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.

Recommended 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.

https://twitter.com/loudmouthjulia/status/1212868685511188480

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 has BUM WORMS (@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.

Nick Perry
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Nick Perry is a freelance writer who bounced from Hollywood to Silicon Beach to pajama pants. His work has been featured on…
3 great free movies to stream this weekend (April 18-20)
Toni Collette with a shocked and fearful expression in Hereditary from A24.

It's only April, but A Minecraft Movie will undoubtedly become one of the highest-grossing films of the year. The Minecraft adaptation has earned over $565 million worldwide in two weeks. Surpassing $1 billion globally is now in play, which would be a monumental win for Warner Bros. Speaking of Warner Bros., Sinners opens this weekend and could reach $50 million domestically.

If you've already bought tickets to see A Minecraft Movie and Sinners, save some money by streaming a film on a free FAST service. While the newest movies remain in theaters, there are plenty of classics to select on these services. This weekend, our recommendations include a baseball comedy, a terrifying horror, and a Jim Carrey staple.

Read more
If you have to watch one Peacock movie this April 2025, stream this one
A man stands behind a table while wearing a suit.

The world is filled with injustice, and we ignore most of it because it would be hard to go through the world otherwise. That's what can make a movie like Dark Waters feel so bracing. The film, which was released in 2019 and almost immediately became underrated, tells the story of an attorney who slowly connects a number of deaths in a small, rural town to one of the world's biggest corporations.
As he comes to appreciate the scale of the conspiracy he's uncovered, he begins to fear for his life and for the lives of millions around the world. It's a dark, bracing movie, but one well worth watching while it's available on Peacock. Here are three reasons it's worth checking out:
Need more recommendations? Then check out the best new movies to stream this week, as well as the best shows on Netflix, the best shows on Hulu, the best shows on Amazon Prime Video, and the best shows on Disney+.
Dark Waters is about something relatively mundane, but it plays like a conspiracy thriller
DARK WATERS | Official Trailer | In Theaters November 22
The mystery at the heart of Dark Waters is sinister, but what makes the movie so remarkable is the way it manages to make a story about the dangers of Teflon feel like All the President's Men.
Thanks to expert direction from Todd Haynes and an impressive script, we learn everything we need to know about this dangerous material and about why DuPont was so intent on covering it up. Dark Waters is far from the first movie to tell the story of a crusading attorney fighting for disadvantaged people, but Dark Waters knows exactly where and when to defy your expectations.

It's anchored by Anne Hathaway and Mark Ruffalo

Read more
3 great free movies to stream this weekend (April 11-13)
Four men gather around the stands at a hockey rink.

Two words: chicken jockey. That phrase has swept the nation thanks to the success of A Minecraft Movie. The fantasy comedy movie shattered expectations with over $163 million domestically, the highest-grossing opening weekend for a movie based on a video game. Expect Warner Bros. to greenlight a sequel in no time.

Perhaps chicken jockey isn't your thing. It doesn't have to be! Perhaps you're content with staying home this weekend and watching a movie. If that's the case, save some money and watch a free movie on a FAST service. Start with these three movies: a charming rom-com, a Boston crime thriller, and a family comedy.

Read more