Disney Plus 2020 guide: Movies, shows, price and everything you need to know

Disney Plus launched less than a year ago, but it’s already taking its place among the best streaming services. And while its success feels a bit inevitable (it’s the exclusive home for Disney’s vault of movies and shows, so many have to pony up), Disney is hard at work on the next big hits to follow up Baby Yoda. That includes the Hamilton movie and the new Muppets Now original series coming this summer.

Disney Plus is constantly adding to its library, too. Keep your eyes peeled to our guide for what’s new on Disney Plus, which includes the addition of Solo: A Star Wars Story (finally making the Star Wars collection complete).

Wondering about the next big Disney Plus hit? We’ve got release dates for The Mandalorian season 2 (Oct. 2020) and WandaVision (Dec. 2020), but The Falcon and The Winter Soldier lost its Aug. 2020 release date.

The biggest name coming to Disney Plus is Mulan, as the live-action adaptation is going to come to Disney’s streaming service, provided you’re willing to pay more. Yes, Disney’s finally jumped into the iPPV terrain. 

And that’s just the beginning of the list of what makes Disney Plus one of the best streaming services. If you want more info about what makes it so great, read our Disney Plus review. 

So, welcome to our guide to everything you need to know about Disney Plus. We’re constantly updating this page with details about pricing, deals, supported devices and release dates (yes, the U.K. and France finally have it!).

Disney Plus is now available for all, after its U.K. and Europe launch on March 24. That means anyone in those regions, as well as the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands can sign up here. On April 7, Disney Plus finally completed its current round of rollouts, landing in France after a 2-week delay.

The success of Disney Plus is unparalleled, with the latest numbers pointing to the service having racked up 50 million subscribers so far, only 5 months in. That’s pretty close to the company’s 2024 goal of 60 to 90 million subscribers, though that’s still behind Netflix (167 million) and Amazon Prime Video (150 million) — though those services had a huge head start.

The streaming service, which boasts a library of thousands of movies and shows made by Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and 20th Century Fox, offers annual plan options for those looking to save money.

Cord-cutters in the United States might want to check out the details below on the ESPN Plus and Hulu bundles. The latter is especially important for watching series like The Handmaid’s Tale, the new High Fidelity series and Rick and Morty — the kind of not-exactly family-friendly content that Disney Plus is primarily comprised of.

Either way, Disney Plus features a mix of classic titles (Cinderella, Toy Story, Star wars) and new programs developed exclusively for Disney Plus (The Mandalorian, High School Musical: The Musical).

• Price: Disney Plus costs $6.99 per month, though they offer a $69.99 per year price that essentially gives you 2 months free. 
• Bundles: Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus are bundled together in a $12.99 per month package, which saves you $5.83 per month.
• Supported Devices: Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, PS4, Xbox One, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Android and Chromebooks.
• App download links: The Disney Plus apps are here and working (finally).
• Key shows and movies: The Mandalorian is by far the most popular Disney Plus show thus far (they’re even releasing a documentary series about it), but there are other compelling original Disney Plus shows.
• What’s next: The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special will arrive on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Disney Plus costs $6.99 per month or $69.99 per year, which essentially gives you 2 free months. If that’s not enough savings, we’re tracking the best Disney Plus deals.

Hulu viewers should consider the Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus bundle, which costs $12.99 and saves you about $5. But those who don’t want ad-supported Hulu can bundle Disney Plus and ESPN Plus with Hulu’s ad-free version, and save $6 per month. The same offer is there for those paying for Hulu + Live TV.

The Disney Plus pricing is pretty competitive, and $6 cheaper per month than the $12.99 “Standard” Netflix package most people get (though there’s a basic plan with standard definition streaming that costs $8.99 per month, which, no thank you). 

Apple TV Plus is even cheaper, at $4.99 per month. Disney CEO Bob Iger defended his service’s 28% higher price, arguing that Disney Plus’ unique mix of originals and the incomparable Disney library makes the service stand out, even in front of more affordable services. Check out our Disney Plus vs Apple TV Plus face-off guide for more details.

Also, see our Apple TV Plus review to learn about the quality of its shows and the issues with its web streamer.

On Aug. 13, we learned that we’re getting a new Star Wars Holiday Special, but this time it’s a LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special. In a press release, the company revealed its special fits into the Skywalker Saga chronology by following the aftermath of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and sees “Rey leaves her friends to prepare for Life Day as she sets off on a new adventure with BB-8 to gain a deeper knowledge of the Force,” and that’s followed by Rey meeting all the force ghosts of Star Wars past, including Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Yoda and Obi-Wan.

On CNBC, Disney exec Bob Chapek explained that The Mandalorian Season 2 is still on track for its fall release, as it wrapped filming before the current pandemic forced production to halt for many shows.

Lights! Music! Muppets! …Unscripted! Get ready to see your favorite characters like never before in #MuppetsNow, an Original Series, coming July 31 only on #DisneyPlus. #DisneyBundle pic.twitter.com/1gLtOx3cklMay 20, 2020

• Avengers: Infinity War: June 25
• Hamilton: July 3
• Solo: A Star Wars Story: July 9
• Ant-Man and the Wasp: July 29
• The Incredibles 2: July 30
• Muppets Now: July 31
• The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: TBA (pushed back from Aug. 2020)
• Maleficent: October 1
• The Mandalorian season 2: October
• WandaVision: December
• Ralph Breaks the Internet: December 11
• Loki: TBA 2021
• What If…?: TBA 2021 
• Hawkeye: TBA 2021
• Moon Knight: TBA 2021
• Ms. Marvel: TBA 2021
• Untitled Obi-Wan Kenobi series: TBA
• Untitled Cassian Andor series: TBA

Disney Plus review and recommendation

In our Disney Plus review, we gave the service positive marks, naming it one of the best streaming services yet, especially for families. The early hiccups of streaming issues have subsided, and Disney Plus’ elegant animated interface continues to charm us. 

