From ‘The Mandalorian’ To ‘Avengers: Endgame’: All The Disney+ Content We’re Most Excited For
Ready for a new streaming service?
Disney+ is almost upon us.
Yep, just when you thought you were on top of the truly titanic wave of content that defines life in 2019, a new player has entered the game. Disney+ will host the entirety of the entertainment behemoth’s back catalogue — including some very, very weird throwback titles.
But it’ll also have a bunch of original shows and movies, new entires in some of the biggest franchises that Hollywood has ever produced.
Here are the ones that we’re most excited for.
The Mandalorian
So far, Star Wars spin-offs have been a mixed bag — Rogue One, although popular, was a tonal and narrative mess, while Solo was the lowest-grossing Star Wars movie in history.
But The Mandalorian is something different again. A sci-fi Western that seeks to expand the original canon without just being in slavish debt to it, the series boasts a bunch of legendary names in front of and behind the camera — Werner Herzog! Taika Waititi!
Initial critical notices have been great, with writers describing the 27 minutes screened for them as “awesome”, “intense” and “dark”. Sounds like pure Star Wars.
When it launches: November 19 in Australia
The Lady And The Tramp
This is probably a hot take, but it needs to be said: The Lady And The Tramp is the best classic Disney cartoon. It’s got it all: dogs, dogs, and more dogs. The spaghetti scene is art, and all the dog stuff that happens around it is art too.
All that makes the idea of a feature-length, live action remake all the more tantalising. Starring Tessa Thompson and written by indie, mumblecore legend Andrew Bujalski, the thing looks like a low-stakes charmer. Count us in.
When it launches: November 19 in Australia
Forky Asks A Question
Forky is the breakout star of Toy Story 4. Riddled with existential dread, convinced that he is trash, and held together by cheap plastic and neuroses, he’s the definition of the millennial ‘it me’. After all, who hasn’t felt like they are moments away from total emotional collapse?
In Forky Asks A Question, a series of comedic digital shorts, the character will explore some of the biggest questions facing the human race. That sounds fun! But the real key is his constant nervous energy. If there’s one thing this overwhelming world needs, it’s more characters barely holding it together.
When it launches: November 19 in Australia
Monsters At Work
Monsters Inc. is a modern masterpiece, compared to which dreck like Citizen Kane can proceed straight to hell. Try to tell me that the sight of Mike making up a fake musical in order to hide Boo from the monster authorities doesn’t contain everything that is transcendent about the moving image as an artform. Just try to tell me.
Luckily, we’re getting more Mike in our lives in the form of the spin-off series Monsters at Work. Billy Crystal and John Goodman have returned to the property, and the whole thing will be set in the shadow of that film’s exciting climax.
Sounds good as hell, basically.
When it launches: Sometime in 2020.
Hawkeye
Some of the most exciting Disney+ content is still on the horizon. Chief among those forthcoming titles is Hawkeye, a spin-off about everyone’s favourite bow-wielder based, allegedly, on the comics line by modern master Matt Fraction.
It might not be worth keeping your fingers too crossed for this one dropping in the near future, mind you. Hailee Steinfeld, who was initially touted to play Hawkeye’s protege Kate Bishop, recently announced that it might not be necessarily going into production any time soon. Time to get Marvel on the horn and demand that shit, I reckon.
When it launches: Who knows?
Disney+ launches on November 19 in Australia.