This fall will see the Disney+ streaming service continue to diversify its catalog, adding revivals of past comedies, new glimpses of the Marvel and WandaVision but could be intriguing for fans nevertheless. Disney+ has quickly become one of the most popular streaming services in North America and is hoping its fall schedule can retain those subscribers and entice some new ones.
2021 has seen Disney venture into releasing films simultaneously in theatres and on Disney+, including Shang-Chi will not be coming to Disney+ until the end of their theatrical window.
However, the fall will still see notable Marvel content on Disney+, as What If...? is slated to continue releasing weekly episodes until October 9. A new live-action Marvel series will debut at the end of November, with a Star Wars series set to follow. There will also be a number of more family-oriented releases spread throughout the fall.
Happier Than Ever (Sept. 3)
Spy Kids and Alita: Battle Angel director Robert Rodriguez will release his first concert film on Disney+ in September with Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles, directed alongside Patrick Osborne. The special sees Billie Eilish performing her latest album in its entirety at the Hollywood Bowl, backed up by the L. A. Philharmonic Orchestra and Gustavo Dudamel. The concert footage will be complemented by animated elements and other documentary footage. Disney+ is looking to become a destination for concert films and other music documentaries, with the release of the acclaimed The Summer of Soul earlier in 2021 and another major music doc to come.
Doogie Kamealoha, M. D. (Sept. 8)
One of the more unique entries in Disney+'s slate of reboots is Doogie Kamealoha, M. D., a remake of the hit 1980s show How I Met Your Mother's Neil Patrick Harris as the eponymous teenage doctor. The Disney+ version moves the action to Hawaii and stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee as a female version of Doogie. The first season will consist of ten half-hour episodes airing weekly.
SparkShorts (Sept. 10)
SparkShorts is a series of short animated films that allows Pixar staff to create their own projects in a six-month timeframe. The series debuted on Pixar's YouTube channel in 2019 before later moving to Disney+. The next two shorts in the series, "Twenty Something" and "Nona", will debut on Disney+ on September 10 and 17 respectively. Disney+ will also stream A Spark Story, a feature-length documentary about the SparkShorts program on September 24. In the past, Pixar shorts have expanded the universe of Toy Story and other properties in addition to helping animators develop their skills, and SparkShorts follows in that tradition.
Star Wars: Visions (Sept. 22)
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. All nine episodes will stream simultaneously.
LEGO Star Wars Terrifying Tales (Oct. 1)
After the The Book of Boba Fett in December.
Home Sweet Home Alone (Nov. 12)
Disney's long-gestating The Office and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Ellie Kemper and Catastrophe's Rob Delaney playing the bandits in question. The cast also includes Kenan Thompson, Pete Holmes, Chris Parnell, and Andy Daly.
Hawkeye (Nov. 24)
After a decade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye finally gets his own solo title with a weekly series. The show will see Clint Barton training Kate Bishop, now played by Hailee Steinfeld, to take over the mantle of Hawkeye. Also appearing in Black Widow and Alaqua Cox as Echo, who already has her own Marvel series in development.
The Beatles: Get Back (Nov. 25)
Disney+ will round out the fall with the release of Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson's documentary on the legendary group The Beatles. Originally intended as a feature film, the documentary has since been expanded into a six-part series that will be released over Thanksgiving weekend. Get Back will include never-before-seen footage from the recording of The Beatles' final album Let It Be, enhanced using the same techniques Jackson used to critical acclaim in his previous documentary Not Grow Old.
In addition to these titles, Disney has also listed several shows and movies as being released in late 2021, which could be scheduled for an October or November date. These include the Marvel series Ms. Marvel, and the horror-comedy anthology Just Beyond. The shortened theatrical release window Disney agreed with some chains could also allow them to put early fall titles like Shang-Chi on the service before the end of the year too. Disney+ hopes these titles will keep its many subscribers happy.