It doesn’t hurt that Disney throws in included 4K Ultra HD resolution and family sharing (up to four devices). Plus, its $6.99 price is hard to argue with, especially now that Disney keeps adding recent movies to it, like Frozen 2. 

Disney Plus movies

Disney Plus offers streaming access to hundreds, if not thousands, of movies. They include animated classics like Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. There are also newer hits like Frozen and Frozen 2, as well as Pixar favorites like Finding Dory and Toy Story 4.

Since Disney owns Lucasfilm, Disney Plus is home to Star Wars films, including the original trilogy, the prequel trilogy and the sequel films (although The Rise of Skywalker is still forthcoming).

And Disney also owns Marvel, so you can stream Avengers: Endgame, Black Panther, Captain Marvel and most of the other MCU movies (some are still on other streaming services, due to previous licensing deals). 

Disney’s also bringing its big-screen original films to Disney Plus far ahead of schedule, since the box office has been decimated by regulations related to preventing the spread of COVID-19. The company made Frozen 2 available on Disney Plus weeks early. Similarly, Onward, the recent Pixar movie, arrived on April 3.

But while Disney Plus is great for kids and families, adult-oriented content is lacking. For instance, for Valentine’s Day, Disney Plus had a sad collection of romantic movies for grown-ups.

Disney Plus shows

Movies are just one part of the Disney Plus library; television series are the other. Disney Plus has both classic TV shows and original shows that it developed exclusively for the service.

The classic shows include Disney Channel faves as well as shows produced by 20th Century Fox, like the entire series of The Simpsons. 

Original shows were led by the breakout hit The Mandalorian (Baby Yoda, we love you). Star Wars: The Clone Wars returned for a new season on Disney Plus. Other originals include High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, Encore and Diary of a Future President.

Another original we’ve enjoyed is The World According to Jeff Goldblum, where the iconic, whimsical actor learns about surprisingly complicated topics, such as sneakers and ice cream. 

More Disney Plus original shows are coming soon as well. Later this year will see the debuts of the first of Marvel’s series made for Disney Plus: Falcon and the Winter Soldier and WandaVision. A Loki series is also in the works for early 2021. Further down the line, Marvel is developing a Ms. Marvel show and a She-Hulk series.

Disney Plus streaming devices and apps

Disney Plus is available on desktop browsers on Mac and PC. The Disney Plus app is also available on most major streaming-capable devices:

• iPhones and iPads
• Android phones and tablets
• Apple TV
• Android TV
• Fire TV
• Fire tablets
• Roku
• Chromecast
• Chromebook
• Microsoft Xbox One
• PS4
• Smart TVs (LG WebOS, Samsung Tizen, Android TV, Vizio SmartCast, Roku TV)

Marvel movies and TV on Disney Plus

The Disney Plus Marvel lineup has assembled, and it’s almost complete. After launching with 16 titles, including Tom’s Guide favorite: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Disney Plus got Thor: Ragnarok on Dec. 5, and later acquired Black Panther, after its Netflix contract expired.

In terms of MCU Phase 4 programming, we’ve got The Falcon and the Winter Soldier flying in this August and WandaVision coming in December. Loki, What If…?, Hawkeye, Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel are all slated for 2021 at the earliest, and we wouldn’t be surprised to see that window slide back, as quarantines are halting production on all sorts of projects.

Check out our guide on how to watch the Marvel movies in order.

Star Wars movies and shows on Disney Plus

Most of the Star Wars films are on Disney Plus, but we’re still waiting on the last chapter of the Skywalker Saga. Currently, we’ve got the whole original trilogy (Episodes IV through VI), the prequel trilogy (Episodes I through III), The Force Awakens (Episode VII) and Episode VIII: The Last Jedi (which dropped on Dec. 26). 

Yes, that means we’re still trying to figure out when The Rise of Skywalker is coming to Disney Plus.

The Mandalorian Season 2 is coming in October 2020, and Rosario Dawson was just recently cast to portray Clone Wars character Ahsoka Tano, who has never appeared in a live action show before.

Folks who just can’t wait for more Mando get a little treat on Star Wars Day. Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, is an 8-part documentary series that goes behind the scenes of how the hit show was made.

The Untitled Obi-Wan Kenobi series and Untitled Cassian Andor series are both up in the air. And while we wait for official release details, we just got a little morsel that sounds plausible.

The Twitter account @starwarstuff credits a French Disney Plus press release with the scoop that “The CASSIAN ANDOR series is set to release in 2021, with the OBI-WAN KENOBI series releasing in 2022.”

Disney Plus 4K HDR and downloads

You don’t need to concern yourself with spending more to get a more-complete version of Disney Plus. Unlike on Netflix (where you need to spend an extra $5 per month to move from 1080p to 4K), Disney Plus includes Ultra HD streaming and 4 simultaneous streams at its standard price.

Disney Plus also lets you download all of its shows and movies to its apps.