Disney+ slammed for “abysmally stupid” decision to remove shows

❘ Published: 2023-05-19T11:09:14

Disney+

Disney has been slammed for what’s been described as an “abysmally stupid” decision to remove shows and movies from its streaming platforms, Disney+ and Hulu.

While studios have been axing shows left, right, and center, streaming platforms have started removing content from their libraries in a bid to cut costs, in what’s been described as “the streaming purge”.

Warner Bros. Discovery previously led the charge by removing dozens of shows and movies from the platform formerly known as HBO Max to cut down on residual payments, with AMC and Showtime undergoing similar cut backs.

And now the House of Mouse is doing the same, and let’s just say the reaction has not been positive, especially as the ongoing WGA strikes are still battling for better pay in the streaming era.

Disney+ slammed for “abysmally stupid” decision to remove shows and movies

There has been a heavy backlash to Disney’s decision to cut dozens of shows and movies from Disney+ and Hulu.

But before we get into the reactions, take a look at the long list of content set to be removed from the platforms’ digital shelves, as per Deadline:

Big Shot – Disney+
Turner & Hooch – Disney+
The Mysterious Benedict Society – Disney+
The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers – Disney+
Willow – Disney+
The Making Of Willow – Disney+
Diary of a Future President – Disney+
Just Beyond – Disney+
The World According to Jeff Goldblum – Disney+
Marvel’s Project Hero – Disney+
Marvel’s MPower – Disney+
Marvel’s Voices Rising: The Music of Wakanda Forever – Disney+
Y: The Last Man – FX/Hulu
Pistol – FX/Hulu
Little Demon – FX/Hulu
Maggie – Hulu
Dollface – Hulu
The Hot Zone – Nat Geo/Hulu
The Premise – Hulu
Love in the Time of Corona – Hulu
Everything’s Trash – Hulu
Best in Snow – Hulu
Best in Dough – Hulu
Darby and the Dead – Hulu
The Quest – Hulu
Rosaline – Disney+
Cheaper by the Dozen remake – Disney+
The One and Only Ivan – Disney+
Stargirl – Disney+
Artemis Fowl – Disney+
The Princess – Disney+
Encore! – Disney+
A Spark Story – Disney+
Black Beauty – Disney+
Clouds – Disney+
America the Beautiful – Disney+
Better Nate Than Ever – Disney+
Weird but True! – Disney+
Timmy Failure – Disney+
Be Our Chef – Disney+
Magic Camp – Disney+
Howard – Disney+
Earth to Ned – Disney+
Foodtastic – Disney+
Stuntman – Disney+
Disney Fairy Tale Weddings – Disney+
Wolfgang – Disney+
It’s a Dog’s Life with Bill Farmer – Disney+
The Real Right Stuff – Disney+
The Big Fib – Disney+
Rogue Trip – Disney+
More Than Robots – Disney+
Shop Class – Disney+
Pick the Litter – Disney+
Own the Room – Disney+
Among the Stars – Disney+
Harmonious Live! – Disney+
Pentatonix: Around the World for the Holidays – Disney+

In response to the news, Queens and Woke writer Kyra Jones said: “This is one of the scariest things about writing for a streaming show. They can just yeet your show off the platform, never to be seen again. No DVD. No VOD purchases. No nothing. It feel akin to book burning.”

Another commented: “It really does go against the whole ethos of the OG Disney+ launch: ‘look, a hub for everything Disney, including the exclusive home for streaming our entire past catalogue – such as DVD only releases – and content from SW, MCU, et al.’ Then again, HBO Max (soon to be Max) had the same implicit promise, given it was a hub for all things WarnerBros/HBO+ new content. Really a damn shame.”

Some of the strongest backlash has been to the planned removal of Willow, the TV show adaptation of the 1988 movie starring Warwick Davis, which was recently canceled after just one season.

“Let me buy a goddamn #Willow Blu-ray if you’re going to do something abysmally stupid like this,” wrote one on Twitter. “Why? Why does ANYONE THINK that removing films & series is a good idea? To farm them out & make some third-party cash? We don’t want to go & subscribe to more things.”

Another said: “It’s outrageous. Is the era of ‘cult status’ over now if something without a physical release ceases to exist? Imagine if Blade Runner or The Rocky Horror Picture Show were simply deleted a year after release!”

Elsewhere, a third ominously mused: “Welcome to Phase Two of the Streaming Wars.”

To read more about the WGA strikes, head here, and you can check out our other TV and movie hubs below: