Entertainment

5 reasons why Disney+ is better than Netflix (and 1 big reason why it’s not)

Is it really the better option?

Published

August 24, 2019

Luigi Leonardo

The streaming landscape just got a lot more crowded. At Disney’s D23 Expo earlier today, the entertainment giant shared more official details surrounding its upcoming streaming platform, Disney+. Set for a November launch, the exclusive platform will include the entire Disney movie library, Disney’s latest acquisitions from Fox, and a slate of original movies and series. It’s a great day to be a Disney fan.

As details surface, Disney+ is already positioning itself as a worthy contender against Netflix’s streaming empire. With an exciting archive of content, is it any wonder? Let’s run through the reasons. Here are five ways that Disney+ is better than Netflix (and one big reason why it’s not).

1. An insanely tempting price

Right off the bat, Disney+ has already claimed the most competitive price tag for a streaming service. The platform’s basic plan will cost only US$ 6.99 (approximately PHP 366). Further, Disney is offering a premium ESPN+ and Hulu bundle deal for only US$ 12.99 (approximately PHP 680).

In comparison, Netflix is charging a steeper US$ 8.99 (approximately PHP 469) for the basic bundle. Netflix’s midrange plan costs US$ 12.99 (approximately PHP 680). Finally, the premium plan costs US$ 15.99 (approximately PHP 837).

Objectively, Disney+ is cheaper than most streaming alternatives today. Of course, prices are more than just static numbers. What makes Disney+’s cheaper price worth it (or even better than Netflix’s)?

2. Better device flexibility

Streaming has always worried about rampant account sharing. Most notoriously, Netflix enforces its simultaneous screen limit through its package deals. Its basic plan is compatible with only one screen. From there, the limit increases to two and four screens streaming concurrrently, depending on package.

Disney+ offers a cheaper alternative. Disney+’s basic plan already supports four simultaneous screens — a big win for the family-oriented streaming platform.

3. Sharper resolution

Another common pricing scheme involves the segregation of video quality. Netflix limits its basic plan to standard definition. The premium package, however, ramps it up to UHD resolution.

Again, Disney+ already offers the best available option with its basic plan. At its cheapest, the platform streams in 4K resolution. Similarly, it offers HDR video and Dolby Atmos audio support.

4. 3-in-1 streaming bundles

Disney+’s premium package offers a simultaneous subscription with ESPN+, Disney’s livestreaming platform for sports including basketball, football, and tennis. Similarly, the bundle offers a subscription to Hulu’s ad-supported streaming service. Currently, the separate platform has created timeless originals like The Handmaid’s Tale and Veronica Mars.

On its own, ESPN+ costs US$ 4.99 (approximately PHP 261) per month. Hulu starts at US$ 5.99 (approximately PHP 313) per month.

5. Exciting originals

Naturally, Disney+ is hyping its launch with a slate of much-awaited originals. Since its initial announcement, the platform already has a lot of great titles lined up. For one, Marvel’s upcoming series will stream exclusively on the platform. In fact, D23 announced previously unannounced series: Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk.

Further, several Star Wars shows are making their way to Disney+: The Mandalorian, an Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and a Rian Johnson-led trilogy.

Finally, Disney also announced its own properties coming to the platform: a live action The Lady and the Tramp, a High School Musical series, a Lizzie McGuire revival, and a Phineas and Ferb movie.

Disney+ is too good to be true. Unfortunately, it is. With a lot of amazing features, the platform is bound to stumble somewhere. Despite the hype, Disney’s content plan is a big reason why Netflix still beats Disney+.

1. The same old Disney flavor

Before Disney+’s official announcement, Disney already started pulling out its properties from other streaming services. Starting this year, Disney’s blockbusters will stream exclusively on Disney+. For example, the company has claimed streaming ownership over the recently released Toy Story 4 and The Lion King. Upcoming titles like Frozen 2 will also stream exclusively on Disney+.

Coupled with the recently acquired Fox titles, Disney+’s roster is exciting. However, how exciting will it get? Disney is maintaining an iron grip over its content. In comparison, Netflix offers a wider range of titles spanning through romance, horror, action, indie, and comedy. Of course, because of the library’s size, Netflix’s gems are too few and far between. However, Netflix’s wide variety of choice is much more refreshing compared to Disney’s limited options.

Further, Disney’s current hype hinges mostly on nostalgia. Except for Marvel’s entries, Disney’s upcoming slate are either reboots or long-awaited sequels to past properties. Disney’s only “new” exclusives are Noelle and The World According to Jeff Goldblum. Compared to Netflix, Disney+ doesn’t have a powerful headliner yet, one that it can proudly call its own.

Finally, Disney+’s lack of originals points to another underlying problem. What exactly is its mission? Disney already has a robust blockbuster market. Through wide theatrical release, Disney puts out its best content. Naturally, the allure of ticket sales prevents Disney from switching entirely to streaming. As such, Disney+ operates as a streaming repository for past movies. It might also serve as a launch platform for “lesser” films, movies that won’t do well in the box office. For example, The Lady and the Tramp — both the original and its remake — arguably belong to Disney’s bench players, a roster that pales in comparison to The Lion King or Aladdin. Likewise, Lizzy McGuire and Phineas and Ferb belong to the same club. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, though stemming from a popular title, doesn’t feature the same cast of characters.

On paper, Disney+ is a mammoth contender in the crowded battlefield of streaming. However, Disney’s current content plan fails to show the same amount of gusto as its competitors. Undoubtedly, its launch slate will cause a tsunami of hype. However, the new streaming platform still must prove its chops as its own capable beast. For now, Netflix is still the streaming queen.

