Written by Melissa Allen, who you can follow on Twitter at @melissajournal
Everyone knows Disney. Everyone knows the classic films and the brilliant characters that came from the world-renowned company. Now it would seem that Disney have taken over the world - with Disney+ just being released and their many live-action films that seem to have grabbed the attention of almost everyone under the sun. However, could Disney be biting off more than they can chew?
Disney+ launched on November 12th this year in the United States, Canada and The Netherlands, quickly making a massive impact. The anticipation for this service was phenomenal with the subject trending on Twitter and being the top point of discussion on Facebook too. The service seems to work and run the same as Netflix and other streaming services, and shows classic Disney films and shows, along with many Marvel films to boot. In the future, Disney (along with Marvel) have said they will be putting new Marvel TV shows on the service as well, with shows such as Wanda Vision and Loki.
However, in spite of all the anticipation and excitement surrounding Disney+, there have already been some issues since the day of release. Surprisingly, Disney did not anticipate the volume of people that wished to purchase a subscription to Disney+, meaning they were unprepared. This has led to problems with loading times on the service, buffering and more. Being such a large company with millions of existing customers that purchase their films, merchandise and so on – it’s a massive surprise they were not more prepared for the release of their very own streaming service.
The line-up for Disney+ and its Marvel shows has also got many people talking. With TV shows set to come out (starting next year) that focus on our favourite characters, and supposedly filmed in the same way as the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies, Marvel are stepping their game up in the years to come.
Shows that will focus on characters we have already met and known for years will without a doubt be popular – as the films and their characters have been loved since their introductions; such as Bucky, AKA The Winter Soldier, and Sam Wilson, also known as Falcon. The comedic double act was fantastic in Captain America: Civil War (2016), so it will be brilliant to see them in their own spotlight when the show is set to release in Fall next year (2020).
The venture Disney and Marvel are going on together is very exciting as new shows and even new films will never not be wanted by fans; especially since Avengers: Endgame came out earlier this year! Everyone is very, very keen to see where the Avengers – and the new characters - will go moving forward.
With these TV shows only being available through Disney+ however, and the stories within them perhaps being part of the films made by Marvel – we’re left to wonder about the fans who want access, but cannot get it. Watching the new films without watching the new shows would seemingly be like watching Avengers Assemble from 2012 without watching Captain America from the year before; you will still understand the story, but may be missing some pieces…
On the basis of characters, since Disney bought Fox in March earlier this year for $71.3 billion there has been a massive increase in the excitement and interest in the new streaming service, and buying Fox means that the X-Men and the Fantastic Four are back in the MCU. Fans have since been wondering when the newest additions to the MCU will join the likes of the Avengers, and other Marvel characters. This, again, creates more talk about both Marvel and Disney, essentially ensuring they never leave the spotlight.
Not only will the X-Men and the Fantastic Four make an appearance sometime soon (hopefully), but the inclusion of The Simpsons on Disney+ has also grabbed the attention of millions of fans and again, is something that has brought the new service to the top of discussions in the media world.
With new characters being shown in films, a number of TV shows and movies lined up, plus the addition of Fox characters (since Disney bought Fox!), Disney and Marvel really have taken over the world – and I'd say for the better. Despite the issues from the offset regarding load times and other problems, there’s no doubt that they will be fixed quickly. This is a streaming service that could, in time, overtake Netflix in terms of popularity – but we'll have to wait and see...
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