Disney movies are becoming un-Frozen -- at least in the U.K.
The child-monopolizing entertainment company has a lock on the most popular movies for little kids, from Bambi to yes, Frozen.
Now it's making them available for streaming in the UK, which could be a possible test for its ambitions in the U.S.
Disney has announced its first Netflix-style streaming service, bringing its stable of princesses to just about any screen you please.
Called DisneyLife, the service will cost £9.99 (about $15.40) per month and include Disney movies, TV shows from the Disney Channel, music and books. Users will be able to download all the to be enjoyed offline, much like Spotify and other streaming services.
DisneyLife will launch in November in the United Kingdom, with expansion to parts of Europe after that. The company gave no indication of when it might be available in the U.S., but it's hard to believe that the service won't end up stateside at some point. That could take some time due to Disney's existing and complicated agreements with TV and movie distributors.
Disney CEO Robert Iger said the new service is a necessary step in serving its customers. (As any parent knows whose kids have watched Disney movies to the point of broken CDs).
"Families are accessing entertainment in completely new ways but their love for Disney and our unique characters and stories remains the same. DisneyLife is a great example of our strategy to utilize technology to connect with consumers in more direct and compelling ways, something that only Disney can do," Iger said in a press release.
DisneyLife will exist apart from Disney Movies Anywhere.
Disney Movies Anywhere allows users that buy individual Disney titles to access them over the Internet.
DisneyLife, however, works more like Netflix, which is "A Whole New World" for the company. Customers will pay the monthly fee to have unlimited access to the service. That won't necessarily mean access to all Disney content. Disney won't be making everything available on the service, most notably its Marvel and Star Wars content, according to the Financial Times.
Users will be able to access the service on smartphones that run either iOS or Android, as well as on any desktop or TV with an Internet connection.