Fans of Disney movies are in for a treat as the entertainment company released a new app for iPhone and iPad this week. Disney Movies Anywhere lets you stream Disney movies that you’ve purchased using your iTunes account, directly through the app.
The app offers a new space to access your collection of Disney movies, but you’re effectively just purchasing them through iTunes. So what’s it got to offer that iTunes doesn’t? Not much, unless you’re a die-hard Disney fan.
When first installing the app, you’ll be asked to log in or register with a Disney account. From there, you’ll be prompted to connect your iTunes account, which isn’t necessary, but is incentivized by offering a free movie when connecting your account (for now, it’s The Incredibles, but this is subject to change). You purchase additional movies through your iTunes account, and you can access all of the Disney movies you’ve already downloaded through iTunes in the Disney Movies Anywhere app.
Movies from all of Disney’s branches including Pixar and Marvel, are accessible through the app. The biggest benefit, of course, is its integration with iTunes. Users don’t have to worry about registering more credit card details, and automatic syncing means that you have your entire Disney movie collection in one place. This will come in handy, especially once Disney integrates the app with additional retail services, which Walt Disney CTO Jamie Voris says is part of the expansion plan for building a sustainable digital ecosystem for Disney. The app currently offers around 400 titles.
Aside from its own browsing sections, there are additional features like exclusive behind the scenes videos, and an MPAA feature that lets parents control which content their kids can access.
While this app may not offer anything revolutionary, I remember my own collection of VHS Disney tapes filling the living room as a kid. Disney is big business, and loyal fans of the franchise, and their parents, will appreciate the convenience and perks that the app has to offer. Undoubtedly, it gives kids and parents a new space to store their Disney movie collection, one which takes up a little less room: the cloud.
