Disney+ Originals: Everything you can watch in the UAE

Disney+ Originals landed on OSN’s on-demand subscription service this month, as Disney announced it had no imminent plans to launch a standalone Disney+ platform in the region. Fans can now catch several series, docuseries and films courtesy of Disney and Disney+ Originals on OSN. We tell you what’s new this month, and what Disney+ has planned next…

DISNEY+ ORIGINALS: NOW STREAMING IN THE UAE

The Mandalorian: This is the first live-action Star Wars series, based on the epic space Western franchise. Created by Jon Favreau for Disney+, The Mandalorian is set five years after the Return of the Jedi and 25 years before The Force Awakens. It follows Mandalorian bounty hunter, Din Djarin, and his exploits.

Pixar In Real Life: Ever dreamed of meeting your favourite animated character? ‘Pixar In Real Life’ is a hidden-camera type programme, where people on the street are surprised by Pixar characters and Pixar movie moments brought to life.

Encore!: A reality web series, hosted (and executive produced) by Kristen Bell and Will Gluck, that reunites the cast of various high school musicals years later to recreate the performance they originally performed. Some musicals included: Annie, Grease and the Sound of Music.

High School Music: The Musical: The Series: Set at East High School — the same school from the famous movie franchise — this new Disney+ series revolves around the members of the drama club and their faculty, who are gearing up for opening night of the school’s first-ever production of ‘High School Musical: The Musical’.

Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings: This feel-good docuseries features couples and their Disney-themed engagements, nuptials and vow renewals, offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse into these joyous moments that have taken place everywhere from Walt Disney World to Aulani in Hawaii.

The World According to Jeff Goldblum: It’s basically what it says on the tin — ‘Jurassic Park’ actor Jeff Goldblum, 67, explores the world and looks at things like video games, ice cream, sneakers and coffee. Goldblum said he didn’t do any extra ‘homework’ for the show, but rather approached it through the lens of his own experiences. Developed by National Geographic.

Shop Class: In this competition series, teams of young builders compete against each other as they design, build and test their creations. A panel of experts evaluate their work in every episode. In the end, one team is named the ‘Shop Class’ champions.

Pick of the Litter: A docuseries based on the 2018 film, ‘Pick of the Litter’ follows six potential guide dogs — Paco, Pacino, Raffi, Amara, Tulane and Tartan — and their puppy raisers. The puppies loved nurtured, trained and shepherded in order to become guides for blind people.

One Day at Disney: A documentary film that explores a day in the life of employees at various divisions of the Walt Disney Company. Narrated by ‘This Is Us’ actor Sterling K Brown.

The Imagineering Story: A documentary miniseries that examines in-depth the history and creation of Disney theme parks around the globe. Narrated by actress Angela Bassett.

Lady and the Tramp (2020): This musical romance is a 2019 live-action remake of Lady and the Tramp, which tells the love story between an uptown Cocker Spaniel and a downtown Mutt. Characters are voiced by Tessa Thompson, Justin Theroux, Janelle Monae and Sam Elliot, while two of the human characters are played by ‘Community’ alum Yvette Nicole Brown and Ken Jeong.

Stargirl (2020): A PG coming-of-age and teen romance film, where Leo, a misfit teen in the school marching band, becomes infatuated with Stargirl, the free-spirited new girl.

DISNEY FILMS: RECENTLY ADDED

Avengers: Endgame (2019): Avengers: Endgame was the final instalment and conclusion of the MCU’s ‘Infinity Saga’, wrapping up several characters story arcs. We’ll keep it spoiler free, in case you’re super late, but let’s just say Thanos won’t go down without a fight.

Aladdin (2019): A live-action remake where street urchin Aladdin (Mena Massoud) chases after his love interest, Princess Jasmine (Naomi Scott), with a little help from the wish-granting Genie (Will Smith).

Toy Story 4 (2019): In the fourth instalment of Toy Story, Woody bumps into old friend Bo Peep, but as they begin to catch up, they realise they want different things out of life as a toy.

The Lion King (2019): The live-action remake, starring Donald Glover, Beyonce and Seth Rogan, follows young lion cub Simba and his journey of growth after his father is killed.

Mary Poppins Returns (2018): Decades after her original visit, the bag-toting, umbrella-floating magical nanny Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) returns to help the Banks siblings through a rough time at home.

Penguins (2019): This coming-of-age documentary follows Steve, a penguin who joins millions of other penguin males in the frosty Antarctic spring as he seeks a life partner in hopes of building a family — and a nest.

Captain Marvel (2019): Earth is in the midst of a battle between two alien races, and Carol Danvers becomes one of the most powerful heroes in the universe — Captain Marvel.

Dumbo (2019): Dumbo can fly thanks to his massive ears, however, the young elephant who is helping a struggling circus survive; however, dark secrets lurk beneath the surface.

Glass (2019) M Night Shyamalan’s sci-fi thriller ‘Glass’, starring James McAvoy, Samuel L Jackson and Bruce Willis, follows security guard David Dunn, who uses his supernatural capabilities to track a man with twenty-four personalities. Part of the ‘Unbreakable’ trilogy.

Shine (2017) [coming April 25]: ‘Shine’ is a musical drama about two Puerto Rican brothers, both street salsa dancers, who are separated by a tragedy and reunited years later on opposite sides of gentrification. Set in East Harlem.

UPCOMING ON DISNEY+: Disney+ has revealed a slate of upcoming TV shows that will drop in the next few years on their standalone platform, which is unavailable in the UAE at the moment. Exact release dates and regions have not been narrowed down as of yet, so it is unclear whether these shows will stream one day through OSN. Here is a selection of the upcoming titles that Disney+ has announced so far. (Spoilers for ‘Avengers: Engame’ afoot…)

Artemis Fowl (2020): The upcoming science fantasy adventure film ‘Artemis Fowl’ will skip theatrical releases and head straight to Disney+. It follows a young criminal mastermind, aged 12, who seeks to find his father who has mysteriously vanished. Starring Josh Gad, Colin Farrell and Judi Dench.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2020): The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) return after the events of ‘Avengers: Endgame’. We last saw the Falcon pick up Captain America’s shield, though it’s unclear how that plot line will move forward.

Loki (2021): Tom Hiddleston will return as ‘God of Mischief’ Loki, Thor’s younger brother. We last saw the character get his hands on the tesseract in ‘Avengers: Endgame’, but it’s unclear where he will go next.

WandaVision (2020): Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen will return as The Vision and Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff in a series set after the events of ‘Avengers: Endgame’. While The Vision died in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, Scarlet Witch was still around by the end of Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

What If… (2021): The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first animated series, following hypothetical situations that could arise. Some familiar voices include Mark Ruffalo as Hulk, Josh Brolin as Thanos and Michael B Jordan as Killmonger. ‘Westworld’ actor Jeffrey Wright plays The Watcher and narrates.

Hawkeye (2021): Jeremy Renner returns as Hawkeye — aka Clint Baron — and passes the baton onto Kate Bishop, who takes up the Hawkeye name in the comics.

Ms Marvel (2021): Ms Marvel is Marvel’s first main Muslim superhero. Kamila Khan is a shape-shifting Pakistani-American teenager, who keeps the streets of her hometown in New Jersey safe.

Moon Knight (2022): A lesser known Marvel superhero comic book, where former CIA agent named Marc who kills his terrorist enemy and turns into a superhero, known as Moon Knight.

She-Hulk (2022): In the comics, Bruce Banner — AKA the Hulk — has a lawyer cousin named Jennifer Walters. Walters suffers an attack, and Banner tries to save her by transfusing some of his blood into her, which passes on some of his gamma radiation — and turns her into She-Hulk.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars 7 (airing now): Season seven of Star Wars’ Clone Wars is already airing in America, but there’s no word on its availability in the region.

Untitled Star Wars spin-off series: There are very little details about this limited series, which will see Ewan McGregor reprise his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi — the show’s central character.