Apple TV+ vs. Disney+: Which streaming service is right for you?

By Christopher Lawrence

Las Vegas Review-Journal

5 years ago

Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon in “The Morning Show,” premiering November 1 on Appl ... — Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon in “The Morning Show,” premiering November 1 on Apple TV+. (Apple)

Hailee Steinfeld in “Dickinson,” premiering November 1 on Apple TV+. (Apple)

Joel Kinnaman in “For All Mankind,” premiering November 1 on Apple TV+. (Apple)

Jason Momoa in “See,” premiering November 1 on Apple TV+. (Apple)

“The Elephant Queen” premieres Nov. 1 on Apple TV+. (Apple)

Lady (voiced by Tessa Thompson) and Tramp (Justin Theroux) in “Lady and the Tramp.” (Disney Enterprises Inc.)

Pedro Pascal stars in “The Mandalorian.” (Lucasfilm Ltd.)

Rupert Grint and Toby Kebbell in “Servant,” premiering November 28 on Apple TV+. (Apple)

Jeff Goldblum attends the launch of New Tiffany and Co. Men’s Collection at the Hollywood Athletic Club on Friday, Oct. 11, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Pedro Pascal stars in “The Mandalorian.” (Lucasfilm Ltd.)

Hire a dog walker. Set your bills to autopay. Bid farewell to all nonessential relatives.

You’re about to have a lot less free time.

Apple TV+ is here. Disney+ is on its way. And with their high-profile original offerings — and, in the case of Disney+, a 90-year catalog of beloved memories — they’re coming for your streaming dollars.

Here’s a look at some of what to expect from the two new Netflix challengers. Spoiler alert: About the only thing they have in common is the plus sign.

What it is

Apple TV+: The tech giant’s first foray into producing its own, very expensive, original content. It’s being billed as the first all-original video subscription service.

Disney+: A new repository for hundreds of existing movies and TV series, as well as originals, from Disney and its Marvel, Pixar and “Star Wars” subsidiaries.

Launch date

Apple TV+: Friday

Disney+: Nov. 12

Price

Apple TV+: After a seven-day free trial, it’s $4.99 a month. Anyone who’s purchased a qualifying Apple product since Sept. 10 will receive a free yearlong subscription.

Disney+: $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year

Signature series

Apple TV+: “The Morning Show,” starring and executive-produced by Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. It’s a dramatic look at Me Too culture and its effect on a daytime news program when its beloved longtime co-host, portrayed by Steve Carell, is forced out amid allegations of sexual misconduct.

Disney+: “The Mandalorian,” the live-action “Star Wars” spinoff set between the events of the original trilogy and the current one. Writer-director Jon Favreau (“Iron Man,” “The Lion King”) has assembled a cast including Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, Nick Nolte, Werner Herzog, Taika Waititi and Trinity Christian graduate Gina Carano.

Other original series available at launch

Apple TV+: “See,” starring Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard, about a tribe of warriors 600 years from now after most of humanity was killed by a virus that blinded the survivors. “For All Mankind,” from “Battlestar Galactica” creator Ronald D. Moore, about a world in which a Russian cosmonaut was the first man on the moon. And “Dickinson,” a comic, distinctly modern take on the formative years of the titular poet, starring Hailee Steinfeld as Emily Dickinson, that features Jane Krakowski as her mother and a cameo by Wiz Khalifa.

Disney+: “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” a scripted show in which students prepare for their production of “High School Musical.” “Encore!,” a reality series in which Kristen Bell reunites cast members of various high school musicals to re-create those productions. And “The World According to Jeff Goldblum,” in which the mercurial actor offers his take on a variety of subjects, such as sneakers and ice cream.

Original movies available at launch

Apple TV+: “The Elephant Queen,” a documentary acquired at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, about a mother elephant who leads her family on a dangerous search for a new watering hole.

Disney+: “Lady and the Tramp,” a live-action remake featuring the voices of Tessa Thompson and Justin Theroux, and “Noelle,” a holiday film about Kris Kringle’s daughter, starring Anna Kendrick, Bill Hader, Billy Eichner and Shirley MacLaine.

Existing titles available at launch

Apple TV+: None

Disney+: Animated films dating back to Mickey Mouse’s debut in “Steamboat Willie,” the first seven “Star Wars” movies and “The Simpsons.” By the end of its first year, the service promises it will offer more than 7,500 TV episodes and 500 movies.

Original series on the way

Apple TV+: “Servant,” a psychological thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, and “Truth Be Told,” starring Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul, about a podcaster confronting the man she may have helped wrongly convict of murder.

Disney+: Marvel Cinematic Universe spinoffs “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier,” “Hawkeye,” “Loki” and “WandaVision” and two untitled “Star Wars” spinoffs focusing on Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi and Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor from “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567. Follow @life_onthecouch on Twitter.