Whether you’re a serious Disney fan or just a fan of popular franchises like Marvel or Star Wars, the upcoming Disney+ streaming service is going to have a lot to offer. However, if the current Disney+ preview going on in the Netherlands is any indication, it might be offering even more than we thought. It appears that items like deleted scenes, and other material frequently found on home movie releases might also be included on Disney+.
The evidence comes from an image posted to Reddit, which shows the mobile interface for Disney+ from a user located in the Netherlands, where the service is currently being tested.
While getting access to massive libraries of films including Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and more was already going to make Disney+ huge, the fact that we could be getting a lot more content than just the films and series we were expecting is even bigger.
The main streaming services today, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc, offer an impressive collection of films and television series, but they don’t go beyond that. If you want deleted scenes or behind-the-scenes documentaries, you have to buy the Blu-ray of the movie. It seems now, that with Disney+ you may not even need to do that.
It needs to be said that just because this material appears to be part of the Disney+ preview in the Netherlands doesn’t mean that we’ll actually see all of it , or any of it, when the service launches in the U.S. on November 12. Because this is a preview, things certainly may change. Beyond that, streaming rights vary greatly from country to country, so just because something is available there doesn’t mean the U.S. will get it, at least at launch.
Still, even if we only get this additional material on some products, it’s still valuable and a welcome addition.
As an example, Disney has already stated that Avengers: Infinity War, the movie seen in this image, will be released on Disney+ in the first year, but that it will not be a day one product in the U.S, so don’t be expecting to watch these deleted scenes out of the box.
Disney+ is already looking to be a major player from the day it launches. But if it includes these sorts of extras as well as the movies and TV shows we’re expecting, it could potentially really change the game. If every new addition to the service doesn’t simply add a movie, but additional content for each one, that’s an even better value for your money.
If users really grab hold of this additional content, one wonders if we could potentially see the other services adding this kind of material in order to better compete.
It is a potentially curious move on Disney’s part. If we really do get all the bonus features we would expect to get on Blu-rays on Disney+, then that makes buying discs even less necessary, which is still a not insignificant part of the company’s business. We know that all new Disney movies are going to be added to Disney+ after the normal home video window, but these extras were a potential way to keep that business going, something exclusive you could only see if you buy the disc. Now, it looks like the only value in buying a Blu-ray or Digital HD movie will be being able to watch it before it hits Disney+.
Sign-ups for Disney+ are now live so those interested in adding the service can make sure they won’t miss a day. As far as what exactly we’ll be getting on November 12, we may be waiting until the day comes to know for sure.