It’s been four whole years now since Disney+ arrived in the UK, changing the streaming game almost overnight. Armed with the Infinity Gauntlet of IP — Marvel, Disney, Star Wars, Pixar, and FOX — the House of Mouse have created a veritable content utopia where there truly is something for everyone. Few are the platforms where you could expect to find facehugger fests, Welsh football club documentaries, the comical misadventures of a family of animated Australian dogs, and the complete animated oeuvre of one of history’s most iconic studios all in one place — but here sure is one of ’em.
However, when faced with a streaming service where you can journey to a galaxy far, far away with a Star Wars-y smorgasbord just as easily as you can marathon the entire Walt Disney Animation catalogue, devour the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, or mainline Pixar’s illustrious filmography, it can be hard to know what to watch next. And with the likes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Daredevil Born Again, and Agatha All Along all set to land on the platform in the coming months, the streamer’s showing no signs of slowing. With that in mind, we here at Empire and Pilot TV HQ have decided to help out by putting together an exhaustive guide to everything you need to see on Disney+.
From awesome animated movies to sensational limited series, and from behemothic blockbusters to must-see documentaries and everything in between, we’ve got you covered. So grab a brew, get comfy, and follow us as we help you get your streaming priorities in (no particular) order.
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Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
Apes. Movie. Strong! Although hype for a sequel trilogy to the Planet Of The Apes prequel trilogy (which was itself the antecedent of a fistful of movies made decades earlier) may not have been through the roof when Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes was first announced, soon-to-be Legend Of Zelda director Wes Ball’s franchise debut doesn’t monkey around. Set generations after the series’ Caesar saga, this latest tale of primate politicking follows Caesar’s descendant Noa (Owen Teague) as he wrestles with familial legacy, the arrival of pesky human Mae (Freya Allen), and a power struggle with the more martially minded would-be-ascendant to the ape kingdom’s throne Proximus Caesar (a terrific Kevin Durand). Buoyed by strong central performances, stunning photorealistic CGI, and a Shakespearean sense of heft as we revisit a world where apes and humans’ places in the food chain have been switched, this is rock solid simian stuff that promises yet greater things still await in this new Apes era.
Read the Empire review here.
The Acolyte
Russian Doll mastermind Leslye Headland takes the Star Wars universe to a longer time ago in that galaxy far, far away than we’ve ever been before with The Acolyte. Set over a century prior to The Phantom Menace, the series — a part-procedural crime thriller, part Force-fu sci-fi spectacular not inaccurately described by Headland as “Frozen meets Kill Bill” — takes place during the twilight of the High Republic, an era filled with powerful Jedi, golden robes, and lightsaber-wielding Wookiees. It is here we meet Mae (Amandla Stenberg), an enigmatic Force-user on a mission of revenge. The wrinkle? Her targets are four high-ranking Jedi, including Carrie-Anne Moss’ Jedi Master Indara. Yikes! With its brand-new (largely practical) setting, impressive hand-to-hand combat sequences, and intriguing new takes on the Force and the Jedi Order, The Acolyte unmoors Star Wars from the Skywalker Saga, setting up an exciting new era for the franchise to explore. Also, did we mention the lightsaber-wielding Wookiees?
Read the Empire review here.
Jim Henson: Idea Man
Inspirational, celebrational, and of course Muppetational, Ron Howard’s Jim Henson: Idea Man is a lovely — and loving — tribute to the man responsible for The Muppets, Sesame Street, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and the collective joy of millions of parents and children over the last seven decades. Featuring candid conversations with Henson’s friends, family, and collaborators — including puppeteer pal Frank Oz and filmmaker son Brian Henson — Howard’s doc offers viewers a touching cradle-to-grave account of the creative genius and family man shot through with a lovely streak of Henson worthy imagination. You’ll marvel at Orson Welles hailing the Muppets as the best thing that’s ever happened to TV; you’ll laugh at the abundance of archival footage of Henson, Oz, and co goofing around; and you’ll definitely cry at the Big Bird finale. As we said —inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational.
Read the Empire review here.
