Well, it seems that Disney/Fox deal came together at just the right time for one of the industry’s biggest budding streaming services. All 30 seasons of The Simpsons will stream exclusively on Disney+ beginning on the service’s November 12, 2019 launch date. The first major details and the first look at the streaming service were unveiled today at Disney’s investor event, where CEO Bob Iger unveiled the impressive scope of content on the lineup.
Nestled in among surefire hits like a batch new live-action shows set in the Marvel and Star Wars universes, Disney’s classic animated and live-action films, Disney Channel and NatGeo content, and the beloved Star Wars and MCU blockbusters, The Simpsons is sure to become a crown jewel in the fan-favorite content.
Watching Disney’s streaming service come together is like watching a spectacularly hatched scheme come together. Their plans may not be as diabolical as someone like Hannibal Lecter (at least we can hope, though the industry dominance is a worrying factor), but they certainly give cinema’s most diabolical minds a run for their money in terms of planning and execution.
By acquiring one of its major rivals just ahead of its streaming service rollout, Disney has effectively doubled its resources for exclusive streaming content, including hits like The Simpsons that target different demographics and fanbases than classic Disney fare.The result could be something akin to the reported wild popularity of syndicated shows like Parks and Rec and Friends on Netflix, and The Simpsons gives Disney that coveted opportunity to tap into one of TV’s most beloved comedies, with a built-in base of hours worth of streaming content. And if you needed any proof that the show has lasting appeal to audiences, it became the longest-running series in 2016 when it was renewed for its 30th season.
Other former Fox titles headed to the service include classic films like The Sound of Music and The Princess Bride, as well as series like Malcolm in the Middle. Those titles will be a part of some more than 7,500 television episodes and 500 films Disney is boasting from the Fox catalogue, including “blockbuster hits from 2019 and beyond.”
I have to admit I’m blown away by the content lineup Disney has laid out for its debut (see all the details on the confirmed Disney+ movies and TV series here). It’s one hell of a wide-ranging content that targets every demo under the sun: they’ve got the youth set with Pixar and animated classics, as well as new content like the Monsters, Inc. series; they’ve got teens with Disney Channel content and the new High School Music series; they’ve got cinephiles with a strong resume of classics; they’ve got holiday movies and nature docs, and of course, they’ve got their headlining blockbusters.
That includes Captain Marvel, Marvel Studios’ latest film to cross a billion dollars at the box office, which will be available to stream on day one. And all for a starting price of seven bucks a month, an accessible and low-cost monthly fee that puts the price-hiking services like Netflix in a bit of a crunch. Again, I’m downright impressed. It’s an incredible strategy and I have no doubt that it will be wildly successful for the studio. While I’m nervous to see how the fallout from Disney’s continued titanic growth impacts the industry, there’s no denying the consumer value in their product.
For more on The Simpsons, check out the links below and stay tuned for the latest on Disney+ as it breaks: