While it’s just over a year or so old, Disney Plus has picked up a significant number of subscribers as it heads into 2021. Although the big release this month will be WandaVision, the Mouse House are continuing to flesh out the library of content and added eight new movies and television shows on January 1st.
After being removed from Disney+ only a few months ago, The Wolverine is back, presumably as the result of a new licensing deal being agreed upon. The James Mangold-directed picture is one of the stronger entries in the Fox X-Men franchise, and sees Hugh Jackman’s character travel to Japan in an adaptation of a popular 1980s comic story. Although it’ll still be some time before we can watch Logan and company all in one place, we’d expect more Marvel-related films to start appearing on the service in the first half of the year.
Also out this week was the CGI feature Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, and the Jim Carrey-starring Mr. Popper’s Penguins, wherein a businessman learns some life lessons courtesy of, well, a bunch of unexpected penguins. Fans of Disney original movie Clouds have also received new entry in the Beyond the Clouds making-of series, with this one focusing on how music from the album A Firm Handshake was worked into the film.
The National Geographic side of the streaming platform has been boosted, too, with a number of shark-themed documentaries, including 700 Sharks, Great Shark Chow Down, and the short Mega Hammerhead. In addition, ten new episodes of the Jim Henson Company-produced spoof late-night talk show, Earth to Ned, were made available for the beginning of 2021.
To recap, here’s what was put up on Disney+ on January 1st:
700 Sharks
Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!
Great Shark Chow Down
Mega Hammerhead
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
The Wolverine (2013)
Earth to Ned: Episodes 11-20
Beyond the Clouds: A Firm Handshake
With the launch of their much-anticipated collection of original MCU series, as well as the continued expansion of the Star Wars universe, Disney Plus will be hoping to narrow the gap with well-established competitors like Netflix and Hulu over the next twelve months. And looking ahead, there’ll be plenty more material to catch up with from January 8th, including new docuseries Marvel Studios: Legends; check out the full list here.
