Is Disney Plus worth it?

Is Disney Plus worth it? Disney Plus Australia is a dedicated portal to the vast catalogue of movies and TV shows made and owned by the world’s biggest international media group.

This impressive service includes franchises like Marvel, Stars Wars and Pixar alongside popular TV series like Modern Family, Family Guy, The Simpsons and many, many more.

What is Disney Plus?

Giant media corporations regaining control of their content is a big thing right now, but Disney has always played that game. That is exactly what Disney Plus is – almost all of Disney’s catalogue of original content ready to watch on demand. Classic and modern movies, cartoons, family films, teen dramas, and even a whole bunch of stuff you probably forgot that Disney made.

Disney now also owns Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, National Geographic and 20th Century Fox. That means all the content from those mega-franchises and brands is now exclusive to Disney Plus as well.

The icing on the very entertaining cake is the price, which is designed specifically to be cheaper than Netflix while delivering a staggering range of content. But what are the pros and cons? Continue reading our Disney Plus review below to find out.

What can I watch on Disney Plus?

Disney Plus Australia has some great movies and shows that aren’t available on the US service – a surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

Across the Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars and National Geographic shows and movies available, there’s more than 750 movies (of which over 100 are in 4K HDR) and around 300 unique series.

Those numbers don’t include the huge amount of extra content in the new Star section which is covered in detail below. While there are fewer titles than you’ll find on Amazon Prime Video, Netflix or even on Stan, it is filled with premium content that you’ll be eager to watch.

Check out what’s on Disney Plus or explore latest releases below.

Everything Disney with premium quality

The Disney Plus library is huge. The entire Star Wars catalogue is here, all of it in 4K, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. Almost the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe is here as well, split into playlists for a marathon of Marvel movies – also all in 4K, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

There are all the Pixar movies and all of Disney’s animations, new and old – from Sleeping Beauty to the live-action Lady and the Tramp, both the Lion King and its live action remake, Pirates of the Caribbean and of course the Toy Story films. They even offer unique versions such as the optional Avatar family-friendly cut. It would be a crime to not mention that the service also comes complete with The Simpsons.

Alongside all of this are a bunch of Disney Plus Originals, including the much-acclaimed Star Wars spin-off TV show, The Mandalorian, with shows based around Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe makes its way into high-budget episodic TV, too, with Wandavision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier leading the way, as well as new additions Loki and Secret Invasion. Jeff Goldblum has his own show too, as does Kristen Bell who reunites high school classmates and makes them perform musicals in Encore.

Even more Disney Plus content with Star

Added to the service in February 2021, the new “Star” section features a massive collection of movies to stream and TV shows from the vast 20th Century Fox library, as well as Disney’s own movie studios Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures. This addition does away with any age group bias the service may have once had.

With movies ranging from the Die Hard and Alien series to epics like Braveheart, award winners like Black Swan, The Shape of Water and Jojo Rabbit, there’s tons of depth and variety here.

Then in TV shows, there’s stone-cold classics like The X-Files and Alias, Homeland, Empire, Firefly, Prison Break, Castle, Boston Legal, Futurama, Family Guy, as well as the top favourite crime comedy Only Murders in the Building.

Direct from the cinemas – Disney Plus Premier Access

Starting with Mulan back in September 2020, Disney Plus has been trying out a new concept – putting brand new movies up for streaming at the same time as their theatrical releases. They’re made available to all Disney Plus subscribers eventually, but Premier Access provides a stay-at-home alternative to heading out to the cinema, at a competitive price.

Since Mulan, Premier Access has featured Raya and the Last Dragon, the Emma Stone hit Cruella and the long-awaited Marvel blockbuster Black Widow. The Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt-starrer film, Jungle Cruise, is so far Disney’s most recent release on Premier Access. The movie is based on Walt Disney’s theme park of the same name, it was released on Disney Plus Australia and in other territories last 12th November 2021.

You can also find more shows and movies to watch using our streaming search bar.