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)
Are you ready for this? Last year, Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour lit up our cinema screens, leaving fans (and the box office) truly Enchanted. And now The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) has found a Blank Space amongst Disney+’s ever-growing library and written its name there. Filmed in front of a sold-out crowd at Los Angeles, California’s 70,000 capacity SoFi stadium, Swift’s career-spanning three-hour concert movie is nothing short of spectacular. Musically dynamic, conceptually ambitious, and now even bigger (than the whole sky) thanks to four streamer exclusive bonus tracks (‘I Can See You’, ‘You Are in Love’, ‘Death by a Thousand Cuts’, and ‘Maroon’), The Eras Tour (TV) is Taylor made to have you dancing round the lounge, singing your heart out. So whether you’re a Lover, you’ve inexplicably got Bad Blood with the pop megastar, or you simply find yourself drawn in as if by some kind of invisible string (like Empire’s very own Ian Freer), don’t miss out.
Read the Empire review here.
X-Men ‘97
With its electrifying synth intro, endlessly quotable catchphrases, and eye-popping aesthetic inspired by comics legend Jim Lee, X-Men: The Animated Series was peak ‘90s Saturday morning TV. And yet, thanks to its then-maverick serialised storytelling approach and complex characterisation, the show — which originally ran between 1992 and 1997 — somehow always felt ahead of its time. The arrival of Marvel Studios Animation’s X-Men ‘97 three decades later then makes perfect sense. Neither remake nor reboot but rather a direct continuation of the OG show, this revival — bolstered by extended episode runtimes, claw-sharp animation, and the kind of creative freedom an injection of Mouse House moolah buys — isn’t just the nostalgic ‘toon you know and love. It’s even better. Come for the returning voice cast, the “Bwa-na-na-na naaaa na-na”, and the nostalgic warmth of the VHS-style patina; stay for a contemporary continuation of a classic that speaks to the present whilst looking to the X-Men’s on-screen future.
Read the Empire review here.
Poor Things
If a steampunk feminist reframing of the Frankenstein myth from the director of The Favourite sounds like something you might like then hold onto your top hat, friend! Yorgos Lanthimos’ multiple Oscar winning adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s cult classic novel is a wild coming-of-age tale. Emma Stone leads an all-star ensemble here (Mark Ruffalo! Willem Dafoe! Ramy Youssef!) as Bella Baxter, a young woman finding her way, discovering herself, and reclaiming her autonomy in an ever-changing world after being resurrected by a mad scientist (Dafoe). With its Gilliam-esque acid trip visuals, refreshing approach to feminine sexuality, and high-wire balancing act between gonzo absurdism and surprisingly affecting introspection, Poor Things truly has to be seen to be believed. And even then, you’ll probably wonder if the whole thing was a fever dream after all. Catch up on it now before Lanthimos’ next Emma Stone team-up Kinds Of Kindness drops in June.
Read the Empire review here.
All Of Us Strangers
Many questions hang over Andrew Haigh’s All Of Us Strangers. Is it a ghost story? A romance? Both? Is it all real or all in our protagonist’s head? And, most importantly, how the hell didn’t it sweep — or even get nominated at — the Oscars? But of one thing we can be certain — you must see this if you haven’t already. Andrew Scott is on career-best form as forty-something gay writer Adam, who — in between cathartic visits to his childhood home, where his dead parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy) still live — finds himself falling for seemingly the only other soul in his London high-rise (Paul Mescal). Make no mistake, this is one of the great love stories of this century — not just as an achingly romantic tale of yearning and self-discovery in a changing, changed world, but as an emotionally raw exploration of the blood-deep ties that bind parents and their children. And that ending? Oh boy… bring tissues.
Read the Empire review here.
Shōgun
Top Gun: Maverick writer Justin Marks and his wife Rachel Kondo helm this lavish new adaptation of James Clavell’s doorstop 1975 historical fictive. Set amidst a century-defining civil war in the dying days of Japan’s feudal era, it’s not hard to see why Shōgun — an epic drama filled with knotty plotting, politicking, deceit, brutal violence, and even more lacerating dialogue — is being compared to Game Of Thrones. But you’ll find no dragons or White Walkers here; in fact, there’s more of Succession than of A Song Of Ice & Fire about Shōgun’s fraught power struggles. Here, the action centres around Hiroyuki Sanada’s embattled yet impressively stoic Lord Yoshii Toranaga, the shipwrecked Englishman (Cosmo Jarvis) he appoints as his advisor, and their newly-converted Catholic translator (Anna Sawai) as each pursues their own ascendancy. Shot with painterly attention to detail — all dramatic seascapes, mist-choked forests, and candlelit collusion — and immersed wholly in its period setting, this is cerebral television at its finest.
