It goes without saying that Disney+ turned out to be a lifesaver of an idea…
When Disney first announced plans to launch an exclusive streaming service, many fans were understandably skeptical—it seemed like everyone was trying to get a slice of the streaming pie. Would the service be able to produce a sustainable amount of content? Would it only cater to niche audiences like families with kids or fans of classic Disney fare?
Disney+ has not only succeeded as a major streaming provider—the investment may have saved the company’s skin. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down theme parks around the world, families stuck in lockdown flocked to streaming providers for some sense of escape and normalcy. At the same time the parks languished during extended closure, Disney+ subscriptions soared.
With the increase in subscribers has come an increased demand for content centered on Disney parks. Disney+ first dipped its toe into this arena with the release of the highly acclaimed series The Imagineering Story shortly after the service’s launch. Since then, the service has released an impressive range of content to satisfy avid Disney parks fans—to the point it can be a challenge to sift through it all.
Eager to get your Disney parks fix from the comfort of your home? Here are the top ten gems we found on Disney+ for fans of every type…
1. The Imagineering Story
Let’s start with the most obvious winner—The Imagineering Story is one incredibly well-done show, so much so that even viewers unfamiliar with the parks may enjoy it.
The Imagineering Story is a six-part documentary series that tells the story of the trials and triumphs of Disney Imagineers throughout the entire history of the parks. It’s hard to summarize all the things the show did right. For one thing, it avoided Disney’s usual tendency towards sensationalism, use of reality TV tropes, or even the common flaw of feeling like an advertisement.
It simply told a story, and it did so in a way that was dramatically engaging and beautiful.
The filmmakers highlighted Disney’s biggest wins as well as some of their most embarrassing losses—they didn’t shy away from such epic flubs as Black Sunday or the troubled openings of EuroDisney and Disney’s California Adventure. While they avoided a few notable missteps, the filmmakers leaned into the company’s learning experiences as well as their home runs. Hearing the story told by the Imagineers and leaders who made the magic possible makes for an impressively gripping ride.
Needless to say, if you’re looking for Disney parks content on Disney+, The Imagineering Story is a solid place to start.
2. “The Pre-Opening Report from Disneyland”
At first glance, the Disneyland Pre-Opening Report looks like about as dry an offering as could be found for parks fans. I almost passed it by completely when I was first looking for content for this piece.
I’m glad I didn’t—of all the content for Disney parks fans on Disney+, this is the one I would best describe as a hidden gem.
The film is exactly what it’s described as—it was the final publicity film Disney released to encourage people to visit Disneyland before the park’s opening. Instead of feeling like a pandering commercial or something intended for a board room, for modern audiences, the film offers an intriguing glimpse into Disneyland before it ever opened its gates.
For one thing, Disney did an excellent job restoring the footage—the resolution is impressive for a historic film. Walt Disney suddenly feels like a figure from our modern era as he hosts the piece, simply stylized in black and white for cinematic purposes. I found myself leaning in listening to him calmly describe both hopes and challenges surrounding the realization of Disneyland.
The film proves surprisingly enjoyable to watch, particularly if you’re familiar with some of the trials Disney faced when the park opened (wet concrete, guests jumping the fence with ladders, sinking boats, attractions on fire, etc.). It’s fascinating to get a glimpse into the mind of the American public during this time, as well as the way that things we take for granted in theme parks now were revolutionary at that time.
3. “Disneyland Around the Seasons”
Disney+ currently has a second notable offering from Disney history—a rather important episode of Disney’s Wonderful World of Color called “Disneyland Around the Seasons”.
This somewhat-oddly named special holds a unique place in Disney history—it was the first episode of the show to air after Walt Disney’s death (three days after). The episode served as a tribute to Walt’s legacy shown through in-depth looks into new offerings at Disneyland.
In some ways, the film feels like a predecessor to the YouTube videos and detailed ride-throughs fans enjoy today. Throughout the course of the show, viewers are invited to enjoy the grand opening of It’s a Small World followed by detailed footage of the whole ride. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln and the Disneyland Railroad get similar treatment. Viewers also get a close look at the opening of New Orleans Square, Fantasy on Parade, and one of the park’s original candlelight processionals. Overall, it’s another enjoyable offering for fans of Disneyland nostalgia.
4. The Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom
After the success of The Imagineering Story, it’s no shock that Disney has taken several more swings at documentary filmmaking.
One of the service’s most recent offerings is The Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom, an eight episode documentary series exploring the relationship between Disney cast members (and Imagineers like Joe Rohde) and the animal denizens of the park.
The show was produced by National Geographic, and it bears a number of familiar hallmarks from that network. Having worked over ten years in the television industry, I will be the first to admit that my patience for many reality TV tropes is fairly low. I tend to enjoy the storytelling feel of something like The Imagineering Story or nature content along the lines of Planet Earth much more than the average Nat-Geo show simply because of this bias. For this reason, it took me some time to warm up to The Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom. It feels at times distinctly like a reality show, one possibly more likely to appeal to kids than adults.
However, the in-depth look at the relationship between the humans behind Disney parks and its endearing animals makes the ride worth it. This show offers a lot of content in its eight episodes, and you would be hard pressed to find a closer look into the behind-the-scenes workings of the park. Overall, The Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom is another win for the service and for fans of Walt Disney World.
