Everything you need to know about Disney+ Updated!

Back in August 2017, I wrote an article making my predictions on Disney Plus (not named at the time).  If you want to see it again, you can here.  However, this post is to not only to update, but also show how I did with my predictions thus far.  Let's get started:

1. Disney will indeed pull their content out of Netflix

No ifs ands or buts.  That will still happen.  Now I believe they are still there for the moment being, but once Disney+ goes on the air it's over/  No more Disney on Netflix.

2. Disney will NOT pull out of Hulu (sort of)

When I first did the article, no one saw the merger with 20th Century Fox coming.  Not only does this makes the Disney library DANGEROUSLY bigger, it also gives more shareholding to Hulu.  Now will any Disney brands still be a part of it?  That begs a new question.  Right now, many of the Fox titles will be there including the matured rated series/movies.  I believe some of the shows will still be there, but we shall see.

3. Song of the South will not be on here

No doubt about it, Song of the South may never see the light of day for at lest the next few years.

Now to answer some questions that I had on the previous post.

How vast of the Disney library will there be?  Answer: HUGE...HUGE....HUGE

I repeat, when I first made that post, I never thought about 20th Century Fox becoming a part of the Disney library.  That will make things much much bigger.  All the Star Wars and Marvel movies will be there.  Every Pixar movie will be there, but no Freeform titles due to keeping it family friendly (that may go to Hulu).  We haven't heard a word on the Muppets nor other oddball titles like Schoolhouse Rock, but we do know is that all 30 seasons of The Simpsons will be there, making The Simpsons, God I hate to say this, a major part of the Disney Family.....now shut up!!














Will every single Disney movie be on here?  Answer: YES!!

With the exception of Song of the South, Disney plans to have all the films on Disney+ eventually.  All the big titles.  Snow White, Cinderella, Frozen, etc.  Other movies like The Three Caballeros and Fantasia are indeed confirmed

How Vast will the Muppet library be?  Answer: We don't know

We still haven't heard anything about anything Muppet related, if any at all.  As I said the last time, Muppet Babies and the last seasons of The Muppet Show have yet to surface on home video. 

Will Any of the Classic Disney Shorts be on here?  Answer: Sort of......

The only cartoon known to be on here (well two since it's been hinted that The Sorcerer's Apprentice will appear by itself) is Steamboat Willie.  Probably to help remind everyone that "It was all started by a mouse."  Other than that, no word on if all of the shorts will be here presented uncut and HD and how they are organized.  I did say that Steamboat Willie is a must, so way to go.  Still, there are tons of great (and not so great) shorts that help build the Walt Disney Company.

Finally, how much TV content will be on here?  Answer: Pretty big

The titles hinted at are not that big, but it may be big enough.  Both the original and new Ducktales will be on here as will Goof Troop, Mickey Mouse Shorts, and Kim Possible.  And as always, the studios within Disney are creating new content for the service including new Pixar shorts, a new Monsters Inc. series, and even a new Phineas and Ferb movie.  One show I don't see on here, and I pray to God it never will, let's all say it with me: HANNAH MONTANA.  Boy did this ruin Disney very bad.  Anyways, in addition to Disney, the Fox merger also adds shows from National Geographic.  Shows like Amazing Planet, Dog Whisperer, and Rocky Mountain Animal Rescue will be there.  The Simpsons will make a huge presence and new shows from Marvel and Star Wars will be there too.  No news on any of the older shows like Mickey Mouse Club, Davy Crockett, The Mouse Factory, or The Wonderful World of Color/Disneyland/Walt Disney Presents/The Wonderful World of Disney (and all other related shows).

Lastly, I'm going to make a prediction: DISNEY+ WILL CRASH IMMEDIATELY WHEN IT LAUNCHES.  So many Disney fans that live and breathe and die Disney (you know the types, the ones who are like the blog Oh My Disney), so many Marvel fans that's just growing, so many Star Wars fans, and since The Simpsons thing is huge, those fans will flock too, and at a surprisingly low price.  They will ALL flock to the site at once, the site won't handle such traffic (at first) and will crash.  And then, each of these fandoms will start blaming each other.  Or those "Disney Millennial" will say crap like, "Like you shouldn't be on here if you don't know who Ariel is". Starting out, this is gonna be a nightmare during the holiday season when it launches.  If I do get it, I may wait until after the holidays.  We will keep you updated just like last time with any news. 

Dragonball Z Home Video in North America

Originally made for the big news about this so called 30th Anniversary collection, this is a look back at how Dragonball Z has been released on home video over the years.  Please note this is only for North America and the episodes of Dragonball Z ONLY.  Dragon Ball, GT, Super, and the movies are not included on the list.  HOWEVER, due to the nature of Kai, we have included it on this list.  So let's begin.

