Disney+ launch Australia: How to watch and every single launch title

Disney’s streaming service launches today so here’s what you need to know about how to watch it and every title on there now.

If you’re a Simpsons fan, a Star Wars fan, a nostalgia tragic or the parent of young(ish) kids, then today is the day you’ve been waiting for.

Disney’s gargantuan streaming service has finally launched in Australia this morning, and with it the enormous vault of content the House of Mouse can offer.

We’re one of the first six countries in the world to get it, and only a week behind the Americans. Your friends and family in the UK have to wait until next year, so make sure you really rub it in while you can.

So here’s what you need to know including how to get it, what it costs, the original series and movies at launch, some highlights, what’s coming and, at the bottom, the enormous list of every title the service has from today.

HOW YOU CAN WATCH

You can access DisneyPlus on desktop and through the Disney+ app which is now available on Apple devices (including iPhones, iPads and Apple TV), Android devices, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV stick, select Sony, LG and Samsung smart TVs, PS4 and Xbox.

The user interface follows a familiar format, similar to Netflix and other streaming services, featuring horizontal carousels with recommendations, originals and categories such as “feel good sports movies” or “reimagined classics”.

Twenty-nine seasons of The Simpsons will be on Disney+ in Australia (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)

WHAT IT COSTS

A Disney+ subscription costs $8.99 a month or $89.99 for 12 months after a free seven-day trial.

One subscription gives you four simultaneous streams in 4K and Dolby Atmos on supported devices. You can be logged in on 10 devices at a time and it can be organised into seven different profiles for different members of your household.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

Given the fracturing of streaming, every new entrant into a crowded market knows the real game is exclusive original content. These include:

The Mandalorian: This Star Wars series is the biggest drawcard at launch with a spin-off series about a bounty hunter from Mandalore (the home of Boba and Jango Fett), played from behind a helmet by Game of Throner, Pedro Pascal.

The Mandalorian is Disney+’s signature original Picture: Francois Duhamel/Lucasfilm

Lady and The Tramp: A live-action reboot of the classic cartoon about the adventures and romance between a pampered pooch and a street dog, featuring the voices of Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux.

Encore: A feel-good reality series hosted by Kristen Bell, each episode follows a different group of people who as high-schoolers put on a musical production (such as Annie and Beauty and the Beast) who reunite as adults for a special encore performance.

The World According to Jeff Goldblum: This National Geographic docoseries is exactly what the title implies, a show following Jeff Goldblum being extremely Jeff Goldblum-y. The first episode follows Goldblum as he explores the world of sneaker fanatics.

High School Musical: The Series: How about this for meta – the show is set at a fictional high school where the student body puts on a stage production based on the Disney movies, High School Musical. Teen dramas ensue.

Forky Asks a Question: Over 10 two- and three-minute episodes, the existential Toy Story character will ponder the greatest questions in the universe, like “What is money?”. Even grown-ups can appreciate the stunning voice work of Tony Hale.

Noelle: Anna Kendrick in a Christmas movie. You know which side you’re going to fall on this.

Of course, Disney+ is about much more than the new stuff. For many fans, it’s going to be about that back catalogue, led by The Simpsons.

The Simpsons has not been available on on-demand streaming previously and as much as those DVDs seemed like a great idea at the time, pulling out those discs is so 2008. The Australian library features all episodes from seasons one to 29 (except for “Stark Raving Dad”, the Michael Jackson episode) and the movie.

There was consternation when Disney+ launched in the US last week over the choice to present the show in wide-screen rather than its original 4:3 aspect ratio but Disney has since revealed it will incorporate a 4:3 option from next year.

Other highlights of back catalogue includes all the Pixar movies, Disney classics such as The Aristocats, Bambi and The Little Mermaid, every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie including Avengers: Endgame, Fox movies such as The Sound of Music and every Star Wars movie.

There are older cartoons we grew up with like the 1980s Ducktales and Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers.

My personal favourites that I’ll be sure to rewatch are Lilo and Stitch, Monsters Inc and the short-lived Agent Carter TV show which hasn’t been consistently available on streaming before.

Both seasons of Agent Carter are on Disney+

WHAT’S COMING UP

For Marvel fans, Disney+ will be the exclusive home of a bunch of upcoming shows including spin-offs The Falcon and Winter Soldier, WandaVision, Loki, What If…?, Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel.

But the first of those isn’t due to hit until next year.

THE FULL LIST

Here’s the complete list of content available on Disney+ at launch in Australia, painstakingly compiled by Dan Barrett, who writes the excellent Always Be Watching newsletter.