Disney+ launched in November 2019 with great fanfare. And after a successful first two years, The Walt Disney Company is celebrating with the first Disney+ Day on November 12, 2021. Subscribers will also have a good reason to celebrate, too, because the company plans to release several high-profile projects that day to commemorate the occasion.
First and foremost among the Disney+ Day news is the announcement that Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings will become available on Disney+ that day for no additional fee.
Unlike Black Widow, Shang-Chi was given an exclusive theatrical window, and it’s currently the box office champion heading into its fourth weekend. The film was initially expected to hit the service’s additional-cost tier, called Disney+ Premier Access, before arriving on the standard tier, but it looks like this is Disney’s way of thanking fans for making the company’s streaming service such a success.
As part of Disney+ Day, the company is throwing the spotlight on all of its biggest brands including Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, and National Geographic. Marvel Studios is also premiering a new special teasing “an exciting look toward the future.” Lucasfilm will be represented by a new special focusing on Star Wars bounty hunter Boba Fett, which may offer fans an early look at The Book of Boba Fett ahead of its December debut. And characters from Pixar’s Luca will also return in a new animated short film, Ciao Alberto.
Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt’s box office hit, The Jungle Cruise, will also become available for all subscribers on Disney+ Day. Disney will also debut the new original film, Home Sweet Home Alone, an updated take on the classic Home Alone franchise. But that won’t be Disney’s only contribution to the anniversary celebration. A new series of Frozen shorts, called Olaf Presents, will make their Disney+ debut alongside a number of Disney’s previously released shorts like Feast and Paperman.
National Geographic’s Disney+ original series, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, is also debuting the first five episodes from season 2 on Disney+ Day. Finally, a new Simpsons short will “pay tribute to Disney+’s marquee brands.”
“The inaugural Disney+ Day will be a grand-scale celebration of our subscribers across the entire company,” said Disney CEO Bob Chapek in a statement. “This day of appreciation brings to life our mission to entertain, inform, and inspire fans and families around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, and will become an annual tentpole event to be amplified across our global businesses.”
