Disney+, the Walt Disney company’s new streaming platform, has officially launched across North America.
Viewers who sign up can now enjoy a large selection of Disney, Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, and National Geographic shows and movies.
See also: Amazon launches new monthly Prime Membership option for Canadians
However, the highly anticipated launch of the website encountered glitches just hours after users signed up for the service, showing “unable to connect” messages when people tried to play shows.
Others expressed annoyance at having been put on hold for several hours while trying to access the company’s Customer Service line.
In response, the Disney+ Help Twitter account simply stated that the demand for the service exceeded their expectations, and they are working to resolve the issues.
The consumer demand for Disney+ has exceeded our high expectations. We are working to quickly resolve the current user issue. We appreciate your patience.
— Disney+ Help (@DisneyPlusHelp) November 12, 2019
The new streaming service is priced at $8.99/month, in competition with Netflix Canada’s standard rate of $13.99/month, but just slightly more expensive than Amazon Prime’s $7.99/month price tag.
In total, the platform features nearly 500 films and 7,500 episodes of television from across the worlds of Disney, both old and new.
Among the service’s first original series and films debuting today, are:
- The Mandalorian, the epic first-ever live-action Star Wars series;
- Lady and the Tramp, a live-action re-telling of the 1955 animated classic;
- Noelle, an original holiday comedy film starring Anna Kendrick;
- High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, the all-new scripted series set at the real-life East High featured in the blockbuster film franchise;
- The World According to Jeff Goldblum docu-series from National Geographic; and
- Marvel’s Hero Project, which celebrates extraordinary kids making a difference in their communities.
The global rollout of Disney+ began with Canada, the US, and the Netherlands on November 12th and launches one week from now in Australia, New Zealand and Puerto Rico.
Disney+ will launch in markets across Western Europe — including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and a number of other countries in the region — on March 31st, 2020.
