Disney Headlines for October 9th, 2021
A Disney Channel showrunner just revealed the reason why the network canceled her series. It’s not gonna make you happy.
Simultaneously, a hot rumor suggested that Disney Channel could go away entirely!
We’ll talk about these two stories plus some FastPass and Disney+ stuff in the latest edition of Disney Headlines.
The Owl House Wasn’t Disney Enough
Devoted fans of Gravity Falls received an acceptable substitute in January of 2020.
The Owl House functioned as a spiritual twin to Gravity Falls, primarily because the showrunner, Dana Terrace had worked on that series alongside her partner, Alex Hirsch.
Disney played up the connections during the marketing campaign for the series, which immediately gained glowing reviews and admiration.
Alas, the Disney Channel recently decided to end The Owl House after three seasons.
Frankly, calling the finale a season is rather generous. Instead, it’s a series of three mini-movies that will work as a conclusion to The Owl House.
Terrace recently revealed why the show is ending, and it definitely wasn’t her choice.
Instead, word came down from Disney that…well, here’s how Terrace described the situation (posted unedited):
“SO WHAT WAS IT?!
At the end of the day, there are a few business people who oversee what fits into the Disney brand and one day one of those guys decided TOH didn’t fit that “brand.”
The story is serialized (BARELY compared to any average anime lmao), our audience skews older, and that just didn’t fit this one guy’s tastes.
That’s it! Ain’t that wild? Really grinds my guts, boils my brain, kicks my shins, all the things.
It sucks but it is what it is.”
Notably, The Owl House has performed exceptionally well in the ratings among 6-12 year-olds, Disney Channel’s bread and butter. So, this one’s strange. Or maybe not…
Disney Channel Is WHAT?!
Okay, please don’t freak out. I’m about to report on something that happened in Asia. Any conversations beyond that are entirely premature.
The applicable headline here involves Disney Channel in Southeast Asia. So yes, the channel did shut down in this part of the world.
On October 1st, Disney took its cable service offline in Hong Kong, Indonesia, The Philippines, and Taiwan, among other countries and regions.
What's your favorite show on Disney Channel while growing up?
The Walt Disney Company has decided to cease the broadcast of Disney Channel in Southeast Asia starting October 1, 2021, according to numerous cable TV providers. pic.twitter.com/aGvnlZKJ3r
— GMA News (@gmanews) October 1, 2021
Disney ostensibly decided on this approach as the best way to market Disney+ Hotstar, the equivalent of Disney+ in many territories.
The elimination of a pay-television (i.e., cable) channel hints at a future where cable television has died. Streaming services have replaced it.
In countries where this maneuver makes the most financial sense, Disney has gone ahead and sped up the timeline.
That won’t happen in North America for quite a while due to carriage contracts in place.
At times like this, I always remind people that AOL still has 1.5 million paying subscribers. Media industries tend to die slowly in North America.
So, you needn’t worry about the safety of Disney Channel in cable packages for the foreseeable future.
Still, this news caused an internet panic as nostalgic fans of Disney Channel expressed frustration at the thought that it might go away someday.
Meanwhile, Deadline reports that Disney will consolidate many of its Media Networks outlets internationally as it increases the focus on Disney+.
Honestly, nobody should care anyway. Disney+ already carries most Disney Channel programming and will get the rest later.
We’re all living in a world where streaming will replace linear television completely. Consumers will be all the better for it, too.
In other words, I will one day report that Disney Channel is closing in the United States. By then, you won’t care, though.
Paid FastPass in Paris Just Had a Price Cut
I casually mentioned this in a couple of recent articles, but it garnered mainstream media attention this week.
Disneyland Paris just quietly dropped the prices on its Premier Access attractions.
In layperson’s terms, the French version of Lightning Lane just cut the cost for a ride.
The park had launched the program on August 5th. Then, Disneyland Paris lowered prices on October 7th.
I don’t want to read too much into this, but it’s probably not a success if something goes down in cost after just two months and two days.
Now, that’s a blanket statement. Something else may factor in here, as Walt Disney World will introduce Lightning Lane soon.
Disney executives possibly might have lowered the prices in France to approximate the ones it’ll announce in America.
We’ll have a better idea on that point when Walt Disney World finally does release its prices for Lightning Lane.
I can say that Disneyland Paris started Lightning Lane at 8-15 Euros, the equivalent of $9-$18 here, give or take a bit, depending on currency fluctuations.
The new prices range from 5-12 Euros, which is $6-$14 in US dollars. Soon afterward, Walt Disney World announces its pricing.
Lighting Lane rides will cost $7-$15 for now. So, it does closely align with Premier Access, its Disneyland Paris equivalent.
So, I have no reason to believe that Disneyland Paris’ pricing had failed. It’ll be another Disney Headline if we learn otherwise, though.
Coming to Disney+
Finally, let’s talk about Disney+ for just a bit. The big headline for the service this week is the confirmation of a WandaVision spinoff.
As I’ll discuss in MarvelBlog News, Kathryn Hahn will return to her star-making role as Agatha Harkness in a standalone series.
Jac Schaeffer, the genius who wrote WandaVision, will return as the showrunner here. Marvel officials confirmed that it’ll be a dark comedy.
What else would we expect from the Agatha All Along actress? I mean, she’s the scariest witch from Salem!
Given the viewers’ love for Harkness, I suspect this story will play out like in professional wrestling.
Fans start rooting for the villain so much that the person turns into a hero instead.
Given Agatha’s popularity, she could evolve into one of the most beloved characters in the MCU if she’d just leave the Avengers’ pets alone.
Expect more details regarding this project on November 12th, the next Disney+ Day.
Speaking of the MCU, we’re in a temporary state of flux. What If…? ended this week with an incredibly satisfying concluding episode.
Hawkeye won’t debut until November 24th, and even Eternals isn’t out for another four weeks.
So, the time is now to catch up on Phase Four of the MCU. Since the start of 2021, Disney+ has added:
- WandaVision
- The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
- Loki
- What If…?
- Black Widow
That last one is now free to watch as long as you have a Disney+ subscription. It’s no longer exclusive to Premier Access.
Also, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the number one film in North America during the pandemic, will debut on Disney+ on November 12th.
You can catch up with all of it by November 12th!
While you’re there, watch The Owl House. It’s terrific.
Feature Image: Disneey