Disney Plus Day is here! The Walt Disney Company is throwing a big global celebration today (November 12) in honor of its second birthday, and it's treating fans to a bunch of new content.
We've already seen some big movie drops today on Disney Plus — the streaming release of Shang-Chi among them — but there's plenty more stuff being revealed as we speak.
Among them are new trailers for the new Ice Age movie The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, a Big Hero 6 series called Baymax, a reboot of Cheaper By the Dozen and a sequel to Enchanted called, yes, Disenchanted. We've also got sneak peeks at a pair of new National Geographic docu-series starring Chris Hemsworth and Will Smith. More about all of them below.
That's a pretty good start, then, and there's lots more to come. Not yet a Disney Plus subscriber? There's no better time to sign up, as the company is offering a rare Disney Plus Black Friday deal that drops the price to $1.99.
Here's a guide to everything we know about Disney Plus Day.
Disney Plus Day date and start time
Disney Plus Day takes place today (November 12, 2021). The schedule of events started at 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT but will continue throughout the day.
How to watch Disney Plus Day: Schedule of events
The best way to follow the festivities is by heading over to our Disney Plus Day live blog, where we're bringing you all the big news as it happens. Check in with us there to find out exactly what Disney reveals.
Elsewhere, fans can follow along with Disney Plus Day on the official Disney Plus social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for first looks, trailers, sneak peeks and more.
On the Disney Plus platform itself, there will be a Pixar special at 11 a.m. ET and a Marvel Studios special at 11:45 a.m. ET.
More Disney Plus Day schedule details may follow.
Disney Plus Day: Everything that's happened so far
The Disney Plus day festivities kicked off a little early, with a string of new releases hitting the catalogue at midnight PT (3 a.m. ET). The star of the show is the streaming premiere of Marvel's Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, making a super-fast transition from theaters to streaming on-demand.
Not only is Shang Chi one the 12 Marvel movies available to view in the IMAX enhanced aspect ratio, a brand new episode of Marvel Studios Assembled goes behind the scenes of the movie to show you how it was made.
Meanwhile Marvel newbies can prepare for the upcoming release of Hawkeye with an archer-themed episode of Marvel Studios Legends.
Fans of Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson will also be happy to hear that his latest cinematic outing, Jungle Cruise, is now free to watch for all Disney Plus subscribers. Joined by Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall, the adaptation of Disney's long-standing theme park ride features the trio trekking into the Amazon rainforest to hunt down a mystical plant.
Lovers of the festive season can also tune into Home Sweet Home Alone, a Disney Plus original that reboots the classic holiday movie. The wintery theme continues with the debut of Olaf Presents, a series of shorts featuring Frozen's lovable snowman. There are five new entries to watch, each coming in at four minutes long.
Other additions to the Disney Plus library include the international debut of Michael Keaton-starring Dopesick (which is already available on Hulu in the U.S.), season 2 of The World According to Jeff Goldblum, and The Making of Happier than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles about Billie Eilish’s recent Disney Plus concert special.
A huge range of new shorts have also popped up on Disney Plus, including the Luca-spin-off Ciao Alberto, The Simpsons' themed Plusaversary special, the Disney Plus debut of Frozen Fever, Oscar-winning shorts Feast and Paperman, and the Mickey Mouse short Get A Horse!
We also have the Disney Plus debut of Enchanted, the 2007 fantasy movie starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey.
Star Wars fans can enjoy the history of Boba Fett ahead of his own TV series, which arrives December 29. Under the Helmet — The Legacy of Boba Fett is exactly what it sounds like, a special celebrating the origins and legacy of one of Star Wars' most popular side characters.
We've just had a trailer for The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, the next installment in the Ice Age franchise. This time the family favorites will be heading into the Lost World, a place filled with new creatures and dangers. Though we're guessing those dangers will still be dressed up in lots of wacky humor.
Here's some welcome (and unexpected) news — Disney is working on a Big Hero 6 series! Baymax is set to premiere next summer and you can watch the trailer above.
We're also apparently getting a reboot of Cheaper By the Dozen. This Disney Plus Original will star Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union and will be out in March.
A long-awaited sequel to Disney's 2007 live-action fairy tale musical Enchanted has been confirmed and it's coming to Disney Plus in fall 2022. Called Disenchanted it will see the return of Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey. A brief video of the pair confirming the news has also been shared.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans will be pleased to know the new animated movie, based on the first book in the popular series, will be hitting Disney Plus on December 3. The good news doesn't stop there, Greg Heffley and pals will also be returning in a sequel, Rodrick Rules. This will presumably launch on Disney Plus as well, though a release date hasn't been confirmed.
