Disney Plus has grown into one of the biggest streaming services since its launch in November 2019. It’s been around long enough that most people know what it’s all about, but if you aren’t overly familiar with the streamer, read on while we narrow down everything you could need to know about Disney Plus.
What is Disney Plus?
As the name suggests, Disney Plus is the streaming service from The Walt Disney Company. Originally set up in November 2019, it now has over 150 million subscribers. It primarily distributes films and TV shows produced by Disney but it also has dedicated content hubs for brands such as Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and other major names.
Effectively, it’s a one-stop-shop for all things Disney but its combination of other Disney-owned franchises like Star Wars and Marvel means it has a lot of incredibly popular content. It also has some content from Disney-owned Fox, including all of The Simpsons episodes.
Disney Plus works like other streaming services. All you need to do is sign up for it by handing over your card details before signing in on any device. Disney Plus works through your web browser with multiple different apps also available to use through the service. It’s available via a broad range of devices so it’s simple to use whether you’re tech-savvy or not. Many Smart TVs also offer the app, so you can usually access it just as easily as any other TV station. Simply put, if you’ve used Netflix before, you know what to do here.
How much is Disney Plus?
Disney Plus has several subscription options. You can get just Disney Plus on an ad-supported tier for $7.99 per month, or go ad-free for $13.99 per month (all prices accurate as of January 2024). Regardless of your plan, you still get full access to everything Disney Plus has to offer including all its HD and 4K resolution and while you can have up to seven profiles, only four devices can stream Disney Plus at the same time.
What’s the Disney Bundle?
The Disney Bundle bundles together either two or three services into one simple payment each month. The first one, called the Disney Bundle: Duo includes Disney Plus, Hulu (both ad-supported) for $9.99 per month, and the no ad-option is $19.99, which is a savings of over 35% over getting the two services individually. The other option is the Disney Bundle: Trio, which gets you Disney Plus and Hulu, but also ESPN+, which is the hub for exclusive content from ESPN. The ad-supported trio costs $14.99 per month and the premium trio, which gives you Disney Plus and Hulu without ads (there is no ad-free option for ESPN+) is $24.99 per month.
Hulu gives you access to a ton of great content alongside the plethora of stuff to watch on Disney Plus. It has great TV shows like Modern Family, Bob’s Burgers, Fargo, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and Rick & Morty. Hulu also has great movie content with the best Hulu movies catering to all kinds of tastes. It includes blockbuster movies like Deadpool 2, The Menu, A Haunting in Venice, and The Hunger Games. There’s truly something for every mood here.
ESPN+ is one of the best streaming services for sports fans. An all-encompassing package, it has everything you could need. Subscribers to it get access to thousands of live events and sports broadcasts. These include sports such as soccer, combat, and mixed martial arts, as well as baseball, tennis, hockey, golf, and even college sports. All the big names are here including MLB, NHL, NBA, UFC (it is the home for UFC pay-per-views), and the PGA Tour.
ESPN+ also provides users with tons of sports documentaries, acclaimed series, and ESPN+ originals with commentary from some of the best names in sports. This includes the award-winning 30 for 30 library. It contains a vast amount of sports documentaries you simply can’t get anywhere else. It’s a fascinating insight if you want to know everything possible about your favorite sports.
What Devices Support Disney Plus?
Disney Plus is incredibly simple to use across pretty much every device you can think of. It’s possible to stream content via your web browser on Windows and Mac, as well as Chrome OS. That way, you can easily watch your favorite shows and movies even if you don’t own a TV. During work lunch breaks, you could even sneak in a quick show. It has support for Amazon Fire and Windows tablets, as well as iOS and Android-based phones and tablets. The apps are simple to use and highly intuitive.
TV support is extensive. Disney Plus is widely available. That includes Amazon Fire TV Sticks and Fire HD devices, along with Chromecast, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TVs, LG webOS TVs, Vizio SmartCast TVs, Roku devices, Xfinity Flex, and much more. Pretty much all TVs, smartphones, tablets, and computers can handle Disney Plus with extensive support ensuring that you won’t need to buy a special device to use it. The Disney Plus app is pretty much the same across the board with setup made easier if you already have the Disney Plus app signed in on your smartphone on the same network. Consoles are also supported with apps for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series consoles. However, there is no support for the Nintendo Switch at this time so if you only own a Nintendo Switch, you’ll need to use your smartphone or computer to access the streaming network.
Disney Plus offers content in resolutions up to 4K Ultra HD in Dolby Vision and HDR10, but it’s worth noting that not all devices support such resolutions. It’s important to check what device you are using to see if it’s capable of such technology. Also, Dolby Atmos sound is possible through Disney Plus with the right devices.
What Countries is Disney Plus available in?
