Disney+ launched in the U.S, Canada. Australia, and New Zealand back in November. Details have been very limited about other major markets such as the UK but we have some information that’s worth sharing.
When will Disney Plus Launch in the UK?
Disney CEO Bob Iger announced during the Walt Disney Investors call that Disney+ will be launching in Western Europe on March 31, 2020. This, of course, includes the United Kingdom. Other countries included on March 31, 2020, are Ireland, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Disney promised more countries will be announced in the future.
Update – Disney+ will now be launching on March 24, 2020.
How Much Will Disney+ Cost?
Disney has officially announced that a Disney+ subscription will be priced at £5.99 per month or £59.99 per year.
Can I pre-register like the US?
At the moment, no. Disney may allow fans to do this closer to the launch of Disney Plus in the UK. Keep in mind that the U.S was the only country given the option to do this, but Disney may want to increase the hype even more by allowing fans to pre-register.
Update March 24, 2020 – Disney is now allowing European fans to pre-register! Details here.
Will the content be the same as the US?
The short answer is no. Every country that has launched already has content that is slightly different than the U.S. This doesn’t mean that other countries have less content, just different content. For example, Disney+ Canada has a number of Fox movies that the U.S doesn’t have.
For the UK, it’s going to be a little complicated due to Disney’s existing contract it has with UK broadcaster, Sky. Sky has been a huge partner with Disney over the years, and its contract is believed to be worth 1 billion pounds a year for Disney.
Sky currently has a channel called Sky Cinema Disney, which you guessed it, showcases Disney content 24/7. Sky is the exclusive home for Disney movies in the UK therefore that prevents Disney from making Disney+ the only place to watch its films in the UK.
As mentioned, Sky is the exclusive home to Disney, Marvel and Star Wars movies. Now TV, Sky’s streaming service, list the following movies will be leaving their service on these dates:
- Avengers: Endgame – March 2021
- Avengers: Age of Ultron – June 2020
- Captain Marvel – January 2021
- Captain America 1 – September 2020
- Ant-Man 2 – June 2020
- Thor – December 2020
- Thor 2 – June 2020
- Iron Man – June 2020
- Iron Man 2 – June 2020
- Solo until April 2020
- Christopher Robin – July 2020
- John Carter – June 2020
- Pete’s Dragon (1977) – May 2020
- Mary Poppins – May 2020
- Mulan – July 2020
- The Jungle Book – July 2020
- Up – July 2020
- Emperors New Groove – August 2020
- Ralph Breaks the Internet – January 2021
- Aladdin – September 2020
- Robin Hood – September 2020
- Lady and the Tramp 2 – September 2020
- 101 Dalmatians (1996) – September 2020
- Hercules – September 2020
- The Aristocats – September 2020
- One Magic Christmas – September 2020
- The Muppet Christmas Carol – September 2020
- Atlantis 2 – September 2020
- Princess and the Frog – September 2020
- The Return of Jafar – September 2020
- Lilo & Stich – September 2020
- Bugs Life – September 2020
- Snowball Express – September 2020
- Herbie Goes Bananas – September 2020
- Herbie Rides Again – September 2020
- Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo – September 2020
- Bedknobs and Broomsticks – September 2020
- The Love Bug – September 2020
- Return to Oz – September 2020
- Recess: School’s Out – September 2020
- Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 – September 2020
- Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3 – September 2020
- The Tigger Movie – September 2020
- Old Dogs – September 2020
- The Story of Robin Hood – September 2020
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs – September 2020
- College Road Trip – September 2020
- The Parent Trap (1961) – September 2020
- The Parent Trap (1998) – September 2020
- Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas – September 2020
- Ice Princess – September 2020
- White Fang – September 2020
- My Favourite Martian – September 2020
- The Might Ducks – September 2020
- The Mighty Ducks 2 – September 2020
- The Might Ducks 3 – September 2020
- Freaky Friday – September 2020
- Glory Road – September 2020
