Disney+ launched on November 12, 2019, just four months before the COVID-19 pandemic was due to close cinemas. This left many viewers stuck at home and in need of something to watch, making Disney+ an ideal streaming service for families. It also gave Disney a platform to release movies that were delayed and piled up in their schedule.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a major impact on movie studios, especially Disney, who were investing heavily in streaming content at the time. From 2020 to 2022, Disney released 15 of their films originally made for theatrical release and premiered on Disney+ either for free as part of the subscription or in a hybrid release on the service at an additional cost along with theaters. Here are the 15 movies in order of release on Disney+.
Noelle
Unlike the other movies on this list, Noelle is the only one not released on Disney+ due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Noelle was green-lit by Disney in January 2017 and was intended to be released in theaters on November 8, 2019. But in February 2018 it was confirmed that Noelle was shifted to a Disney+. The film premiered on the streaming service as a launch title on November 12, 2019, four days after its originally scheduled release date.
Artemis poultry
Artemis poultry had been in development hell since 2001 and was in development by Disney since 2013. The film was initially scheduled to be released on August 9, 2019, but was pushed back to May 29, 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic closed all cinemas and Disney decided to cancel Artemis poultrys theatrical release and instead released on Disney+ on June 12, 2020.
The movie received extremely negative reviews from fans and critics alike, and Disney was probably more than happy to put the movie on streaming as a way to cover up any disappointing box office numbers the movie might have had if it opened in theaters.
Hamilton
Hamilton was a Broadway sensation and the rights to the filmed show were a highly coveted item among studios. In February 2020, Disney acquired the worldwide distribution rights for $75 million by beating Netflix and Warner Bros. The original plan was to release the production in theaters on October 15, 2021. But just a month after Disney acquired the rights, the COVID-19 pandemic closed theaters and Disney decided to release more content for their streaming platform Hamilton on July 3, 2020, just one day before July 4.
Releasing on the 4th of July weekend was a big win for Disney as it made it a community event for Americans to participate in even if they weren't all in the same room and reportedly the second most viewed straight to streaming used to be. title of the year Wonder Woman 1984.
Magic camp
Magic camp was in production for a year before Disney+ was announced in 2017. Magic camp was filmed around January 2017 and was shelved for years. The theatrical release was originally scheduled for April 6, 2018, before the theatrical release was cancelled. The film finally premiered on Disney+ on August 14, 2020, where it received mostly negative reviews.
The one and only Ivan
The one and only Ivan would become a rare mid-budget theatrical release for Disney in theaters. The slate of the studio had become almost exclusively Marvel, Star WarsPixar, Walt Disney Animation and live-action remakes so it was refreshing to see them give space to an adaptation of a book as theatrical release as they had done in the past with Bridge to Terribethia And Holes.
Originally scheduled for release on August 14, 2020, The one and only Ivan plans for the theatrical release date were scrapped and instead released on Disney+ a week later on August 21, 2020. The film received mixed reviews from critics and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.
Mulan
Mulan was a major, big-budget remake of one of Disney's best-loved animated films and would be treated to the big screen. The film was originally set to hit theaters on March 27, 2020, but the theatrical release was canceled as two weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic forced theaters to close. Hoping that cinemas would open soon, Disney set the film for a July 24, 2020 release, and then again on August 21, 2020.
On August 4, 2020, Disney announced that Mulans theatrical release would be canceled and premiere on Disney+. But instead of being released for free on the service like the previous movies, Mulan would be released on the service under their Premier Access feature for $30. The film was made available for free to Disney+ subscribers on December 4, 2020, and was theatrically released in countries with open theaters and no access to Disney+.
Clouds
Clouds was a musical biopic about teenager Zach Sobiech who has osteosarcoma and decides to pursue his dream of becoming a musician after discovering he is dying and writes the hit "Clouds".
Warner Bros. Pictures originally developed the film and planned a theatrical release, but later sold the project to Disney during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disney released the movie on their streaming service on October 16, 2020.
Soul
Disney and Pixar had set up Soul for release on June 19, 2020, which would have been five years to the date a similar high-concept film from Pixar on complex themes called Inside out had opened. Soul was pushed back to Thanksgiving weekend 2020, but then the theatrical release was scrapped and scheduled for a Disney+ premiere on Christmas Day. unlike Mulan which cost $30, Soul was released on the service for free, which would become a trend among Pixar movies that would make many Pixar employees unhappy.
Raya and the Last Dragon
Raya and the Last Dragon was going to be the big 2020 movie from Walt Disney Animations and got the Thanksgiving weekend that benefited Frozen, VaianaAnd Frozen 2. However, when Soul was pushed to Thanksgiving 2020, it caused a domino effect and was pushed Raya and the Last Dragon to March 12, 2021. The film was then pushed back to a release date of March 5, 2021, and was set to release simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ via Premier Access.
Cruella
Disney originally set Cruella set for release on December 23, 2020, but actually postponed the film to May 28, 2021, just as filming began, so the delay predates the COVID-19 pandemic. Cruella was released in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access on May 28, 2021, in addition to the theatrical release date of A Quiet Place Part II was seen as the first real sign that theaters were opening up and audiences were moving back to the theatre.
Luke
Luke would be Pixar's return to cinema after that Forward had its theatrical release cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic and Soul was released exclusively on Disney+. Luke was set to hit theaters on June 18, 2021, but in March 2021, just three months before release, it was confirmed that Disney had canceled its theatrical plans and would instead release the film on Disney+ on the same day.
Like it Soul, it was made free to stream instead of part of the Disney+ Premier Access and was a disappointing sign as theaters started to open slowly and Disney had already released Cruella and had two more movies due for theatrical release in the summer. It left Pixar employees feeling demoralized.
Black Widow
disney
Black Widow The release of Disney+ was a big deal. Originally slated to kick off Summer 2020 with a release date of May 1, 2020 COVID-19 forced Disney and Marvel to push it back to November 6, 2020 and then to May 7, 2021. Then it was announced in March 2021 that Black Widow was set to hit theaters July 9, 2021 and be on sale for $30 on Disney+ Premier Access. This decision eventually led to Scarlett Johansson filing a lawsuit against Disney that was eventually settled out of court two months later, but had an impact on the industry.
Jungle Cruise
Jungle Cruise had been in development at Disney since 2004 and had finally gained traction with stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. The film was originally scheduled to be released on October 11, 2019, and then pushed back to July 24, 2020. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced Disney to postpone the film, but unlike Black Widow, Soulor Mulan which were delayed by several months each time Jungle Cruise was postponed for an entire year to July 30, 2021.
In May 2021, Disney announced that the film would be released simultaneously in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access due to concerns over a recent surge in COVID-19. Jungle Cruise most notably the latest Disney+ Premier Access release at the time of writing, with Disney setting an exclusive 45-day theatrical window before movies like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, EternalsAnd Light year.
The Beatles: Go back
Disney acquired the distribution rights to Peter Jackson's Beatles documentary restoration project, The Beatles: Go back, on March 11, 2020, just days before the COVID-19 pandemic was set to force major shutdowns across the United States. Originally scheduled to be released as a theatrical film on September 4, 2020, it was subsequently pushed back to August 27, 2021.
This was confirmed in June 2021 The Beatles: Go back documentary would instead be released on Disney+ as a three-part documentary during Thanksgiving week of 2021. Disney did release a segment of the rooftop concert from the documentary titled The Beatles: Get Back – The rooftop concert in select IMAX cinemas.
To blush
The last major Disney movie to move to Disney+ was To blush, and it was controversial. After Soul and Luca were put on Disney+ for free, 2022 would mark Pixar's grand return to cinema with the dual releases of To blush in March 2022 and Light year in June of that year. However, due to fears of the Omicron variant in January 2022, Disney pulled out To blush out of theaters and made it a Disney+ exclusive, and free to stream like the other Pixar movies.
It was seen by many as a great insult to Pixar, one of Disney's main brands, to ship all of their recent original movies to Disney+ while keeping the one franchise entry. light year, as a theatrical release (which subsequently underperformed at the box office). To blush would open on March 11, 2022, and without the Warner Bros. movie The batter went unchallenged at the box office for three weeks with no major competition. The decision likely hurt many relationships at Pixar and could have been one of the last straws for former Disney CEO Bob Chapek, who was replaced in November 2022 by his predecessor Bob Iger.
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