Disney Plus Australia price

Anyone who’s subscribed to streaming services will be used to the various tiers of monthly subscription options which are usually based on quality and number of simultaneous screens. Disney Plus turns this idea completely on its head, by pricing the service’s base monthly fee lower than the competition’s HD plans, with a further discount for those willing to pay for a full year in advance.

With Disney Plus there are no tiers at all. Every subscriber gets access to the entire content library at the highest available quality streaming, as long as you’ve got the device to stream it. HD, 4K HDR, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, it’s all available on the base subscription price.

Up to four people can stream at the same time on an account, with up to ten devices able to download Disney movies and shows to watch on the go. This is a perfect feature for family sharing.

For this, other streaming TV services like Netflix charges $22.99 per month, while Stan costs $19. Disney Plus costs $13.99/month – or, if you pay annually for $139.99, it’s the equivalent of around $12/month.

At launch, the price was cheaper – $8.99/month – but the addition of Star to the service has added a ton of movie and TV content in return for a modest price rise. It’s worth noting that this is Disney Plus’ second price increase since launching in 2019.

Disney+ pricing update: Disney+ Standard retains the $13.99/month pricing, or $139.99 annually, although it no longer offers 4K and Dolby Atmos, as well as four concurrent streams. Instead, subscribers get streaming in full HD, up to 5.1 audio, and two simultaneous streams. 

Disney+ Premium, which costs $17.99 per month or $179.99 annually, now exclusively offers 4K HDR streaming, Dolby Atmos, and up to four concurrent streams. 

Last audited 1 November 2024

Unique Disney Plus features

The Disney Plus app is almost identical across all the TV platforms – both TVs and streaming devices. It is a consistent, easy to use and appealing interface that encourages you to browse content.

As far as usability goes, it is up there with the best. As the entertainment icon that is best known for capturing happiness, is this really a surprise? The app won the Apple TV App of the Year award back in 2020, so they’re clearly doing something right.

As it contains mature rated movies and shows, the Star section of Disney Plus can be PIN-protected, so that kids don’t accidentally stumble upon anything they shouldn’t. With the launch of Star, Disney has enhanced their profile system so that you can not only lock down adult profiles with a PIN, but also make it hard for the kids to leave the profile you set up for them with a new “Kid-proof Exit” feature.

How to watch Disney Plus Australia

While initially it was reported that Disney Plus was only going to be available on a limited number of devices, Disney greatly expanded the list of supported devices just before launch, including all major smart TV platforms. Every major popular device in Australia now includes the Disney Plus app, including Fetch and Telstra TV.

With the addition of Telstra TV, Disney has the majority of devices covered, from streaming boxes to computers to game consoles – all you need is an internet connection. So, if you like everything you have read in our Disney Plus Australia review so far, check out the devices below to discover their content for yourself.

We’ve tried the apps out on several different compatible devices and while they’ve all performed well, the best choice if you’re looking for something that can stream Disney Plus with all the picture and sound enhancements is the Apple TV 4K.

You can just as easily pick up your phone and cast content to your Chromecast. Google’s new remote-control-equipped Chromecast with Google TV also handles Disney Plus exceptionally well.

Contacting Disney Plus

Of course, we don’t always have a perfect experience with streaming services, and theses aspects can’t all be covered in our Disney Plus review. Technical problems can happen, and you need to know there’s someone you can call for help.

With Disney Plus you’ve got the choice of either live chat via the website, or you can speak to a customer service agent on the phone. Both options are accessed via the Help page on the Disney Plus website and apps, with the support team available around the world from 8am until midnight, seven days a week. You can also find them on Twitter at @DisneyPlusHelp if you prefer social media.

Disney Plus – The Pros and Cons

Is Disney Plus worth it?

The idea of a Disney-only streaming service had been around for a long while, but once it arrived it turned out to be even better than fans could have hoped.

With stellar streaming quality, a massive library of content with some of the biggest titles on the planet and well-designed apps, Disney Plus is a brilliant streaming service to have around – and it’s priced just low enough that you won’t need to cancel any other ones to pay for it.

In this Disney Plus review, the verdict is that the service provides a necessary addition to the family home.