When Disney Plus launched in late 2019, the general pros and cons of the new streaming TV service were pretty clear. For one thing, you had a cheap $5,99 monthly subscription and a full catalog of classic Disney movies, Marvel movies, and Star Wars movies. On the other hand, once you've seen the movies you've missed over the years, there's not much else in front of you. This question of quality over quantity is more relevant than ever, with the arrival of Peacock and continued attempts by Netflix and Amazon to strengthen their place in the world of online streaming. And the first year of Disney Plus has shown that while the platform still achieves a lot, it also made mistakes and missteps along the way. Disney Plus isn't alone - just look at the UI issues on Amazon Prime Video to see it - but its weaknesses are platform-specific. Here's everything that's wrong with Disney Plus right now.
Half empty, half full
If you've ever seen Doctor Who, you'll be familiar with the idea that something is bigger on the inside than it appears on the outside. In the case of Disney Plus, the opposite is true. The main draw of Disney Plus is its blockbuster star franchises: Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars. However, it is no secret that there is not much interest outside of this. However, the platform is good enough at hiding that, making sure to list suggested titles below what you see, and plenty of 'shorts' that fill the space and give the appearance of abundance around you. Disney and Pixar movies. That's not to say these shorts aren't worth watching: Pixar in particular has some amazing, award-winning shorts to their name (check out Bao or Paperman, for starters). But they also only offer a limited number of minutes all together, and once you've spent a single Sunday reviewing them, who else do you turn to? The truth is, the best is yet to come on Disney Plus, and there's a lot to look forward to when you think of Marvel shows like The Falcon and the Winter Soldier on the horizon. Disney, like everyone else, has been unlucky with the pandemic, slowing the pace of its most exciting originals.
![Mulan (2020)]()
Mulan (2020) (Image credit: Disney)
Pricing experiences
While closing theaters during the lockdown hasn't been good for the industry's finances, Disney seems determined to always do what it can. The live-action adaptation of Mulan, which was originally scheduled to hit theaters in March, was delayed due to the Covid pandemic until Disney decided to just bring it to Disney Plus instead of a room release - for €29,99, 200 additional. This is a purchase rather than a rental, but access will depend on maintaining your subscription. While Mulan's €65 million budget shows that it was expensive to make, it's also a big expense for individual subscribers who already spend money on the Disney service. You pay a six-month subscription to access a single movie, which destroys all arguments for the affordability of Disney Plus. This is more than you'd pay individually in theaters, and while it might be fine for a family of five cramming around a XNUMX-inch TV, for singletons on their laptops, it's not. it can help, but it feels a bit harsh. This sets a bad precedent that we hope Disney doesn't continue.
![Los Simpsons]()
The Simpsons (Image credit: Disney / Fox)
Strange oversights
While the platform itself is largely a joy to use, there are some odd spots. The first is that the browser version won't pause/play in response to the space bar, which seems so ingrained to me as a laptop user that I always try every time I log in. (to look at Hamilton again). Anyone who follows The Simpsons Fury will know that even the old seasons of the hit cartoon were originally shown in a cropped 16:9 aspect ratio, essentially spoiling a whole host of sight gags. While that was eventually changed, and we have a guide on how to fix The Simpsons aspect ratio issue, it's pretty damning that Disney allowed this to happen in the first place. You won't get Disney Plus on Panasonic TVs either. No reason has been given, there's no date for its arrival, and there's no way to watch Disney Plus on Panasonic equipment without buying an additional streaming stick or the like to download a new interface with more extensive app support. Meet? The point here is not to cast unnecessary shade on Disney, which has created (or bought) many beloved franchises and generally offers a decent platform experience with brilliant titles, be it The Incredibles, The Mandalorian TV show, Frozen II, the recording of the film by Hamilton or Beyonce Black is King's visual album. But there are some missteps here, and their common theme is an engaged experience for subscribers, viewers, and fans. The best Disney + deals of the day