The launch of Disney+ has resulted in the inevitable comparisons to legacy streaming service Netflix. And those comparisons reveal Disney+ clearly has some kinks to work out. The Disney+ navigation is clunky. Across platforms, the apps are buggy and performance is inconsistent. But for me, and probably many parents like me, content is king. And when it comes to kids, Netflix has left me little reason to pay their $14 price tag. If I’m honest, that’s something of a relief. Here are the reasons I’m probably going to cancel my Netflix account in favor or a subscription to Disney+.
Disney Movies and Shows are a Known Quantity
Like a rocky marriage, Netflix and I were sticking in there for the kids. My boys, who are 6 and 8-years-old were the primary Netflix users in the house. And to the credit of Netflix, their kid’s offerings were pretty robust. In fact, they were pretty much the only game in the streaming world for straight-up kids entertainment. Prime Video is too hard for kids to navigate, Hulu is too committed to its live offerings and YouTube is a dangerous Wild West nightmare of pedophiles and predatory clickbait.
Netflix, on the other hand, was relatively safe. That said, over the last year, Netflix kids’ offerings have changed. The platform appears to be flooded with strange, lowest-common-denominator CGI animation programs. For instance, my kids found Larva, a “show” featuring a couple of worms who seem to always be farting into each other’s mouths for some reason. They also found a show where a dog and a shark fight loudly and violently over a half-naked mermaid, a show where the earth has been turned into a giant butt, and a variety of nonsensical candy-colored talking vehicle shows from South Korea where something has clearly been lost in translation.
All the stuff on Disney+, however, is a known quantity. Moreover, everyone in my family likes it. That’s a super easy decision.
Disney+ is Cheaper than Netflix
Making the decision even easier is Netflix recent habit of jacking up its prices. I had to endure it when it was my only path to family entertainment, but now I can cut $14 from my entertainment budget, giving me a net savings of $6 a month even with Disney+ on board. And I can make that cut without feeling like I’m losing anything.
Disney+ Original Content Trumps Netflix Original Content
Yes, Netflix has some decent original content, but nothing the family can enjoy together. The kids’ shows are too dumb and the adult shows are too adult. Disney+ appears to be hitting a sweet spot, offering original content that my family can enjoy and binge and talk about together.
I mean, I like Black Mirror, but it’s not something I can watch with my kids. I’ll trade it for the Mandalorian, any day.
I expect for people without kids, the choice to ditch Netflix would be a bit harder. There’s plenty there to binge if you happen to have the free time and the absence of little impressionable minds. But I do not have that free time. And anything outside of Disney content is easily rented from Amazon Prime if I’m feeling more adult.
Before Disney+ launched there were reports that Netflix was worried about losing subscribers. From where I sit that fear was very justified.
And yes, I’ve heard that Nickelodeon is merging with Netflix, but I remain unconvinced. I don’t love Nickelodeon stuff for my kids, and so, I stand by what I said: Netflix is going down!
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