VHS Series (1997-1998)

The earliest DBZ releases were on VHS tapes.  Each tape had 3 to 4 episodes each.  Unfortunately DBZ was in their Ocean Dub form due to these being the versions being aired at the time in syndication.  Of course, this was when Funnimation was focused more on family entertainment before becoming the powerhouse anime company in North America, but it would soon become the house that Goku built as you'll see.  67 episodes were released in total, but when edited down, it's only 53.

Individual DVD releases (1999-2005)

Once DVD came into the picture, they quickly re-released what was on VHS prior to it.  These were pretty much the exact copies of what was on VHS.  However, the series continued past the VHS series since VHS tapes became obsolete.  All 291 episodes (in some sort of form) were released in the series and also released these in their original Japanese versions.

VHS Saga Box Sets  (2001-2005)

Funnimation then released the entire series in boxed sets.  The episodes were released based on Sagas.  Each box had unique art covers making it a unique display.  However, these were only issued for VHS and were the edited versions that aired in syndication and Cartoon Network.

Ultimate Uncut Edition (2005-2006)

The next series of DVDs would finally have the episodes uncut.  The DVDs were split into two waves (Vegeta Saga I and Vegeta Saga II).  However, only 27 episodes were released in this series.  Funnimation had other plans for DBZ which would make collecting the episodes more convenient.

 Orange Brick Set (2007-2009)

Finally, Funnimation began releasing episodes by season.  They claimed that each episode has been digitally remastered in high definition from the original masters.  Unfortunately, this is where controversy comes into play.  The episodes are presented in 16:9 cropped widescreen making the characters look up close (since TVs at the time of its release were still 4:3).  Despite these flaws, all 9 seasons came out on DVD.  The DVD Season Box Sets continue to sell in stores to this day as well a packaged together complete series.

Dragon Box Z Sets  (2009-2011)

These special edition DVD sets take a page as to how Toei released these episodes in Japan.  These Dragon Box Z sets put the episodes back in their 4:3 ratio.  Unlike previous releases, these were truly restored to its original quality (grain and all).  42 episodes per box were released and all 291 episodes were released in 7 volumes.  These versions have since been discontinued and have been sought after by collectors.  Many claim these to be the best releases of Dragonball Z ever.

Dragon Ball Z Kai (2010-2012)

To quickly sum up Kai, Toei remastered the entire series and edited them down to reduce filler bringing you more action.  These newly edited, newly restored, and newly dubbed episodes truly make the series better than ever.  A total of 167 episodes were shown reducing the amount of episodes, but fans were happy to see the story line go quicker as opposed to too many fillers during for example the Frezia Saga, more over, the Frezia fight.  In this series, bringing DBZ to blu-ray for the first time (though in their Kai format), only 98 episodes were released.  Each volume had 13 episodes in it, bringing a total of eight volumes released.

Kai Season Blu-rays (2011-2013)

For the collectors' market, Funnimation began releasing Kai in season sets while casual fans may only want the original Blu-ray releases.  However, still only 98 episodes were released in a total of 4 volumes.  This was due to the rest of the series not ready for an English adaptation.  Still, fans enjoyed these newly revised versions of the series.  But what about the original Dragonball Z?  Will these original versions see the light of day again?  Moreover, will they be in high def 1080p Blu-ray?  Find out on the next Dragonball Z!!!!!!!!

Level Blu-ray (2011)

Last time on Dragonball Z Kai was getting all the Blu-ray attention, but the question remained about the original release.  Well, finally Funnimation began a restoration project on Dragonball Z.  The Level Blu-rays brought DBZ on Blu-ray for the first time.  17 episodes were released per volume and are the best looking the episodes have ever been.  Uncropped, uncut, full HD, restored from the original film elements.  Unfortunately, the project deemed too expensive for Funnimation, and only 2 volumes were released with volumes 3 and 4 being cancelled.  A total of 34 episodes were released.

Rock the Dragon Edition (2013)

The most surprising release of DBZ is the Rock the Dragon Edition DVD.  Made for those nostalgic of the old original edited dubs, this limited edition set contains all the episodes from the Ocean Dub that aired in the 90s.  It also includes 3 Movies dubbed that same way.  67 episodes in total, but due to the edits it's reduced to 53.  This set now goes for big bucks on the web.

Season Blu-rays (2013-2014)

Finally, Funnimation bit the bullet and released the series as season sets on Blu-ray.  Whatever beautiful quality found on the Level sets were not shown here.  To cut costs, the episodes were restored from the transfers made in 2007.  Cropped widescreen, DNR'd, and no grain.  Instead of restoring them to look as great when originally released (possibly better), they're restored to the point where they looked brand new getting rid of any signs of grain and causing smears on the frame.  All 9 seasons were released this way ending all hope for better versions of this series.

Kai the Final Chapters (2017)

Kai meanwhile, finally got dubbed entirely, so Funnimation began to finish releasing these episodes on Blu-ray.  Starting with episode 99 in Kai, a total of 3 volumes were released bringing all 167 episodes to blu-ray.

