Disney Plus review: A must-have streaming service for families and fans of Marvel and 'Star Wars'

Disney Plus continues to deliver great streaming value with original series like "The Mandalorian" and blockbuster hits like "Wakanda Forever."

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• Disney Plus launched in November 2019 and has amassed more than 160 million subscribers.
• Plans start at $8/month and you can bundle it with Hulu and ESPN+ for $13/month.
• Disney Plus has lots of classic programs for kids, and its new original shows add value for adults.

Disney Plus launched in November 2019 to great fanfare thanks to low pricing, a huge collection of classic movies and shows, and original programming like "The Mandalorian."

Though the monthly price of ad-free Disney Plus has increased from $7 to $11 over the last three years, Disney has added a lot of content in that period, including new exclusive shows set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The service also introduced an $8 ad-supported tier, and it continues to offer a discounted streaming bundle with Hulu and ESPN+.

Disney Plus is anchored by blockbuster franchises like "The Avengers," "Star Wars," and "The Simpsons," as well as the company's huge library of family-friendly content. Subscribers also get access to exclusive concert specials from artists like Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Billie Eilish.

After two price increases and the addition of an ad-supported plan, we decided to take a fresh look at Disney Plus. Here's how Disney Plus stacks up against other streaming services in 2023, and why we think it's still well worth a subscription.

Disney Plus' affordable price and bundles offer great value

Disney Plus offers competitive pricing, with its ad-supported Basic plan starting at $8 a month. To upgrade to a commercial-free experience, you can pay $11 a month for a Disney Plus Premium plan. The ad-free plan is less than comparable offerings from HBO Max and Hulu, but it's a little more than services like Peacock and Paramount Plus.

And though Netflix does offer a cheaper entry-level plan for $7 a month, Disney Plus doesn't charge extra for 4K and high dynamic range (HDR) streaming. To get 4K support on Netflix, you need to pay a whopping $20 a month.  

Disney Plus also has an edge with its enticing bundles. Members can buy a discounted package with Disney Plus, Hulu, and/or ESPN+, called the Disney Bundle. A package with Disney Plus Basic and Hulu with ads costs $10 a month, which is $6 off the regular combined price. If you add ESPN+ to the mix, the bundle comes out to $13 a month, which saves you 50% off the regular cost of combining all three services.

If you don't have other streaming services, the Disney Bundle adds a ton of value. Hulu's large library of movies and shows is a nice complement to the family-friendly Disney Plus catalog, and ESPN+ provides access to live sports, including UFC fights and select baseball games.

Watch Disney's complete vault of classic movies and shows

One of Disney Plus' greatest strengths comes from Disney's iconic catalog of movies and shows, including dozens of animated films that were previously locked away in the "Disney Vault."

This library includes classics like "Snow White," '90s favorites like "Aladdin," recent Pixar hits like "Turning Red," and nearly everything in between spanning the studio's entire history. In addition, Disney's latest big-screen releases, like "Strange World" and "Lightyear," get added to the service shortly after they play in theaters.  

In the past decade, Disney has also acquired the rights to Marvel, "Star Wars," "The Simpsons," and 20th Century Fox, and the core of Disney Plus is built on nostalgia for these iconic franchises. Subscribers can watch virtually any movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) or the "Star Wars" series.

The streaming service has also done an impressive job cataloging dozens of original Disney cartoons and TV shows, from the 1960s "Spider-Man" cartoon that's spawned dozens of memes, to all 65 episodes of the Disney Channel classic "Lizzie McGuire." 

Exclusive 'Star Wars' and Marvel originals are appointment viewing

Like its streaming competitors, Disney Plus offers original content you won't find anywhere else. "The Mandalorian" season three is the latest exclusive show to premiere, and Marvel and "Star Wars" series like "Hawkeye," "Obi-Wan Kenobi," and "Loki" continue to demand some of the largest streaming audiences.

Disney Plus gives its new original series a weekly release schedule rather than launching the entire season on the same day. Personally, I've found myself spending more time watching original shows on Disney Plus than classic content, and this weekly approach to releases makes shows like "The Mandalorian" feel like appointment viewing for fans. 

Disney Plus is also home to a number of exclusive movies, like "Hocus Pocus 2," and "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers." Members can also stream a handful of musical specials, including Miley Cryus' "Endless Summer Vacation," Billie Eilish's "Happier Than Ever," Beyoncé's "Black is King," Taylor Swift's "Folklore," and Elton John's "Farewell from Dodger Stadium" concert.

