'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAQAAAQABAAD/2wCEAAMDAwMDAwQEBAQFBQUFBQcHBgYHBwsICQgJCAsRCwwLCwwLEQ8SDw4PEg8bFRMTFRsfGhkaHyYiIiYwLTA+PlQBAwMDAwMDBAQEBAUFBQUFBwcGBgcHCwgJCAkICxELDAsLDAsRDxIPDg8SDxsVExMVGx8aGRofJiIiJjAtMD4+VP/AABEIAAUACgMBIgACEQEDEQH/xABkAAEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABwgQAAICAgICAwAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQABQYREhUhMXEBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAEEEQADAAEDBQAAAAAAAAAAAAABAgMRAAQiEiExQWH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AJJyThOo09S9vooIB6WPXS16iI6xFrDdt35Ox+h1mV7HPuRx2JUW2wCuwAAX4AP5jGRKitZsjPEeTnTvIw3F3W0I0CHj1TU47A+x91//2Q=='%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Although Disney+ is known for its massive collection of movies, some popular titles are still shockingly absent from the streaming service. Issues with co-production, music licensing, and decade-old contracts hinder the arrival of some titles in a timely manner.
These glaring omissions from the platform have forced fans to stream some of their favorite Disney movies elsewhere.
Cinderella, Dead Poets Society, and 8 other popular Disney titles that are not available for streaming on Disney+
1) Maleficent
Robert Stromberg's classic 2014 live-action retelling of Disney's 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty is not available for streaming on the platform. Loosely inspired by Charles Perrault's original fairy tale, the film stars none other than Angelina Jolie as the titular character.
It depicts the story from the perspective of the eponymous antagonist, portraying her conflicted relationship with the king and princess of a corrupt kingdom.
Although Maleficent is wholly-owned by the Disney Corporation as it is based on the characters from Sleeping Beauty, the streaming rights of the movie do not lie with the corporation due to prior contracts with different streaming services such as Netflix, HBO, Starz, etc. Fortunately, the 2019 sequel, Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, is available on the streaming platform.
2) Cinderella
Like Maleficent, Kenneth Branagh's iconic 2015 live-action adaptation of Disney's 1950 animated film of the same name is still missing from the streaming service.
Starring Lily James as the titular character, alongside Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Holliday Grainger, and Helena Bonham Carter, the film tells the age-old story of a beautiful and kind-hearted girl named Ella who falls in love with the crown prince, Kit.
Again, due to existing contracts with other streaming services, this movie is not yet available for streaming on the platform. Up until 2019, Disney did not possess a streaming home for their movies. This resulted in the company handing over streaming rights to other platforms.
Once Disney+ was launched, the company decided to buy out those contracts, resulting in a costly as well as time-consuming legal issue.
3) Spider-Man: No Way Home
Directed by Jon Watts, this 2021 film is the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), as well as the highest grossing Spider-Man film.
Featuring a number of characters from non-MCU Spider-Man films directed by Sam Raimi and Marc Webb, including former Spider-Man actors Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, the film focuses on Tom Holland's Spider-Man's journey when the multiverse is broken open, allowing visitors from alternate realities to enter Peter Parker's universe.
Sony, and not Disney or Marvel Studios, owns the movie rights to Spider-Man. That is why this film, along with the previous two films in John Watts' trilogy, are not available for streaming on the platform.
4) Dead Poets Society
Peter Weir's cult classic 1989 film starring Robin Williams is also not available on the streaming platform.
The inspirational story of Williams' character John Keating, an English teacher at the fictional elite conservative boarding school Welton Academy, who inspires his students through his teaching of poetry, is one for many generations to come.
Although the critically-acclaimed film was released by former Disney distribution label Touchstone Pictures, the film is not yet available on the platform, possibly due to the theme of suicide in the film.
5) Life of Pi
Ang Lee's award-winning 2012 masterpiece, based on Yann Martel's 2001 novel of the same name, is also not available on the streaming platform.
Starring Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Rafe Spall, Tabu, and Adil Hussain in the lead roles, the story revolves around the journey of two feisty survivors of a shipwreck who were stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean for 227 days – a sixteen-year-old Indian boy named Pi Patel and a ferocious Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
Although 20th Century Fox serves as the film production arm of Walt Disney Studios and has been owned by The Walt Disney Company since 2019, existing licensing issues have forbidden the company to include this film on their streaming platform.
6) The Devil Wears Prada
Directed by David Frankel, this cult classic 2006 film based on Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name is also missing from the platform.
The film stars Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, a formidable fashion magazine editor, and Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs, a college graduate who lands a job as Priestly's co-assistant.
Like Life of Pi, this popular 20th Century Fox film is also missing from the streaming service due to existing licensing issues.
7) Herbie: Fully Loaded
Angela Robinson's 2005 hot film starring Lindsay Lohan, Justin Long, Breckin Meyer, Matt Dillon, and Michael Keaton, is also absent from Disney+. The adorable tale of Herbie, a Volkswagen Beetle with a mind of its own, who was decommissioned and towed to a junkyard after losing several races, was a box-office success.
Surprisingly, this classic movie is also not available for streaming on the platform possibly due to existing contracts.
8) Angels in the Outfield
William Dear's 1994 sports comedy about angels helping a sports team is undoubtedly a classic.
Starring Danny Glover, Tony Danza, Christopher Lloyd, and several future stars, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Adrien Brody, Matthew McConaughey, and Neal McDonough, the film tells the story of a young kid who prays for the California Angels to make it to the World Series.
One of the biggest reasons for some films not being available on the platform is the cost of restoration. It is highly possible that Disney may not have re-released the film due to the expensive restoration fees.
9) The Brave Little Toaster
Jerry Rees' 1987 animated musical film based on Thomas M. Disch's 1980 novella of the same name is one of the classic Disney animated films. The story focuses on five anthropomorphic electrical appliances, which include a toaster, a lamp stand, a blanket, a radio and a vacuum cleaner, who set off on a quest to search for their young owner.
Although the two sequels to the film are available on the streaming service, this original classic is strangely missing. One possible reason for this is, again, expensive restoration fees.
10) Belle
Directed by Amma Asante, this 2013 British period drama film is inspired by the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of William Murray's nephew, Sir John Lindsay.
The fictional film focuses on Dido's relationship with an aspiring lawyer and broaches the topic of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act in 1807.
Although Fox Searchlight Pictures is now owned by the Walt Disney Company, the film is yet to arrive on the streaming service, possibly due to existing legal contracts.