30th Anniversary Collector's Edition  (2019)

With the 30th Anniversary of Dragonball Z, Funnimation decided to go at it again with an extra special collection for fans. This set contained all 291 episodes in one big box Limited to 6000 copies, and set for release during the holiday season, Funnimation claims these to be better restorations and in 4:3 as opposed to those fake cropped widescreen versions.  However, based off of trailers, fans slammed the set down.  The restoration went too far as to remove grain (inherited from film).  We're also still losing some of the picture. Still, the set was massive with the discs coming in digibooks and includes a major artbook and a limited edition statue of Goku. The problems though not as bad as previous releases begs the question, why would they alter to make them look brand new instead of restoring to preserve as it originally looked.  Perhaps we shall never know.

Steelbook Editions (2020-2021)

Now that the 30th anniversary editions sold out, it was time to release these versions to the general public.  These new remasters in 4:3 are coming out in season sets.  The packaging are steelbooks, and they deem very similar to the Level blu-rays, but with much more content.  All 9 seasons were released in the course of 2 years.  No changes to picture quality since these are the same as the 30th anniversary set.

Walmart Exclusives (2022)

After the release of the Steelbook Editions, Funnimation, yet again, decided to release Dragonball Z in bigger boxed sets.  This time these blu-rays were to be sold at Walmart.  The Walmart Exclusives are 3 volume boxed set, each box contains 3 seasons, bringing all 9 seasons on Blu-ray for the 4th time.  Sadly, Funnimation either cut costs or screwed up big time; these were the widescreen versions, yet again.  Around the same time this got released, Funnimation was completely absorbed into Crunchyroll with plans to phase out the Funnimation brand.  How they will handle if any new releases of Dragonball Z remains to be seen.

Amazon Exclusive (2023)

Crunchyroll earlier would actually reissue the Seasons Blu-ray for unknown reasons, and in 2023,it got an exclusive boxed set release which you could only get on Amazon.  However, it appears to be yet another reissue of the season sets. 

Crunchyroll Exclusive (2024)

Likewise at the Crunchyroll shop in 2024, both it and Super got exclusive boxed sets with Z the same thing with Amazon.  Same reissues of the Season Blu-rays, and was released exclusively on Crunchyroll.  This was probably due to Dragonball being a hot topic that year with Toriyama's death and a new anime coming out.

Why Kidsclick failed

Well, Kidsclick just announced that they are going off the air.  If you don't know who they are, they tried to bring back daily morning cartoons on over the air local networks.  Specifically the Sinclair Broadcasting networks.  The fact that they lasted this long is a miracle.  They tried with good intentions, but here is why it became a failure.

1.  This TV pulled out

This TV was also for a time being airing this block, but when they dropped it, it pretty much became harder to find on other stations unless you knew where to look.  The other stations also began airing them at weird times like 5am or something like that.

2.  The Sinclair Controversy

At the same time Kidsclick went on the air, news rang out about Sinclair Media running must run content pertaining to Right Wing policies such as the RACIST Terrorism Alert Desk.  Then in 2018, word came out about Sinclair forcing their anchors from all the local stations to read an "official statement".  And when Deadspin put together the video of all the stations doing it, nobody would have ever prepared for this.........

This obviously split the viewership apart, and couldn't rule out the failure of Kidsclick since Miraculous Ladybug in particular is one of the most diverse cast of characters ever in a cartoon.


3. Bad cartoon selections

OK, now let's get to the more logical reasons.  First of all, they had to get the cheapest available cartoons that are newer and "cooler".  Now don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the Pink Panther and the Ant and the Aardvark, and also Miraculous Ladybug.  And sure, the Pac-Man series wasn't that bad......BUT, most of the cartoons were done cheap.  Also, no popular characters were added to the mix.  As of this writing, Spongebob is strong, Loud House is popular, Paw Patrol is GIGANTIC, and Disney is still turning out hit after hit.  If Paw Patrol on Nickelodeon is airing against Pac-Man, what do you think that child is gonna watch?  If you said Pac-Man, man....you need to get out more.

4.  Cable (and more so Streaming) is King

Cartoons on broadcast TV has been a dodo bird for the past decade or so.  The rise of Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network sealed the deal many years ago with hits like Rugrats, Spongebob, Powerpuff Girls, Adventure Time, and more.  Cartoon Network even achieved the impossible task of running cartoons 24/7.  However, even THEY are having issues.  Their ratings have gone down thanks to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and Youtube.  Newly produced content is being made for such platforms, and now Disney is getting ready to get in the race.

I will somewhat mourn the loss since Miraculous Ladybug would come on when I get home from work.  However, it's not like you can't see these cartoons ever again.  Many of these are already on streaming.  Others are even out on DVD and Blu-ray.  Some series, however, are just meant to be forgotten like that monkey show.  Miraculous is getting a new season on Netflix for example; it didn't need Kidsclick.  Times have changed years ago, and maybe it's time to just let go.