Disney+, The Nostalgia Factory

Yesterday(Nov 12th) marked the domestic launch of Disney+, The Walt Disney Company's new streaming service hoping to cash in on the Netflix and Chill culture that is quickly making movie theaters look like stuffy old museums.

At the moment, the service is light on new content but makes up for it with a wealth of vintage IP. I was quick to revisit a few childhood gems like 'Gargoyles', 'X-Men: The Animated Series', 'X-Men: Evolution', and 'Recess'. The latter was a particular touchstone for me at the time as it was the closest thing I could find to "accurately" portraying the delicate intricacies of the schoolyard political system. Though I've only peeked at the first episodes of each show, the walk down memory lane was enough to get me hooked. I've already found myself getting lost in conversations with friends who have started to curate their watch lists according to childhood obsessions. As I spoke with them I began to see their inner 10yr olds breaking through the millennial malaise. For a few minutes, they were teleported back to the Saturday mornings where you would find a remote in one hand and a toaster strudel in the other. Disney owns most of our childhoods. Yes, I am aware of the inherent subjectivity of that statement, but generally speaking, it's true. The Disney brand represents all the great things about being a kid, and now they've created yet another platform to assert their stronghold on us.

Of course Mickey and co. aren't solely relying on 4K coated blasts from the past, they also have a new flavor in the 'The Mandalorian', the Star Wars based space western that is set to follow a tough Mandalorian bounty hunter who isn't Boba Fett. Anticipation for the Jon Favreau created inbetwequel/spin-off/side quest/thing has matched that of the upcoming 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'. Lucasfilm has smartly positioned the show to lead into and beyond the concluding chapter of the Skywalker saga. 'The Mandalorian' is the perfect tease for what's to come to the service, a healthy dose of weaponized nostalgia. And Unlike their direct competitor(Netflix), Disney+ appears to be rolling out their programming weekly, a move that is sure to keep the conversation going until they can add new additions to the catalog.

As I combed through the different arms of Disney+, I flagged some of the shows and movies that pinged the nostalgia center of my brain(or just look plain fun). Let me know some of yours down in the comments.

Disney:

Tron Legacy

Smart House

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Fantasia

The Black Cauldron

The Emperor’s New Groove

Goof Troop

So Weird

Boy Meets World

Pixar:

Toy Story

Toy Story 2

Toy Story 3

WALL•E

Up

Finding Nemo

The Incredibles

Star Wars:

Episode 4: A New Hope

Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back

Episode 2: Attack of the Clones

Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith

Episode 6: Return of the Jedi (Yes, it's the Machete Order...)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Star Wars: Rebels

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Series

Marvel:

Iron Man

The Avengers

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Wolverine and the X-Men

Avengers: Endgame

Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes

National Geographic:

Free Solo

Secrets of Christ's Tomb: Explorer Special

Apollo: Missions to the Moon