Hot Off the Press Release: Disney+ Goes Live in NZ

Wahoo! All but the latest season of The Simpsons, which is airing on TVNZ 2, can be streamed from today in NZ on Disney+.

The competitively priced service, with 4K/Dolby Atmos streams costing nothing more than HD, launched today with more than 600 movies and 7,000 TV series episodes.

Most new episodes of the platform’s original commissions will premiere 9.01pm Fridays.

Owners of new or recent Sony, Samsung, LG and Android TVs will be able to view Disney+ on a downloadable app while Panasonic has one in the works.

Here’s the full press release:

Disney+, the highly anticipated streaming service from The Walt Disney Company, launched today in Australia and New Zealand. With over 600 films and 7,000 episodes of television from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more, Disney+ is the exclusive home for some of the world’s most beloved stories as well as a robust slate of original content ready to be discovered.

“The launch of Disney+ is a historic moment for our company that marks a new era of innovation and creativity,” said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company.  “Disney+ provides an exceptional entertainment experience, showcasing our library of beloved movies, TV series and exclusive original content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.”

As part of the launch, the service premiered its first original series and films including “The Mandalorian,” the epic first-ever live-action Star Wars series; “Lady and the Tramp,” a live-action re-telling of the 1955 animated classic; “Noelle,” an original holiday comedy film starring Anna Kendrick; “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” the all-new scripted series set at the real-life East High featured in the blockbuster film franchise; “Marvel’s Hero Project,” which celebrates extraordinary kids making a difference in their communities; “Encore!,” executive produced by the multi-talented Kristen Bell; “The Imagineering Story” a six-part documentary from Emmy and Academy Award-nominated director Leslie Iwerks; short-form series “Pixar IRL” and “Disney Family Sundays;” and animated short film collections “SparkShorts” and “Forky Asks A Question” from Pixar Animation Studios.

After launch, beginning November 22, most new episodes of each series will premiere on Fridays at 7.01pm AEDT and 9.01pm NZT.

The Past, Present, and Future of Storytelling  

The service provides viewers of all ages an unrivaled collection of new and library content from the world-class creators of The Walt Disney Company – the visionaries representing nearly a century of creativity from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more.

Beginning today, subscribers can enjoy:

• Timeless animated films from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Walt Disney Signature Collection, created or inspired by the imagination and legacy of Walt Disney – including “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Pinocchio,” “Bambi,” “The Lion King,” “Lady and The Tramp,” “Peter Pan,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Cinderella” and more.
• Three of the four highest-grossing films of all time: “Avengers: Endgame,” Avatar,” and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”
• Twenty-nine seasons of the 11-time Emmy Award-winning series “The Simpsons.”
• Hit films from Marvel Studios, including “Avengers: Endgame,” as well as “Captain America: Civil War,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Avengers,” “Iron Man 3,” “Doctor Strange,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Captain Marvel,” “Iron Man,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Avengers: Infinity War”, “Ant-Man”, “Ant-Man and the Wasp”, “Thor: Ragnarok (AU Only)” and “Black Panther”.
• Thousands of episodes from hit Disney Channel and Disney Junior series such as “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,” “Kim Possible,” “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” and “Jake and the Never Land Pirates” along with more than 100 Disney Channel Original Movies including “Descendants,” “High School Musical,” and “Camp Rock.”
• 20 (AU) / 18 (NZ) of Pixar Animation Studios’ groundbreaking fan favourite movies including “Wall-E,” “Up,” “Monsters Inc.,” “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “Toy Story,” “Inside Out” and “Brave,” as well as all of Pixar’s beloved theatrical shorts such as the Academy Award-winning “Bao” and “Sanjay’s Super Team.”
• More than 400 episodes and features from National Geographic, including the critically-acclaimed and award-winning documentary “Free Solo” and “Science Fair.”
• All six of the original classic Star Wars films released between 1977-2005, in addition to recent blockbusters “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”  and “Solo”. By the end of 2020, the entire Skywalker saga will be available on the service.
• Marvel television series from the 1970s to present day including “X-Men,” and “Spider-Man,”

Subscribers will also have access to a burgeoning collection of 4K Ultra HD films including the first seven Star Wars movies available for the first time in this format, along with “Hocus Pocus,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “Toy Story” 1-3, and more.

Best-in-Class Experience, Available Anywhere, Anytime

Disney+ offers subscribers high-quality and commercial-free viewing, up to four concurrent streams, unlimited downloads on up to ten devices, personalised recommendations, and the ability to set up to seven different profiles. Available content is streamed in UHD 4K, HDR10, and Dolby Atmos immersive audio on supported devices. Additionally, parents have the ability to set Kids Profiles that create an easy-to-navigate interface to access age-appropriate content.

Consumers can subscribe to Disney+ directly at DisneyPlus.com or via in-app purchase from the following partner platforms and devices (dependent on country):

• Web and Devices:
  • Web
  • iOS (iPhone and iPad)
  • Android (Phone and Tablet)
  • Apple TV (tvOS)
  • Chromecast
  • Amazon Fire TV (Australia)
• TVs
  • Sony TV (Android TV)
  • Samsung (Tizen)
  • LG (WebOS)
  • Android TV
• Gaming Consoles
  • PS4
  • Xbox One

Amazing Entertainment, Amazing Value

For one low monthly or annual fee, Disney+ offers consumers of all ages a compelling entertainment offering and an amazing price-to-value proposition.

• Australia: $8.99AUD/month or $89.99/year
• New Zealand: $9.99NZD/month or $99.99/year

Global Rollout

Announced earlier this month, on March 31, 2020, Disney+ will launch in markets across Western Europe – including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and a number of other countries in the region.

About Disney+

Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more, together, for the first time. From The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International segment, Disney+ is available on compatible devices and offers ad-free programming with a variety of original feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series and short-form content including series “The Mandalorian,” “High School Musical: The Musical – The Series,” and “Encore!” and films “Lady and the Tramp” and “Noelle.” Alongside unprecedented access to Disney’s incredible library of film and television entertainment and 29 seasons of “The Simpsons” at launch, the service will be the exclusive streaming home for films released by The Walt Disney Studios in 2019 and beyond, including “Captain Marvel,” “Avengers: Endgame,” and “Aladdin”. Visit DisneyPlus.com to subscribe and/or learn more about the service.