- Game Plan – September 2020
- The Three Musketeers- September 2020
- Santa Buddies – September 2020
- Kim Possible: Movie – September 2020
- Lt. Robin Crusoe USN – September 2020
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe- September 2020
- White Fang 2 – September 2020
- The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian- September 2020
- A Christmas Carol – September 2020
- Hannah Montana: The Movie – September 2020
- The Muppets – September 2020
- Tangled – September 2020
- Tuck Everlasting – September 2020
- The Happiest Millionaire – September 2020
- Fantasia 2000 – November 2020
- Wall-E – September 2020
- The Nutcracker and the Four Realms – September 2020
- Beauty and the Beast (1991) – December 2020
- Muppets Treasure Island – December 2020
- Bedtime Stories – December 2020
- Pocahontas 2 – December 2020
- The Haunted Mansion – December 2020
- Atlantis: The Lost Empire – December 2020
- Dumbo (2019) – February 2021
- Enchanted – December 2020
- I’ll be Home for Christmas- November 2020
- Eight Below – December 2020
- Freaky Friday (2003) – September 2020
- Cinderella (2015) – June 2020
- Marry Poppins Returns – November 2020
Does that mean that Disney+ will launch with all of these major missing titles? We honestly have no idea. There’s no question that Sky need Disney so they might work with Disney to allow content to be available on both platforms.
‘Sky can’t afford to lose so much content and they will be trying to retain access somehow given Disney also needs its crown jewels to make Disney+ work,’ added Richard Broughton, an analyst at Ampere.
‘Our customers love Disney content and we have a long-standing relationship with Disney that we expect to continue,’ a Sky spokesman told The Guardian.
What has Disney said about this? Nothing, other than “titles may vary by territory.” Watch this space!
What devices can I stream Disney Plus on in the UK?
Thankfully, Disney+ is available on almost all streaming devices and there’s a good chance that you already have at least one. There’s also a possibility that your smart TV has Disney+ built-in, so be sure to double-check that before purchasing anything.
- Apple (iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV, and fully integrated with the Apple TV app; customers can subscribe to Disney+ via in-app purchase)
- Google (Android phones, Android TV devices, Google Chromecast and Chromecast built-in devices)
- Google Chromebooks
- Microsoft (Xbox One)
- Sony / Sony Interactive Entertainment (all Android-based Sony TVs and PlayStation®4)
- Roku (Roku® streaming players and Roku TV™ models)
- Amazon Devices
- Samsung
- LG TV
What titles are confirmed to be coming to Disney+?
Disney has not officially confirmed which titles will be launching on the streaming service. The only guaranteed content is Disney+ Original Series such as The Mandalorian.
What is happening to DisneyLife?
Disney has announced that DisneyLife will be coming on April 23, just a month after the launch of Disney+.
On the official Disney+ help website, it states:
We’ve enjoyed bringing you the stories you love with DisneyLife. And to ensure that we can offer even more incredible entertainment for everyone in the family, we’re launching our new streaming service Disney+ on 24 March. Disney+ will be home to the best stories in the world from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.
DisneyLife will no longer be available from 23 April 2020. And your current subscription will automatically end on your next billing date after 23 March 2020. To continue streaming your favourite Disney movies and series – plus much more – take advantage of our time-limited offer* and pre-order Disney+ for just £49.99 for a year.
Please note that your account transition from DisneyLife to Disney+ is not automated. You’ll have to sign up for a Disney+ subscription. When Disney+ goes live on 24 March 2020, you can download the Disney+ app on your favourite devices, create a new account to log in and stream the stories you love as well as new originals, all in one place.
Pre-order now and start streaming 24 March.
*Offer valid until 23 March 2020. After which standard pricing of £5.99 a month or £59.99 a year applies. Terms and Conditions apply.
Thank you for being a loyal DisneyLife customer.