Read the Empire review here.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch
We were first introduced to The Bad Batch — a squad of elite clone troopers comprising Hunter, Wrecker, Tech, Echo, and Crosshair — in Star Wars fan-favourite spin-off series The Clone Wars. And the continued adventures of this genetically mutated band of Order 66 resistant misfits has only grown from strength to strength over its three season run, with its most recent — and final — instalment reaching its predecessor’s dizzying heights both in terms of animated spectacle and narrative heft. Providing vital connective tissue between all three Skywalker saga trilogies whilst serving its own story, which places the unique struggle of being a clone and fighting for a sense of identity front and centre, The Bad Batch serves as yet another reminder of just how brilliant animated Star Wars is.
Read the Empire review here.
Echo
Marvel’s new ‘Spotlight’ strand of (kinda sorta not really) standalone projects gets off to a solid start with Echo. The first R-rated offering of the MCU’s Disney+ era centres around Alaqua Cox’s Maya Lopez – AKA the titular anti-hero. Carrying a moniker that speaks as much to Maya’s attunement to her Native American ancestry as to her deafness – both her disabilities (she also quite literally has a kick-ass prosthetic leg) and heritage are welcome MCU firsts – Cox convincingly makes the transition from intriguing Hawkeye supporting character to compelling series lead here. Following Echo as she squares off against uncle/crime lord Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio was simply born to play Kingpin), digs into her Choctaw roots, and partakes in some surprisingly brutal action set-pieces (there’s a couple of rollicking oners in here) makes binge-watching Echo no chore. It is, if you’ll pardon the pun, bloody good stuff. More please!
Read the Empire review here.
Theater Camp
On the one hand, Theater Camp is a timely reflection on the existential threats facing the arts in post-pandemic America. On the other, it’s a riotous laugh-a-minute musical mockumentary that gives “theatre people” the full Spinal Tap treatment whilst simultaneously celebrating the sanctuaries theatre camps offer to all-comers. Ben Platt and Molly Gordon (who co-directs alongside Nick Lieberman) are a hoot as stupendously self-serious camp instructors Amos and Rebecca-Diane, whilst the ensemble – comprising School Of Rock level wonder kids and up-and-coming comedy stars Ayo Edibiri (The Bear, Bottoms) and Noah Galvin (Booksmart) – are almost unfairly great. Full of heart, full of funnies, and all wrapped up with a properly barnstorming musical finale (seriously, ‘Camp Isn’t Home’ should’ve had a Best Song nod at the Oscars), Theater Camp is a real blast. All together now! Camp isn’t home, but is it, kind of? / Kind of it is / I think it kind of is…
Read the Empire review here.
Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny
Harrison Ford is back crackin’ whips, quips, and Nazi noggins in James Mangold’s Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, a fine and fitting final outing for everybody’s favourite all-action archaeologist. And whilst Indy’s latest adventure — a sixties set globe-trotting epic with a wild timey-wimey twist — ain’t exactly Raiders Of The Lost Ark or The Last Crusade (in fairness, what is?), it’s also no Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull either. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s arrival into the series as Indy’s goddaughter Helena, Mads Mikkelsen’s scenery chewing turn as villainous Nazi Jürgen Voller, and John Williams’ majestic score alone make this well worth the watch. But it’s Ford’s soulful central performance — grizzled, wistful, yet fizzing with that old Indy charm — as a man out of time (in more ways than one) that elevates the whole film. Proof then that it’s really not the years, it’s the mileage.
Read the Empire review here.
The Creator
[Note: The Creator will stream exclusively on Disney+ from 17 January]
John David Washington is the protagonist (but not, crucially, The Protagonist) in Rogue One director Gareth Edwards’ The Creator, a thoughtful sci-fi blockbuster set in a near future where humanity finds itself at war with AI (*gasp*) – and itself. Here, Washington plays a conflicted US military vet tasked with shepherding a powerful AI weapon to its destruction. The catch? Said AI is a ‘Simulant’ child, brought emotively to life by preternaturally talented seven-year-old Madeleine Yuna Voyles. Whilst Edwards’ influences here – everything from Blade Runner to Lone Wolf And Cub, Akira and A.I. – Artificial Intelligence – are obvious, rest assured this is no ChatGPT jobbie. Instead, Edwards’ movie lands as a masterclass in immersive world-building (a slick combo of impressive low-budget effects and the film’s gorgeously captured Thai setting) and a heartfelt exploration of what it truly means to be human. It may have flown under the radar a little on release, but The Creator has future genre classic written all over it.
Read the Empire review here.
A Murder At The End Of The World
The Murder Mysterenaissance continues apace with A Murder At The End Of The World, a noodle-twisting new thriller from The OA creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij. Emma Corrin brings a fizzing charisma to “Gen Z Sherlock Holmes” Darby Hart, a talented hacker and amateur sleuth who – alongside seven other guests – is invited to the remote Icelandic home of billionaire Andy Ronson (Clive Owen), only for one of them to wind up dead. Deliciously pulpy, neo-noirish flashback sequences reveal Darby’s origins solving cold cases via Reddit with boyfriend Bill (Harris Dickinson), whilst in the present, Ronson’s Ex Machina-esque retreat makes an eye-catching setting for Darby’s gonzo detective work. Boasting a genuinely compelling central mystery, a game ensemble, and timely commentaries on our world today (AI, the climate crisis, the ills of extreme wealth), Marling/Batmanglij’s latest is another banger.
Read the Empire review here.
The Boogeyman
Rob Savage foregoes the found footage horror of Host and DASHCAM in favour of more traditional terror tactics with Stephen King short story adaptation The Boogeyman. Penned by A Quiet Place scribes Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, Savage’s film takes King’s quintessential monster-in-the-closet tale – a sort of evil Monsters, Inc. – and turns it into a visceral succession of properly disturbing jumpscares. There are some ‘elevated horror’ gracenotes, musings on loss and adolescent isolation as our protagonists Sadie (Sophie Thatcher) and Sawyer (Vivien Lyra Blair) wrestle with grief – and the literal boogeyman. But make no mistake, this is an old-school shocker through and through, and a successful one at that. The titular kiddie killer is such a visceral avatar of primordial fear that you may never turn off your lights again.
Read the Empire review here.
Ahsoka
Whilst Andor revolutionised the Star Wars galaxy with its gritty, mature exploration of the banality of evil within the Galactic Empire, Dave Filoni’s Ahsoka amplifies the saga’s spiritual frequency. Set in the aftermath of the Empire’s collapse, this series focuses on Clone Wars, Rebels, and Mandoverse fan-favourite Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson) as she tracks down missing pal Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) and Imperial menace Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen). Featuring the returns of hyperspace-traveling space-whales the Purrgil and actual Anakin Skywalker, Hayden Christensen, alongside all sorts of mythic artefacts, wild witchcraft, and galaxy-reshaping revelations – this is peak Star Wars. It’s also the show that gives us one of 2023’s great performances, in the shape of the late, great Ray Stevenson as ronin-like ex-Jedi Baylan Skoll. Plus, y’know, Loth-cats!
Read the Empire review here.
American Born Chinese
Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once alumni Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh team up with Shang Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton in American Born Chinese, a genre-mashing action comedy based on Gene Luen Yang’s brilliant 2006 graphic novel. The show revolves around Asian American teen Jin Wang (Ben Wang), whose struggles to balance his school and home life are taken to a whole new level when he befriends a new Taiwanese student and suddenly finds himself embroiled in an existential battle with Chinese mythological gods. Eye-popping wushu and ‘wire-fu’ spectacle, a heartfelt commentary on the immigrant experience, and an empowering ‘anyone can be a hero’ message mean that Cretton’s series does indeed offer a great many things, in several places, quite often at the same time.
Read the Empire review here.
A Small Light
Anne Frank and her family’s remarkable story has been subject to several big and small screen retellings over the years. Prestige eight-part limited series A Small Light however boldly reframes the Franks’ story for a new generation, focusing instead on Miep Gies, the young secretary who – alongside husband Jan – risked her life to protect and hide the family for two years. The Morning Show’s Bel Powley shines here as the feisty teenaged Miep, whose progressive worldview is mirrored in the script’s distinctly modern sensibility. Elsewhere. Joe Cole, Liev Schreiber, and Andy Nyman all provide strong support in telling this extraordinary true tale of a woman who met fascism with ferocious courage and moral conviction. As the real-life Gies once famously said, “Even an ordinary secretary or a housewife or a teenager can, in their own way, turn on a small light in a dark room.” This classily constructed series keeps both the Gies and Frank families’ light shining.