Netflix, HBO Max, and even Amazon Prime Video still offer a wider range of original shows for adults with varying taste, but the mass appeal of Disney Plus' lineup is hard to ignore. If you're a fan of the studio's big franchises, the regular flow of "Star Wars" and Marvel exclusives makes the service worth the price of admission alone.

Lots of family-friendly content, but there's a lack of mature R-rated shows and movies

Though Disney Plus' huge library of family-friendly content is appealing to parents and younger viewers, this focus has led to a lack of mature programming geared toward adults. The service was updated in 2022 to add a handful of R-rated movies and shows for US audiences, but Disney hasn't followed up with any more titles since.

While having R-rated hits like "Deadpool" and "Logan" alongside the rest of Disney's Marvel offerings make sense, it would be nice to see the service invest in more original shows for adult viewers. It should be noted that Disney Plus does offer more R-rated movies in regions outside of North America through its Star channel, but this feature isn't available in the US. Instead, US viewers can access a lot of Star content through Hulu. 

As it stands, the service's PG-13 focus doesn't prevent Disney Plus shows like "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" from depicting mature themes, but it does limit the catalog's overall appeal for adult viewers.

Stream with the Disney Plus app on any device

You'll need to sign up for a Disney Plus account before you're able to browse the Disney Plus catalog online or with the Disney Plus app.

Once your account is activated, you can watch Disney Plus via the official website or by downloading the app on your smart TV, streaming player, or mobile device. The app is available on Apple and Android devices, Roku, PlayStation, Xbox, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, and most smart TV brands.

However, Roku devices are currently unable to access the ad-supported Disney Plus Basic plan. Roku device owners must upgrade to Disney Plus Premium or use another player to watch the service.

All Disney Plus accounts can create profiles for up to seven different viewers, and each profile can create their own personal watchlist that carries over between devices. However, only four devices can stream using the same account at once, which is the same number as Netflix's Premium plan.

Adults can create kid profiles to restrict PG and PG-13 content for children as well. An update in March 2022 added support for PIN codes to lock profiles, so parents have an option to prevent kids from accessing adult content.

The Disney Plus interface is simple and easy to navigate

The Disney Plus interface is relatively standard fare for a streaming service. The landing page lacks the busy animated thumbnails and flashy trailers that Netflix showcases on its homepage, but a carousel displays new and popular content at the top. Disney's main franchises are also pre-sorted into simple categories, like "Marvel," "Pixar," and "Star Wars."

Disney Plus does suffer from some small navigation issues that can become ongoing problems depending on your viewing habits. For example, choosing a show or movie from the "Continue watching" tab will always leave you where you left off, with no option to "Play from beginning."

It's not a huge deal, but what if, for example, you fell asleep at the end of a movie, or your roommate watched the episode before you? Now you run the risk of spoiling yourself while you try to rewind to the beginning.

Disney Plus offers a standard set of accessibility features; there are closed captions on nearly every title with the option to adjust subtitle size. Viewing Disney Plus in a supported browser will also give you access to audio descriptions to help you navigate the homepage and text-to-speech can be used in place of a keyboard.

Disney Plus has premium performance and features for cheap

In terms of streaming quality, Disney Plus is on par with Netflix's Premium plan at a fraction of the cost. By offering 4K resolution support and HDR color and contrast with Dolby Vision with every subscription, Disney Plus is doing its best to guarantee that both Basic and Premium members can maximize their home theater.

A handful of Marvel movies even offer support for IMAX's expanded aspect ratio, which fills more of the screen with action during select scenes.

However, a few features are exclusive to the Premium plan for $11 a month. This includes Dolby Atmos immersive audio, which expands standard surround sound to include effects that come from above your head. 

Disney Plus Premium also allows you to download movies and shows for offline viewing on up to 10 devices, making it ideal for trips and family vacations. A GroupWatch feature is supported on Premium well, enabling multiple viewers with Disney Plus accounts to sync up and stream shows together online.

Should you sign up for Disney Plus?

The service's competitive price and iconic catalog make Disney Plus a solid investment for any entertainment fan, even if the platform is clearly built to appeal the most to families with children.

The consistent release of new Marvel and "Star Wars" shows, like "She-Hulk" and "Andor," make Disney Plus a must-have for fans of these huge franchises, but adult viewers who want more variety in their media diet may want to consider options like HBO Max, Netflix, and Prime Video first.

We also highly recommend the Disney Plus bundle to viewers who want Disney Plus but also crave more variety. This package provides the perfect complement to Disney Plus with more mature programs, network shows, and sports from Hulu and ESPN+, and it can save you up to 50% on membership costs.