Entertainment in 2020 has been a tricky road to navigate. Theaters were closed acrossthe country due to the COVID pandemic and was a sacrifice needed to benefit the public fromplaces with high chances of causing further spreading of the virus. And although this was the right choice, families would have to lose a source of entertainment.
If 2020 was the year the film industry suffered, 2020 was also the year where streaming services thrived. The concept of streaming movies and shows in the safety of your home seemed almost like the perfect solution in a year of lockdowns, but almost perfect. There is an abundance of streaming services, but not everyone has the disposable income to purchase them all.
A little over a year ago, Disney+ was released to the public. The promising catalogue of Disney classics and exclusive original content all wrapped up in a $6.99 per month bow was enticing to many families. Being a giant in family entertainment, Disney capitalized on thegrowing streaming industry with its extensive library of content that families have grown upwatching. With a strong nostalgia factor, large catalogue of old and new works, and an affordable price tag, Disney+ ticks all the right boxes. And although Disney+ sounds like a good deal, it is still up against giants like Netflix and Hulu who have more experience in the industry than the 1-year-old service.
Where is it’s value among the other services and especially now in a pandemic-stricken 2020? Disney is a family brand and that is what their service is targeted at. Families have been under lockdown for nearly half the year and another lockdown could be in the near future. With so much family time being presented, one can’t help but to see this as an opportunity for Disney to expand its subscriber base.
Disney’s catalogue offers Pixar films and shorts for the children, Marvel and Star Wars for the adults, and old Disney classics for grandparents. There is something to satisfy everyone with Disney+ being able to stream on four devices simultaneously and able to create seven profiles.In comparison, Netflix can only stream on two devices and can only create five profiles on its standard plan, which totals at $12.99 per month, almost twice as much as Disney+.
On launch day, Disney+ had problems dealing with the 10 millions users flooding to usethe service and subsequently leading to slow streaming speeds, difficulties actually being ableto open the service and causing a first bad impression on users.
This lack of preparation for large traffic was an oversight on behalf of the development engineers, but gave users a poor experience. But it’s been a year since and the service is better equipped to handle its now 73.7 million subscribers after patching its day one bugs and glitches.
Disney+ hosts a simple user interface that makes it easy to navigate through its titles.With different properties sorted into categories that makes it feel like picking through neatly organized drawers with every item being right where it should be. With all the organization being a great positive, it’s plain and simple look drags the overall experience and ironically takes the magical feel out of the Disney brand.
But you won’t be paying to look at a menu, so what about the content? Already, Disney has an edge over most of the competition in terms of exclusivity. Featuring old classics like “Snow White” and “Aladdin” and action-oriented films like Marvel movies are definitely eye catching. Disney+ also features TV shows like “Ducktales” that appeal to the millennial generation. Disney+ also caters to documentary fans with brands like National Geographic under their belt.
With more exclusives arriving in the coming years and a shift into paid streaming, Disney+ shows extreme potential. With a pandemic that’s so restrictive, people need a source of entertainment they canuse to waist the time.
With an affordable subscription price, an easy to use user interface, andenticing titles, Disney+ is a great streaming service. Disney fans will find this to be perfect and families will enjoy the service, especially in 2020. For all it offers, Disney+ is a solid choice that offers something for everyone.

Cesar Rostro is a junior and journalism 1 student.