disneyplus.com
This year, premium streaming services have popped up all over the place. One of the most anticipated streaming services for 2019 is Disney+. It's jam-packed with Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and other shows!
Since Disney's acquisition of Netflix in 2013, the entertainment giant has gradually been removing more and more content from other streaming services. This culminated with the launch of Disney+ on November 12th, 2019. The platform was incredibly popular from the get-go, with website crashes and errors being reported by users.
The company promises exclusive content unavailable anywhere else. So far, they have delivered on that promise by releasing the popular series The Mandalorian. The show has been an overnight sensation and has given viewers high hopes that the company will continue to produce quality media.
Website Design
Disney+ is one of the most well-designed streaming services I've ever used. It has a seamless navigation system, as well as title placements that match their other platforms.
The large HD photo banners scrolling at the top are perfect. Typically, an overtly large image can be overkill. In this case, the image is pleasantly eye-catching.
The menu sits at the top of the page. The Disney+ logo is on the list. It reads from left to right - home, search, watchlist, originals, movies, and series. Everything you need is in one centralized location on the page.
Under the featured programs, the site blocks out popular choices with nice animations. Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic are some categories available. When you click on any of the boxes, there is an animation within the box. After clicking the box, the site takes you to a page with a large header animation and related shows.
Content
Disney+ does a great job of catering to every audience's interests. From old series you forgot about to the newest Marvel movies, Disney delivers on its promise to fans with a wide library of content.
If you hit the search button, you can explore a variety of titles. For example, the Princess Collection includes vaulted movies like the previous ones as well as newer installments like Frozen, Moana, and Tangled. Not to mention, there are series options too!
Like Netflix, Disney+ has added new content to their streaming service. So far, the most notable original from Disney is The Mandalorian. The series has been a big hit with fans and continues to be talked about online.
Desktop & Mobile Accessibility
Disney+ is a dream come true. The beautifully designed desktop website and streaming service is impressive. The sleek black background allows the bright colors of the HD preview images from the shows to pop, and the contrast between them creates a beautiful harmony.
The monochrome scheme is very modern and appealing to the eye. The shades of grey are used to block out some of the category options. The text is a crisp white and complements the theme well. The font is simple and clean, resulting in a beautiful and cohesive design.
The mobile application opens and displays the same animation as the desktop version. This usually spells disaster, but Disney thought of other applications when modeling their website.
The app's thumbnail images are large enough to see without strain, and the search on the app is easy to find and useful. It offers a search bar at the top and the option to discover new titles beneath. The third button beside the search menu is the download list. Movies and series downloaded on your device will appear here. Last, account settings are available in this menu.
You can add profiles and customize them by using the app. You are able to access and edit your watchlist, as well as App settings. These settings allow you to choose how to use your mobile data, download options, and video quality. Another handy piece of information the app settings give is your iPhone storage so you can know space availability for downloads.
Positives
Disney+ is a great streaming service that's worth the wait. The developers made sure to cover all of the bases when developing it, and it has great features.
This deal is perfect for those who want to watch their favorite Disney movies and shows with their family.
The price range for Disney+ subscriptions ranges from $6.99 per month to $69.99 per year. The price is very affordable when compared to other streaming services that charge substantially more for their memberships and often come with more stipulations. The Disney+ bundle including ESPN and Hulu is perfect for those who want to watch their favorite Disney movies and shows with their family, as it offers a great value at only $12.99 per month.
The program offers unlimited downloads on up to 10 devices. The membership encompasses original content that you cannot find on any other site. Baby Yoda, which was released last month, is a popular new piece of Disney content and promises to be remembered as unforgettable memories.
Disney+ is a great way to access nostalgic television shows from your childhood. It's amazing to be able to share these shows with your children, who you never thought you would see again. Gargoyles is a good starting point for nostalgics. The popular '90s show was added to the Disney+ library recently.
Negatives
There are some small issues with Disney+ that I can see, but overall it's a great site. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good streaming service.
The search feature on Disney+ is mostly reliable, but there are times where it orders titles in a strange way. For example, sometimes the system will organize search results as alphabetical. Other times, it will organize them from newest to oldest. Since Disney+ is so new, it's possible that they're just testing things out, but we can't wait for them to decide on an order and stick with it. Ideally, chronological order of what the titles from the first movie to the last would arguably be better.
Sometimes when selecting titles, the stream will lag out. It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's a bummer. Luckily, it isn't a constant occurrence. Usually, going back and reselecting is the solution to this problem.
Another annoyance from Disney+ is that some titles are currently unavailable. When you view a movie poster for a title, you typically click it to watch right then and there. However, Disney+ features an image of the movie when you click to watch; this means that the title is unavailable when you try to watch it. This is an advertisement for an upcoming movie that will be made available in the future.
Improvements Needed
There is nothing that needs to be improved on Disney+, but if I could choose one thing, it would be the misleading titles that need to be taken down. Instead of lumping them in with other titles which do not show up in search results, a 'coming soon?' list that was visible would be nice.
Summary
There are many great streaming websites out there, but Disney+ comes out on top. The site has an amazing amount of popular titles, as well as original content. It's growing steadily, with both desktop and mobile apps that are practically perfect. Disney+ managed to perfect the design of a flawless streaming service in just one try!