My List of Demands for Disney+

Last night I started my exciting journey with Disney+. I was pretty impressed, and frankly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of titles that I now have at my fingertips instantly. From the classic animated films we all know and love, to the Disney Channel Original Movies (DCOMs to us cool kids) that made my childhood, pretty much all of the Marvel and Star Wars film catalogues, and to the random movies that Disney’s purchase the rights to over the years like The Sound of Music and Thumbelina, the service provides a little something for most people. I’m pretty impressed, but there are still a few demands that need to be met for me to be in true Disney+ paradise. I hope you’re listening, Mickey!

1.The ORIGINAL Bug Juice (Disney Channel, 1998-2002)

I got excited for a whole half a second when I saw Bug Juice: My Adventures at Camp listed as one of the titles. Then I realized it’s a 2018 reboot and was pretty devastated. For many of us, Bug Juice was one of the first ‘reality shows’ we ever watched. The series documented a group of kids as they spent their summer at camp, and was noted for selecting campers from a diversity of racial and financial backgrounds and for the production team capturing the children’s experience with minimal interference. I’m glad that kids today have their own version they can watch, but I doubt any of those campers will be quoting Spice Girls lyrics in a tweenage philosophical discussion. God, I miss that show.

2. The Jennie Project (2001, dir. Gary Nadeau)

As I thoroughly perused the DCOM section, I saw pretty much every Disney Channel movie that my young heart held dear… Except The Jenny Project.  For some strange reason this heartwarming story about a boy who discovers he can communicate with a chimpanzee via sign language is missing, but is truly  a worthy-watching feel-good movie. It’s a shame I’m not able to revisit it with the rest of my favorites.

3.The Mickey Mouse Club (ABC, 1955-1958)

This was the biggest disappointment for me, personally. The main reason I subscribed to Disney+ was to gain access to episodes of one of my favorite TV shows as a child. It’s a show my mom watched as a kid and as it aired on Vault Disney in the ‘90s/early ‘00s, we spent many Friday nights watching it together. If you have looked at all the titles on Disney+, you might be thinking, “But I did see The Mickey Mouse Club listed as a title on the service.” It’s all deceit to me. What they provide is merely the first week of the show. The same five episodes that are some of the only ones available on DVD, and thus some of the only episodes that I have seen over and over again.  What I had hoped for was that they would release the many, many episodes that used to air on Vault Disney, some of which my mother thankfully recorded, and which exist on videotape for me. I know they exist, Disney! Let them out!

4. Malcolm in the Middle (FOX, 2000-2006)

I know what you’re thinking, it’s not even a Disney show, however Disney did eventually acquire the rights to the series. I wouldn’t mind its absence from the service so much if they hadn’t announced it among the list of titles that would be accessible once the service premiered. After the series disappeared from Netflix, I’ve been eager to watch it again. Oh well, I guess?

5. Muppets Tonight (Disney Channel, 1997-1998)

They boast a whole Muppets collection on Disney+, but they don’t supply us with this gem of a failed TV show. Disney may be ashamed of this attempt to make another Muppet Show, but I have very fond memories surrounding it, and I didn’t think it was half bad as a six-year-old! Just own your history, Disney. Own it. Oh, and let’s not even talk about their weird-looking new Muppet Babies... They don’t even provide us with access to the original series, though I specifically remember it airing on the Disney Channel in the ‘90s... Sigh.

What are your thoughts on Disney+? Are you doing your best to hold off on subscribing? What makes you want to subscribe? What are they missing for you? Let me know in the comments below!

Copyright © 2019 Bailey Lizotte