5. One Day at Disney (Documentary film & Shorts)
Similar in some ways to The Imagineering Story, One Day at Disney is a feature-length documentary that examines the daily work of a wide range of Disney employees throughout the company’s many wings. Several of these segments tie to Disney parks specifically, including exploring the work of Eric Baker, an Imagineer and prop fabricator for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and Natalie Mylniczenko, a veterinarian at Walt Disney World.
As a huge fan of both Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I very much enjoyed the glimpses into Eric and Natalie’s work. The segment focusing on Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge really highlights one of the things that makes the land great—in so many ways, Disney Imagineers are superfans. In the case of Galaxy’s Edge, Disney essentially set loose a small army of extremely talented Star Wars geeks and gave them the resources to create wonders. This is especially clear watching Eric cheerfully tell the story of props scattered throughout the land.
As for Natalie’s segment, it’s hard not to lean in when Disney’s animals are involved. The cute factor shoots through the roof immediately as she runs an ultrasound on a very well-behaved female porcupine, and the fun just continues from there. Having seen Disney’s veterinarians at work several times, it’s a real joy getting to see the work of one even closer.
The film is just the start to One Day at Disney—Disney+ actually has a whole series of shorts continuing the story with glimpses into the lives of dozens of Disney employees, including many connected to the parks.
6. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Adventure Awaits
Along with documentaries, Disney+ has also started to develop into a repository for a number of TV specials and event recordings connected to Disney parks.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Adventure Awaits aired on ABC shortly after the Walt Disney World opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The special was part of an extensive publicity campaign on Disney’s part to entice visitors and swing public opinion of the land in the press—this was some months before the opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and despite a strong opening at Walt Disney World, attendance at Disneyland had fallen far short of Disney’s hopes.
There’s no question that marketing was a primary focus of the special—Disney went all out to make Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge look at cool as possible, including recruiting a star studded cast. Despite some inherent cheesiness, the show ultimately does provide an intriguing look into the development of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, as well as revealing some of the park’s behind the scenes secrets. Both for fans of Galaxy’s Edge, as well as guests on-the-fence about visiting, it’s a worthwhile watch with a number of engaging moments.
7. Shanghai Disneyland’s Opening Gala & Disney Illuminations
Disney’s US parks aren’t the only subjects covered by Disney+–the service also has several specials focused on Disney’s international parks.
The first of these is a filmed performance of the Shanghai Disney Resort Grand Opening Gala—if you’ve been missing Disney’s nighttime fireworks, this one might be a must-watch for you. The celebration plays a bit like an extended version of WDW’s Happily Ever After on steroids—Disney seamlessly paired castle projection effects with the use of acrobats, enormous props, fireworks, and live performances. It’s beautifully done overall.
Along a similar vein, Disney+ viewers can watch a performance of Disneyland Paris’ nighttime fireworks show, Disney Illuminations. Despite the similar name to Epcot’s historic spectacular, the show is a separate entity, similar in feel to Wishes and Happily Ever After.
While this collection is still fairly small, we are excited to see what may be added to it in the future, both in regards to content focused on Disney’s international parks, as well as filmed versions of Disney’s many nighttime spectaculars.
8. Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings
In order to draw as wide an audience as possible, Disney+ includes a fair amount of reality TV. Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings is a good example of the company taking a crack of their own at the genre, combining Disney events marketing with an HGTV style wedding reality show.
Like similar shows, Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings definitely falls on the sugary side of the reality TV spectrum—the Disney magic is laid on thick as we follow couples on individual journeys leading up to spectacular Walt Disney World weddings.
While it may prove a little too fluffy a show for some audiences, it is definitely a welcomed dose of sunshine for the times. The stories surrounding each of the couples are appropriately sweet, and it’s hard not to grin in awe upon seeing the lengths Disney goes to make its fairy tale weddings romantic. The show has also been expanded to include a Holiday Magic series.
9. Decorating Disney: Holiday Magic
Looking for a little more holiday cheer? Fans of Disney’s TV specials may enjoy Decorating Disney: Holiday Magic which originally aired on Freeform.
The show plays like many other holiday specials, intermixing celebrity appearances with a detailed look at the incredible effort Disney cast members put in to bring the holidays to life in the parks. Disney takes special effort to include several heartwarming stories, and the glimpse into the world of Disney’s expert decorators is a worthwhile watch for any Disney parks fans who love holidays at the Most Magical and Happiest Places on Earth.
10. Disney Parks Sunrise Series
Disney+ is developing into a wonderfully versatile streaming platform. While the service is best known for its impressive collection of films, documentaries, and television shows, it has slowly started to develop a collection of low-key ambient content—the type of stuff you put on in the background while working around the house or watch purely to melt away some stress.
The premise of Disney Parks Sunrise Series is simple: each episode offers viewers a look at a real-time sunrise at one of Disney’s parks. Currently, the offerings include Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. There’s not really much else to it—just a beautiful sunrise paired with soothing music. It’s exactly the type of content that would only work on a platform like Disney+, and it’s also proof that you don’t need celebrities, special effects, and embellishment to enjoy a little Disney magic.
You can just sit back and watch the sun rise…
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