Disney Plus launched Nov. 12 with most of Disney’s theatrically released movies, plus every episode of The Simpsons, new Star Wars TV shows and more.
Disney
If you signed up for Disney Plus only to discover that some of your favorite Disney-owned titles are not currently available on the fledgling streaming service, you’re not alone. Thanks to previous licensing agreements with Netflix and a host of others, fan favorites like Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi, Avengers: Infinity War, The Incredibles 2 and dozens more weren’t available for streaming at launch. Many are slated to start showing on Disney Plus in the coming weeks, but some won’t make it to the service for months or even years to come.
That’s a challenge for Disney, which started its streaming service to compete with former partners like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Luring subscribers — many of whom already pay multiple monthly subscription fees for movies and shows on other platforms — may be harder for Disney when popular titles are missing.
Whether you’ve already subscribed to Disney Plus or you’re still on the fence about which streaming service is right for you, we’ve done the legwork to help you figure out when your favorite Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and Touchstone movies will be available to stream. Here’s what we know so far.
Mary Poppins Returns won’t be available on Disney Plus until 2021, thanks to licensing agreements with other streaming services.
Jay Maidment/Disney
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How to find out when your favorites will be available
If nothing else, at least Disney Plus is up-front about the gaps in its catalog and will return searches for the missing titles with information about when they will become available. You can even add movies like the live-action version of The Jungle Book or Mary Poppins Returns to your watchlist, even though neither of those films will arrive on Disney Plus until 2021. Here’s how to look up a movie for yourself to see if it’s currently available or when it will arrive on Disney Plus:
1. Open the Disney Plus app on your phone, tablet, smart TV or set-top box, or go to the Disney Plus website on a desktop browser.
2. Select the Search option from the menu bar.
3. Enter the name of the movie you’re looking for and select it from the search results.
4. If the movie is available now, you’ll see a Play button. If it’s not available now but will be in the future, the listing will tell you when you can watch it on Disney Plus.
5. If you’re not ready to watch now, or the movie isn’t available yet, select the plus sign (+) to add it to your watchlist.
We’ve also compiled a list of some of the more popular movies that aren’t available yet on Disney Plus, including when they will make it to the service and where else, if anywhere, you can stream them now.
Fans will have to wait until June 25, 2020, for Avengers: Infinity War, but most of the other MCU films are available on Disney Plus now.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
The Marvel Cinematic Universe remains incomplete
Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be glad to note there are currently 16 MCU films available for streaming, including the recent Avengers: Endgame. A few of the missing titles will be arriving within the next year. Here’s a list of those titles, when they will be available on Disney Plus, and what, if any, service you can watch them on in the meantime.
| Movie | Disney Plus release date | Where you can watch it now |
|---|---|---|
| Thor: Ragnarok | Dec. 5, 2019 | Netflix |
| Black Panther | March 4, 2020 | Netflix |
| Avengers: Infinity War | June 25, 2020 | Netflix |
| Ant-Man and The Wasp | June 29, 2020 | Netflix |
Star Wars series missing just two key films
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi will be available on Disney Plus next month, but Solo: A Star Wars Story won’t be on the service until July 2020.
Lucusfilm
Star Wars fans will have a nearly complete collection available at launch, with all three films from the original trilogy, all three prequels, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and, thanks to a last-minute deal brokered with Starz, 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. You’ll have to wait, however, for these two installments:
| Movie | Disney Plus release date | Where you can watch it now |
|---|---|---|
| Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Dec. 26, 2019 | Netflix |
| Solo: A Star Wars Story | July 9, 2020 | Netflix |
Most Pixar movies are already on Disney Plus, but Coco will remain on Netflix until later this month.
Pixar
Nearly all computer-animated films available at launch
Fans of Pixar are in luck — most of Pixar and Disney’s computer-animated features can currently be streamed, including the first three Toy Story movies, all three Cars films, both Finding Nemo and Finding Dory, Frozen, Inside Out and more. Coco just jointed the Disney Plus ranks in November, but notable exceptions you’ll have to wait for include:
| Movie | Disney Plus release date | Where you can watch it now |
|---|---|---|
| The Incredibles 2 | July 30, 2020 | Netflix |
| Ralph Breaks the Internet | Dec. 11, 2020 | Netflix |
The live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast will arrive on Disney Plus on Oct. 1, 2020.
Disney
Latest live-action remakes still unavailable
Disney Studios have made a big push in recent years to reinvigorate many of its animated classics with live-action remakes (that, in all fairness, use so much digital trickery they’re more like live-action/computer animation hybrids). Aladdin and The Lion King are still showing in a few theaters, so no word just yet on when those will arrive on Disney Plus. Subscribers can already watch Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, Alice in Wonderland (and the recently-added Alice: Through the Looking Glass) as well as 101 Dalmatians, but will have to wait for a few others, including:
| Movie | Disney Plus release date | Where you can watch it now | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty and the Beast | Oct. 1, 2020 | Rent or buy* | |
| The Jungle Book | May 30, 2021 | Rent or buy |
*Rent or buy titles are available via most major media stores, such as iTunes, Google Play, Amazon, Fandango, PlayStation, Microsoft Store and Vudu, unless otherwise indicated.
A few other notable films you’ll have to wait for
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will arrive on Disney Plus on Dec. 2, 2020.
Walt Disney Pictures
Rounding out the list of recent films you might have expected to see on Disney Plus, but will need to wait for because of licensing contracts with other streaming services, are:
| Movie | Disney Plus release date | Where you can watch it now |
|---|---|---|
| A Wrinkle in Time | March 25, 2020 | Netflix |
| Christopher Robin | Sept. 5, 2020 | Netflix |
| The Nutcracker and the Four Realms | Nov. 29, 2020 | Netflix |
| Mary Poppins Returns | Jan. 9, 2021 | Netflix |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales | Dec. 2, 2020 | Rent or buy |
| Tomorrowland | Sept. 1, 2021 | Rent or buy on Amazon |
| McFarland, USA | Oct. 23, 2021 | Rent or buy on Amazon |
| Maleficent | Oct. 1, 2020 | Rent or buy on Amazon |
Originally published last month.
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