of Thrones.
Fans can expect content from all of Disney’s major brands on the new service, including Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm, Jim Henson’s The Muppets, and National Geographic, the latter of which Disney will acquire via its purchase of Fox. There’s no word yet as to whether Blue Sky Animation features will be included, a possibility since the service won’t launch until after the Fox buyout is complete.
In addition to the brands listed above, the service will also include old Disney movies and over 5,000 episodes of Disney television shows available for streaming.
While not every title has been officially confirmed, an updated list of the new content expected on the service is as follows:
Film remakes:
- Lady and the Tramp
- Sword in the Stone
- 3 Men and a Baby
- Father of the Bride
- Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
- The Parent Trap
Original films:
- Don Quixote
- Flora & Ulysses
- Noelle
- The Paper Magician
- Stargirl
- Togo
- Timmy Failure
TV series:
- High Fidelity
- Mighty Ducks
- Monsters, Inc.
- High School Musical
- The Muppets
- Unspecified Marvel show
Disney will be keeping its more adult-oriented content, such as The Simpsons and Family Guy, on Hulu so the new service can remain family friendly.
Initial pricing will be lower than Netflix – which currently ranges from $7.99 to $13.99 per month – since there will be a smaller content library to start with. The service will be kept completely separate from Hulu and the company’s sports streaming service ESPN+.
“We don’t really want to go to market with an aggregation play that replicates the multi-channel environment that exists today,” explained Disney CEO Bob Iger. “We feel consumers are more interested in making decisions on their own in terms of what kind of packages they want.”
Disney executive Ricky Strauss will be shifting from his role as president of marketing at Walt Disney Studios to helm the new service as its president of content and marketing.
Via Cartoon Brew and The Disney Blog.
