Disney+ is finally here in Singapore!
The highly anticipated, on-demand entertainment platform is launching on 23 February 2021, with over 500 movies and 15,000 episodes from Disney, Marvel, Star Wars, Pixar, National Geographic, and Star – there’s something for everyone.
With the massive array of options (at a subscription cost of S$11.98 a month or S$119.98 a year) you may be wondering where to begin? Why not start with these 10 wholesome options that will spark that flame of kindness in you.
The Sound of Music (1965)
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens.
This iconic melody should instantly stir up all your favourite things, including the childhood joy of watching The Sound of Music and singing along to all its songs, like Do-Re-Mi and Edelweiss.
A musical, heartwarming story, it is based on the real-life story of the Von Trapp Family singers, one of the world’s best-known concert groups, in the era immediately preceding World War II. Julie Andrews plays the role of Maria, the governess in the home of a widowed naval captain with seven children, and brings a new love of life and music into the home.
Mulan
We love our Disney feature-length animations like Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty, but secretly we all rooted for Mulan, because she broke the stereotype of the “Disney Princess” with her fearless courage when she disguised herself as a male soldier to take her father’s place in the army to fight the evil Huns.
There’s also the 2020 live adaptation to watch once you’re done with the animation. There are several changes to the original, but it is equally inspiring and moving.
Black Panther
For comic book lovers, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is inarguably one of the best things to come to movie screens. Its superhero saga has stretched across 23 films (and counting), and they have grossed more than $22 billion at the worldwide box office.
Most of its films have been hits, with the Avengers saga being the pinnacle of the hero team-up movie. But it is Black Panther, the 18th movie to be released, that made its mark on popular culture because of its representation of people of colour on the big screen.
Black Panther tells the story of T’Challa – played by Chadwick Boseman, who died from cancer in 2020 – who returns home to Wakanda to inherit the throne after his father’s death. He is tested when he’s drawn into a conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk.
Boseman embodied his character Black Panther in his personal life and was the epitome of a true hero as he visited children with cancer in hospital while battling the disease himself.
Star Wars
It’s a great time to be a Star Wars fan.
The complete nine-movie saga will be available to stream on May 4th. Most of us already know the stories of the heroes and anti-heroes of the galactic epic but if for some reason, you’ve had the great fortune of not yet seeing it, you’re in for a treat.
You’ll learn about honour and sacrifice, and the tragedy of making the choice between following the Light or Dark paths as you follow the story of Luke Skywalker, his Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, smuggler Han Solo, his companion Chewbacca, and Princess Leia as they battle the evil Darth Vader to free the galaxy from the clutches of the Galactic Empire.
And if that’s not enough lightsaber action for you, the final episodes of prequel series The Mandalorian are incoming too. And for fans of the animated series, the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars will be available to watch alongside Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars Resistance.
Winnie The Pooh
Walt Disney Animation Studios returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with the endearing animated feature Winnie the Pooh. Featuring the timeless charm, wit and whimsy of the original featurettes, this all-new movie reunites audiences with the philosophical “bear of very little brain” who gets himself into sticky situations and friends Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo…and last, but certainly not least, Eeyore, who has lost his tail.
Short, nostalgic, and gently whimsical, Winnie the Pooh offers young audiences – and their parents – a sweetly traditional family treat.
Wall-E
Wall-E is the last robot left on an abandoned trash-filled Earth. He spends his days tidying up the planet, one piece of garbage at a time. Then he spots Eve, a sleek probe sent back to Earth on a scanning mission. Smitten, the little indomitable robot embarks on his greatest adventure to follow Eve across the galaxy.
At its heart, Pixar’s Wall-E is a charming love story. But it also offers a thought-provoking subtext that gives us a darker look at Earth’s possible future – one where humans have ruined the planet’s environment as a result of over-consumption – and are forced to live in space, unable even to carry their own weight, captive to screens. It serves as a social commentary of consumerist culture and warns us of what our future could be like if we leave our current rate of consumption unchecked.
Life Below Zero
Ever wondered how Eskimos survive?
Life Below Zero follows seven people as they battle snow storms, man-eating bears, frozen terrain and limited resources through the long, cold and lonely winter in one of the least populated states in the US – Alaska.
It is the perfect show to unwind to after a long day, to remind yourself that perhaps, compared to other people, your life isn’t that bad after all.
The BBC documentary which airs on National Geographic showcases the everyday struggles of life below zero – where one wrong decision could cost you your life.
Hidden Figures
This Oscar-nominated biopic brings to light the incredible untold story of Katherine Jonson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson – three brilliant African-American women working at US space agency NASA – who served as the brains behind the launch into orbit of astronaut John Glenn, a stunning achievement that turned around the space race.
It’s a great movie to inspire us all, seeing that the world is still revelling over the successful landing of a six-wheeled rover, Perseverance, on the planet Mars, in search of biological life.
That achievement is built on the shoulders of giants, like this visionary trio who crossed gender and racial lines to inspire future generations of scientists who dare to dream of the stars. A refreshing, timely and essential story.
The Greatest Showman
Hugh Jackman singing and dancing alongside Zac Efron and Zendaya is enough motivation to watch The Greatest Showman. But the movie is more than just that. The drama-musical set in the 1800s celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary P. T. Barnum who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.
It features a feel-good soundtrack including This Is Me and A Million Dreams that you (and your kids) will be humming for days.
WandaVision
If you’ve not heard, so many people tuned in to Marvel’s WandaVision that it caused Disney+ to crash. The series, which premiered on January 15, brings the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the small screen in the style of classic American sitcoms over the years.
In a mind-bending (pun intended) genre-defying series, Wanda Maximoff and Vision – two super-powered beings living their ideal suburban life – begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.
While not a full-fledged action movie, the show gives humourous insight into the couple’s married life (think the cooking scene from Civil War, where we find Vision familiarizing himself with paprika) but is also filled with Easter eggs that will delight the attentive Marvel fan.
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