Willow and Y: The Last Man are among the titles that Disney will be removing from HBO Max used this strategy with the removal of Westworld, The Nevers, and a number of other popular series. It was recently confirmed that Disney would be taking the same approach with Disney+ and Hulu.
Deadline has now revealed that during a recent Disney earnings call, it was revealed which titles will be removed from Disney+ and Hulu on May 26. A number of well-received television series, movies, and making-of specials will be removed. On Disney+, this includes Willow, Willow: Behind the Magic, and The One and Only Ivan. On Hulu, this includes Y: The Last Man, The Quest, and Little Demon. See a further detailed list of the titles being removed below:
- Big Shot [Disney+]
- Turner & Hooch [Disney+]
- The Mysterious Benedict Society [Disney+]
- The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers [Disney+]
- Willow [Disney+]
- Willow: Behind the Magic [Disney+]
- Diary of a Future President [Disney+]
- Just Beyond [Disney+]
- The World According to Jeff Goldblum [Disney+]
- Marvel’s Project Hero [Disney]
- Marvel’s MPower [Disney+]
- Marvel’s Voices Rising: The Music of Wakanda Forever [Disney+]
- Rosaline [Disney+]
- Cheaper by the Dozen remake [Disney+]
- The One and Only Ivan [Disney+]
- Stargirl [Disney+]
- Encore! [Disney+]
- A Spark Story [Disney+]
- Black Beauty [Disney+]
- Clouds [Disney+]
- Weird but True! [Disney+]
- Timmy Failure [Disney+]
- Be Our Chef [Disney+]
- Magic Camp [Disney+]
- Howard [Disney+]
- Earth to Ned [Disney+]
- Foodtastic [Disney+]
- Stuntman [Disney+]
- Disney Fairy Tale Weddings [Disney+]
- Wolfgang [Disney+]
- It’s a Dog’s Life with Bill Farmer [Disney+]
- The Premise [Hulu]
- Love in the Time of Corona [Hulu]
- Everything’s Trash [Hulu]
- Best in Snow [Hulu]
- Best in Dough [Hulu]
- Maggie [Hulu]
- Dollface [Hulu]
- The Quest [Hulu]
- The Hot Zone [Nat Geo/Hulu]
- Y: The Last Man [FX/Hulu]
- Pistol [FX/Hulu]
- Little Demon [FX/Hulu]
Disney Is Continuing A Disconcerting Streaming Trend
Removing content from streaming platforms is not only disappointing, it is a disconcerting trend across the entertainment industry. After a cast and crew spend years developing their projects, their work can be suddenly removed and erased from streaming platforms. It is disheartening to everyone involved in these projects and makes it much more difficult for this content to be accessed again in the future. The content is sometimes shopped to a new streaming service, but that requires many subscribers to sign up for yet another plan.
Another option would be to own a copy of the series, movie, or making-of special on DVD, yet many streaming services, including Disney+, rarely make their content available on DVD. Unless the rights are sold to another streaming service, Willow, The Mysterious Benedict Society, The One and Only Ivan, and the other Disney+ originals being removed will not be available to watch anywhere. By making these stories inaccessible, it alienates existing fanbases and prevents new viewers from discovering these stories.
Making the titles available on DVD seems like a reasonable compromise. This will ensure that the titles removed from the streaming platforms are still available to those who want them. Disney arguably owes some loyalty to its projects. The World According to Jeff Goldblum was one of the first series available when Disney+ launched in 2019. Willow has a deeply dedicated fanbase that continues to be vocal about wanting Willow season 2. Disney+ and Hulu can still cut costs and make money from DVD sales while also making sure that the removed titles remain accessible.
Source: Deadline