Get ready to hug your physical DVDs, Blu-rays and 4K discs a little tighter, film fans – because while the age of streaming seemed to come with the promise of everything being available everywhere all at once, that has recently begun to give way to a less optimistic reality. After multiple HBO Max projects were dropped from that service – with no other home to view them on, and no physical release either – it now seems that Disney+ is following suit, with major series, documentaries and original movies set to be dropped from the service on 26 May. It is expected that this is being pursued as a cost-cutting measure, though the exact metrics and cost implications are unclear.
Among the projects leaving Disney+ one week today, according to Deadline, will be the likes of the recent Willow streaming series (a major big-budget Lucasfilm fantasy show, which only finished in January), sports drama sequel series The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, the Turner & Hooch show, National Geographic’s The World According To Jeff Goldblum, Sex Pistols drama Pistol, fantasy film Artemis Fowl, Shakespearean teen comedy movie Rosaline, and the series adaptation of Y:The Last Man. Also leaving the service? Disney documentary Howard, about legendary songwriter Howard Ashman, who majorly boosted the Disney Renaissance era with his contributions to The Little Mermaid, Beauty & The Beast, and Aladdin, and died from AIDS-related complications in the early 1990s.
It remains to be seen whether the series, films, and docs will be made available again on Disney+ in future, or whether any may receive physical releases down the line. On a recent Disney earnings call, CFO Christine McCarthy stated that the company was “in the process of reviewing the content on our [direct to consumer] services to align with the strategic changes in our approach to content curation.” So, make of that what you will – just don’t expect your favourite streaming releases to be available in perpetuity.