Disney Plus has been leaning heavily on nostalgia pretty much since launch, and that approach won't be changing anytime soon, as a new spin on Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers is coming in Spring 2022. The beloved chipmunks will be voiced by Andy Samberg and John Mulaney, and the comedic pair have released a video making it clear this new series isn't a reboot, it's a comeback.
Better Nate Than Ever, an original movie based on the popular kids' book is coming to Disney Plus in 2022. The feature will star newcomer Rueby Wood as Nate as well as Lisa Kudrow and Joshua Bassett. This should be an excellent all-singing, all-dancing flick for the whole family.
Halloween may be over for another year, but Disney Plus is already preparing for next year's festivities with confirmation that Hocus Pocus 2 will be arriving on Disney Plus in fall 2022.
Disney's current obsession with live-action remakes of its classic animated films isn't over yet, Pinocchio will be getting a refreshed retelling next. The cast list is rather impressive with Tom Hanks, Luke Evans and Cynthia Erivo all signed up, plus the likes of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Keegan-Michael Key will be providing their voices. The film will be directed by Robert Zemeckis.
National Geographic viewers haven't been left out during Disney Plus Day. A pair of new docu-series are coming to the streaming platform. Limitless will see Chris Hemsworth try and push himself further (if that's even possible), and Welcome to Earth sees Will Smith take a once-in-a-lifetime adventure around the globe. The former streams in 2022 with the latter set to debut much sooner on December 8.
If those two series weren't enough for you, there's good news. 2022 will also see the premiere of America the Beautiful. A Disney Plus show dedicated to the incredible sights and sounds that can be found across the USA.
It's time for another Cinderella story, this one with a footwear twist. Sneakerella is coming to Disney Plus on February 18. This modern-take on the classic story sees an aspiring sneaker design fall in love with the daughter of a basketball star. He'll need some help from his Fairy Godfather to achieve his dreams along the way.
The Proud Family return in the aptly named Louder and Prouder. This revival of the beloved 2000s animated series will also explore themes of inclusion and cultural diversity.
They're in all this together when High School Musical: The Musical: The Series returns next year. The third season of the show will see stars Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett return as the Wildcats go to camp. The tagline, "love is an open door", suggests we'll see plenty of Frozen songs covered as well.
Classic fantasy novels The Spiderwick Chronicles are coming to Disney Plus in the form of a new live-action series. The story follows the Grace children after they move into a new home and discover a secret of fairies in their backyard.
What is Disney Plus Day?
Disney Plus Day honors the second anniversary of the streaming service's launch in November 2019. Disney hasn't said exactly where Disney Plus Day content will be revealed, but we wouldn't be surprised to see content on both Disney Plus itself and the company's YouTube and social media.
Subscribers will be treated to new content releases across the service's brands: Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic (plus Star in international markets). They will also have access to a special presentation with sneak peeks of upcoming Disney Plus series and movies.
Additionally, Disney Plus Day marks the service's expansion into Asia-Pacific markets. Disney Plus becomes available in South Korea and Taiwan on November, and in Hong Kong on November 16.
Disney Plus Day is also being celebrated in at Disney Parks and Resorts around the world and Disney Cruise Line will roll out the blue carpet for Disney Plus fans with "surprise and delight moments" such as photo opportunities, character moments and more. ShopDisney.com will have special offers.
Popular network shows and syndicated series will join the party, along with talent and series across ABC, Disney Channel, ESPN and ESPN Plus, Freeform, FX, Hulu and National Geographic in the U.S., and on owned channels abroad.
And the service is rolling out a new feature called Imax Enhanced, which brings an expanded aspect ratio to 13 Marvel movies including Shang-Chi, Black Panther and Iron Man.
Disney Plus Day releases and trailers: What else to expect
Disney Plus Day will feature a bunch of new movie and series releases. The biggest news is streaming premiere of Marvel's Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, after its box office-smashing theatrical run, the free-to-watch debut of Jungle Cruise, and all the other additions to the catalogue.
We'd love to see Disney Plus get a tweak that makes it easier to watch post-credit scenes in Marivel movies, but we don't expect that to be an announcement.
But there's a lot more announcements expected to come later in the day, including:
- A special celebrating the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Disney Plus with an exciting look towards the future
- Disney Channel original movie Spin, in which Indian American teen Rhea discovers her passion for creating DJ mixes that blend her South Asian culture and the world around her
- All episodes of Fancy Nancy season 3, which will launch day-and-date with the series premiere on Disney Junior
Disney is also unveiling a special presentation for fans with sneak peeks into what's to come.
We expect some teasers, trailers and news about upcoming movies and series. That could include Marvel Disney Plus shows currently without release dates, such as Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk.
The Star Wars universe also has big shows on tap, so we're not putting it past them to reveal more details about Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars: Ahsoka and maybe even The Mandalorian season 3.
