Welcome to the wonderful world of Disney(Life).
You all remember the day that Frozen took over the world.
Disney, for me, is childhood memory. Standing on a rock singing ‘Colours of the wind’ to my Nan’s sheep. Crying when that ‘bad thing’ happened to Bambi’s mum, and climbing a tree to rescue my brother’s Woody cowboy doll. He threw it up there and I fell out. Disney was, and still is, the epitome of family friendly adventure.
Let’s be honest, how many of us have just dragged our children to see the new adaptation of Beauty and the Beast and then sang along louder than them? I did.
But is Disney for everyone?
‘Is it not just for girls? Won’t watching those films make your son soppy? But it’s all about princesses.’ Sigh.
Disney is not just about princesses in marvellous dresses. Making a concerted effort to avoid engaging in a rant on gender rigidity, I am not saying that a little boy cannot be a princess. My son rocks the urban queen look.
But, tell Mickey Mouse, Tarzan, Lightening McQueen, Christopher Robin, Peter Pan, Aladdin, Hercules, Simba, Mowgli, Buzz Lightyear and a myriad of other colourful, fluffy characters that Disney is just for girls. The movies are about swashbuckling action, bravery, finding friendship, family, magic. These concepts are ageless and genderless. Fairy tales are for everybody. We all need a talking snowman to teach us about being human.
And the princesses that my son is growing up with? There is a stark contrast in the older Disney princesses to the newer ones. Some still wear pink gowns, whilst others are sword wielding warriors. The strong (imperfect) female characters? These are portrayals of woman I want my son to see, respect and accept as just as much of the norm as Mr Lightyear.
The things that make me different are the things that make me ME. Piglet (Winnie the Pooh)
Disney lesson #361 -always, always, always be yourself. Let your sons watch Disney and wear tiaras. My 74 year old grandfather was observed watching Tangled the other day.
What is Disney Life?
Imagine if Disney ate Amazon Prime, Netflix, Kindle and Spotify for dinner. The result? Disney Life. This fabulous streaming subscription service offers countless hours of all the Disney entertainment children (or adults) could want. Watch via laptop or through your tablet, phone or magic mirror with IOS and Android apps.
The biggest collection of Disney in one place, viewers can have access to content to watch, read and listen to online. The platform offers TV shows, movies, an extensive library of EBooks, audio books, music and 10% off at the Disney store. You can even download content for when your Wi-Fi fails you, perfect for on planes, trains and cars.
All in Disney, all of the time.
Do you want SEVEN days FREE all you can watch Disney? A monthly subscription costs only £4.99 and for the first week you can test out the platform for nothing. There is no contracted period that you are trapped into and you can cancel anytime. Cancel before the end of the trial period and you can watch to the end of the 7 days and not have to pay a penny. Imagine what you could do with free access to Mulan for a week.
What kind of content is available on Disney Life?
Thousands of hours of films from classics such as Honey I Blew Up the Kid to Enchanted, there are literally hundreds of beloved films available. I got distracted half way through reviewing and started watching Hocus Pocus. The site shows the running times, advisory rating, and includes special features such as deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes featurettes and the loveable Pixar Mini Movies.
A plethora of TV box sets offer favourites such as DocMcstuffins and shows that usually appear on Disney Channel, Junior and XD. You can also live stream. From Preschool to tween there is something for everyone. Entire soundtracks can be downloaded or streamed through the app. Yes, you can have in the car singalongs. Books are both digital and audio, staged by age and reading ability.
All are available in up to five languages: English, French, German, Italian and Spanish.
So what did we think?
Disney Life offers a colourful interactive user experience with all your favourite characters. It is easy to use, with clear navigation, accessible menus and picture icons for small hands. After registering you set up a master profile, including parental controls, accounts and passcodes for all family members. It loads well and videos run without glitches. You can have up to 10 devices under one account and have concurrent streams running at any one time. That’s Disney through the house. In the bath.
My little boy princess and I have watched Monsters University 546 times.
Do you and your family have a favourite Disney film? Who else knows the entire script of the Lion King?
Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post #Ad.