Besides, “Netflix and chill” sounds a lot catchier than “Disney+ and chill.”

Related Topics:Disney Marvel Netflix Star Wars

Entertainment

Transformers One trailer: Get to know Optimus Prime, Megatron’s origin stories

In cinemas September 18

Published

April 19, 2024

GadgetMatch

Paramount Pictures has released the trailer for Transformers One, the upcoming latest installment of the Transformers film franchise.

Before fans get excited for the Transformers and G.I. Joe crossover, this animated film focuses first on Optimus Prime’s relationship with his adversary, Megatron.

The origin story is set in Cybertron, long before the transformers land on earth in the chronological timeline.

The trailer reveals Optimus Prime’s previous name, Orion Pax. On the other hand, Megatron was previously known by D-16.

Joined by Elita-1 and Bumblebee, the two main protagonists journey to Cybertron’s surface, which hasn’t been explored beforehand due to the dangers it is said to have.

On the surface, the crew realizes that right away, but are bestowed the power to transform. After some figuring, they manage to utilize this ability to defend Cybertron from intruders.

Overall, the three-minute trailer gives a lighter and funnier vibe. That’s in contrast to the previous iterations where the story is more serious from the get-go.

The transformers’ appearance also looks simpler and more toned down, giving an old school feel which is appropriate, considering this movie is set an earlier time when Cybertron was more intact.

Transformers One is showing on Philippine cinemas on September 18. The voice cast includes Chris Hemsworth as Optimus Prime, Brian Tyree Henry as Megatron, Keegan-Michael Key as Bumblebee, and Scarlett Johansson.

Entertainment

Joker: Folie à Deux 1st trailer finally released

The world is a stage

Published

April 13, 2024

GadgetMatch

Warner Bros. Pictures has finally released the first trailer for upcoming musical thriller Joker: Folie à Deux. The two-and-a-half minute trailer debuted at CinemaCon. The Todd Phillips masterpiece will hit the big screens in the Philippines on October 2.

Phillips’ own take on a story loosely based from famed characters from DC, Joker: Folie à Deux was originally intended to be standalone film given that it is a musical. However, it eventually became a sequel to the Academy Award-winning Joker movie from 2019. The short clip shows titular lead actor Joaquin Phoenix and, for the first time, Lady Gaga.

The trailer aptly starts with Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck character in solitary confinement inside Arkham. If you can recall, the end of the 2019 movie showed the Joker walking with bloodied footprints. This means he presumably killed the therapist he was trying to tell a joke to.

Inside the asylum, Joker meets Gaga’s character Harley Quinn. This is one of the obvious changes to the iconic DC character’s origin story. The movie depicts Quinn as Joker’s fellow patient, instead of being a psychiatrist in the asylum who eventually falls in love and helps her partner in crime escape. The clip eventually transitions to the two protagonists dancing in the streets. Hal David’s “What the World Needs Now Is Love” plays along.

Towards the end, Gaga then dons a red blazer with black-and-white diamond checkered top inside. It’s nowhere near the classic Harley Quinn jester costume that Margot Robbie once put on in the first Suicide Squad installment, but it’s obvious that the getup somehow takes some of those elements.

The trailer concludes with Harley Quinn telling Joker, “I wanna see the real you” as she draws the latter’s signature red lips on a glass divider separating the two. It can definitely mean that Fleck is incarcerated for that particular scene, and it could be the scene that jumpstarts the escape from Arkham. Who knows? We can only wait until October to find out.

Apps

Fallout on Prime Video: What inspired producers to create series

From video game to TV series

Published

April 8, 2024

GadgetMatch

Prime Video-exclusive series Fallout is finally streaming next week. Based from the popular video game franchise that has spanned decades, Fallout is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland world. It is quite reminiscent of the video games’ original environment that is damaged by nuclear war.

If you need quick refresher, Prime Video released the series’ official trailer a month ago. READ: New Fallout trailer dwells upon The Ghoul, brotherhood, more

So, what inspired the producers to come up with the sci-fi adaptation? According to Jonathan Nolan, who directed the first three episodes, the Fallout 3 game became his “entry point.”

“It’s dark, violent, but it’s also satirical and in some places almost goofy. It’s all these amazing things in one. I’ve never really experienced anything quite like it,” Nolan shared.

Bethesda’s 2008 action RPG was the third installment in the main Fallout video game series. The game featured the Great War of 2077, the several underground bunkers called vaults, and a vast wasteland set particularly in Eastern United States. Based on the trailers alone, the creators have worked with these elements for the series version.

Ten years after coming across the title, Nolan then met with Fallout 3 developer Todd Howard to explore the possibility of a TV series. Howard mentioned how Nolan played the game dedicatedly, and that the latter was “in sync” with what he was thinking.

Nolan’s vision led to the recruitment of the series’ two other directors: Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner. The creative trio crafted an original narrative within the Fallout universe that was consistent with the game’s storyline.

Robertson-Dworet added: “We’re not just adapting a game; we’re crafting a new story that delves deep into the complexities of humanity post-nuclear apocalypse.”

The Fallout series begins with a nuclear apocalypse, then a 219-year jump into the future – where life underground offers comfort and order, while the surface is a battleground for survival.

The series stars Ella Purnell as Lucy, Aaron Moten as Maximus, and Walton Goggins as The Ghoul, among others. Fallout premieres on April 11.