Skip to main content

All of the movies that have disappeared from Disney+ so far

Although Disney+ just released in November, movies are already disappearing according to Polygon. As early as January 1, some U.S.-based Disney+ users noticed that films had suddenly gone missing from the streaming library without notice.

So far, the list of titles removed includes Dr. Dolittle, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, The Sandlot, Flicka, Strange Magic, and The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration, as well as The Shaggy Dog and Garfield 2: A Tail of Two Kitties, which were quietly removed in 2019.

Related Videos

Prior to the platform’s release, Disney told Comicbook.com that, unlike many other streaming services, Disney+ would not have a “rotating slate” of licensed movies each month. However, that doesn’t appear to be entirely accurate given the quiet removal of these films less than two months after launch.

As The Verge’s Julia Alexander reported, most of the removals stem from the complicated licensing deals surrounding these films, a consequence of Disney’s many acquisitions over the past few years — especially Fox’s extensive library. Disney sources also told Polygon that films would likely rejoin Disney+ once those licenses expire.

Great story from Polygon. Can confirm that a small handful of Disney movies are running into issues with various legacy deals, and that's why they're being removed. Those movies will rejoin Disney+ permanently once licenses expire with their respective parties. https://t.co/BG1w2ZPmyz

— Julia Alexander (@loudmouthjulia) January 2, 2020

However, subscriber concerns surround the surprise nature of content removal. Disney hasn’t issued any press releases about changes or commented on the disappearing content. Whereas companies like Netflix and HBO typically put out monthly bulletins of everything coming and leaving their platforms, Disney has only emphasized arrivals.

While Disney initially promised that the entire Signature Collection of classics like Beauty and the Beast, Bambi, Peter Pan, and Sleeping Beauty would live on the platform in perpetuity, that promise does not appear to cover anything else in the library.

Indeed, some films are already slated to leave Disney+ in the future. According to Bloomberg, major Disney films like Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Black Panther, Coco, and other late-decade titles are set to return to Netflix starting “around 2026.” Although it’s not confirmed, that seems to suggest that they would not be available on Disney+ simultaneously. Additionally, some clever Disney+ users discovered that other films had hidden expiration dates, which may indicate the end of other licensing deals and contracts, even though Disney owns all of the titles on Disney Plus.

Most #disneyplus movies now have an expiration date set in 2020, with some in 2021 pic.twitter.com/J28V7p3bcD

— Stitch Kingdom (@stitchkingdom) November 12, 2019

It’s unclear when or if Home Alone, The Sandlot, and the other films in this recent removal will return to the streaming platform but it seems like they will not be the last movies to disappear suddenly. For now, it seems that complications with licensing deals may result in some variance in the Disney+ library over the next few years.

Editors' Recommendations

All the Scream horror movies, ranked from worst to best
A masked person walks towards the camera in Scream VI.

Early reviews for Scream VI are lauding it as a new peak for the veteran franchise and the best entry since the game-changing 1996 original. Coming from the one-of-a-kind mind of the late great Wes Craven, Scream is the rare franchise that never runs out of steam. Thanks to a premise designed to reinvent itself with each new entry, Scream is the gift that keeps on giving, to the point where it wouldn't be an overstatement to say every chapter in the series is among the all-time best horror movies.

While every entry in the series ranges from "good" to "great," we can still rank them from worst to best. No fan's ranking will look the same; some might be OG Scream purists, while others will insist 2022's Scream is the new blueprint. However, we can all admit there are no weak entries in this franchise, with each film adding something to Ghostface's lore while cementing Scream as a cinematic horror institution.
5. Scream 3 (2000)

Read more
5 questions we have after The Mandalorian season 3, episode 2
the mandalorian season 3 episode 2 mythosaur explained din sits in his ship with grogu

In The Mines of Mandalore, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) follows through on the promise he made in The Mandalorian’s season 3 premiere. The second chapter of the Disney+ series’ long-awaited third season follows Din and Grogu as they embark on a dangerous journey first to the surface of Mandalore and then into the sundered planet’s underground tunnels and mines. Along the way, Din ends up in a deadly situation that only Bo-Katan Kryze (Katee Sackhoff) is able to rescue him from.

In case all of that wasn’t enough, episode 2 of The Mandalorian season 3 also ends with a revelation that raises a number of exciting new possibilities for the show’s future. With that in mind, here are five questions we’re dying to have answered after The Mandalorian season 3 episode 2.
Who else knows Mandalore is inhabitable?

Read more
The Super Mario Bros. Movie: everything we know so far
Mario, Peach, and Toad in "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."

We might be living during a golden age for great video game adaptations. Following the surprise success of Sonic the Hedgehog and its sequel, and with the critically acclaimed The Last of Us about to wrap its first season and a second one on the way, this seems to be the perfect time to adapt a beloved video game property. Fortunately, Illumination Entertainment has us covered with the upcoming The Super Mario Bros. Movie, an adaptation of, arguably, the most popular and recognizable video game IP.

Details about the movie remain surprisingly scarce. However, the wait is almost over, as The Super Mario Bros. Movie premieres in a month, meaning audiences will finally get to see their favorite Italian plumber in all his high-jumping, pipe-entering, fire-ball-shooting glory. In the meantime, here's everything that's been revealed and a few things you can expect from the highly-anticipated movie.
When does The Super Mario Bros. Movie come out?

Read more