Disney Plus is available around the world, and its reach is evident by the number of languages that are available on the Disney Plus app. The app supports the following languages (some may depend on your location):
- Czech
- Danish
- Dutch
- English (UK and US)
- Finnish
- French (Canada and France)
- German
- Greek
- Hungarian
- Italian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Norwegian
- Polish
- Portuguese (Brazil and Portugal)
- Romanian
- Slovak
- Spanish (Latin America and Spain)
- Swedish
- Turkish
- Chinese (Simplified)
- Chinese (Traditional)
- Chinese (Hong Kong)
Can You Watch Disney Plus in 4K?
Disney Plus offers extensive 4K support. Unlike other streaming networks like Netflix which require you to pay extra for 4K resolution, Disney Plus is the same price whether you plan on watching 4K content or not. That may mean that HD-only users feel like they are paying extra for 4K resolutions they can’t see, but it offers plenty of potential for when users upgrade their devices. As expected though, due to technological limitations, 4K resolutions can only be viewed on a device that supports it.
Not all Disney Plus content is offered in 4K resolution, but the number is steadily growing. Many movies support 4K resolutions including all Star Wars movies, Marvel movies, and many Disney movies. Pretty much all of the latest movies such as Pixar’s latest releases are available in 4K resolutions and the difference can be quite noticeable.
Besides offering 4K resolution support, Disney Plus also offers other useful features for enhancing the quality. This includes Dolby Vision and HDR10 so the picture looks truly fantastic. There’s also Dolby Atmos sound support via supported devices. As always, it’s worth checking that your device supports all these but there’s nothing additional to pay on a Disney Plus subscription to access them. Not all the content on Disney Plus supports any of these features, but as with 4K, the list is growing.
What Movies and Shows are on Disney Plus?
Disney Plus has steadily developed its content library with new shows and movies added on a regular basis. It’s worth checking out the best movies on Disney Plus as well as the best Disney Plus series, but there’s a heap more available. As expected, Disney Plus is the home of all things Disney. That means you can check out Disney movies starting right back in the 1930s up to the present day. Regularly, new Pixar and Disney movies are added. There are also numerous Disney cartoons and shorts ranging from Steamboat Willy, the first Mickey Mouse short, up to ’90s hits like Darkwing Duck and Gargoyles. It also has a lot of family-friendly content that is much more modern and suitable for young children. Modern Disney channel shows are also included.
Disney Plus does not just stop at Disney productions though. It also contains work from Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, National Geographic, 20th Century Animation, along with select movies from 20th Century Studios, Touchstone Pictures, and Searchlight Pictures. What does that mean? Tons of great content. Disney Plus is also the home for all things Marvel. That includes every movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe but it also means shows like Hawkeye, Loki, WandaVision, and more. Similarly, when it comes to Lucasfilm content, it means Disney Plus is the home for everything Star Wars. That means every single Star Wars movie, as well as exclusive shows like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.
Extensive National Geographic content is also included as it is Disney-owned. This includes originals like Welcome to Earth, and The Rescue.
Disney originals are some of the best content anywhere. They include movies like Luca, Soul, Home Sweet Home Alone, Pixar shorts, specials such as Muppets Haunted Mansion, and much more. There’s something for everyone here, simply put, no matter what your mood may be. Other non-Disney content on Disney Plus includes America’s Funniest Home Videos, all of The Simpsons, the Broadway sensation Hamilton, and some award-winning movies such as the works of Wes Anderson.
How to Sign Up for Disney Plus?
Signing up for Disney Plus is very simple. Simply go to https://www.disneyplus.com/
Once you’ve entered your payment details and clicked the Agree and Subscribe button, you are all set up. Simply log into the service and you can begin watching. Once you sign in on the phone app, you don’t have to enter your password on the smart TV or console apps to get started. Providing your phone is on the same Wi-Fi network, Disney Plus will pick up your details at the touch of a button, saving you the need to enter anything manually.
Finally, if you have young inquisitive eyes at home, make sure to set up parental controls on your Disney Plus profile. Click your profile image, then click Edit Profile. From there, scroll down to Parental Controls and choose to adjust the Content rating so only content suitable for particular age groups can be viewed. Also, you can add a profile PIN to any adult profile so that curious children can’t access your mature content.
What’s next for Dinsey Plus and Hulu?
While we talked earlier about the Disney Bundle with Hulu, as 2024 moves along, there might be some changes there. At the end of 2023, Disney bought out Comcast’s stake in Hulu (it owned a third of the service while Disney owned the balance), and has begun to move to integrate Hulu into the Disney Plus app, with the stated goal being that viewers will be able to access both services on one app.
This doesn’t mean the end of the line for Hulu or ESPN+. At the end of 2023, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that the goal was to have a “one-app experience,” but stressed Hulu and ESPN+ would remain stand-alone services. There is no word on any changes in pricing once the services are integrated into a single app.
