STREAMING NETWORK LAUNCH: This changes things. Big time, and immediately. Changes in TV history tend to arrive incrementally, but Disney+ arrives today, hitting the TV landscape like a giant asteroid. It’s less a day-one dip into the waters than an all-out naval assault. The original series premiering today on Disney+ are impressive
, and many will be detailed in separate listings below. But the backlog, the existing offerings available to stream immediately for $7 a month (or $70 if you prepay for a year), include such animated Disney classics as
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Fantasia, Dumbo, and
Bambi. Other movies, like
Mary Poppins and
The Incredible Journey, are here too, as are most of the
Star Wars films, and various Muppet movies, and
Toy Story and other Pixar films, and many of the Marvel movies, and all episodes of
The Simpsons. For my review of the new programs on Disney+, and to sample them, listen to my review today on
NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Or to see me talk about Disney+ more spontaneously, take another look at
yesterday’s edition of TVWW’s Best TV Tomorrow. In both places, it’s the TV event of the day.