Disney Headlines for June 3rd, 2025
This past week, Disney redefined its perks program, and the move has garnered Headlines everywhere.
We’ll discuss the changes, Disney’s modified plan for its perks, theme park waterslides, and Nani from Lilo & Stitch in this week’s Disney Headlines.
Disney Tries to Avoid the Purge
Families Streaming Disney+
I’ve got a friend with a simple strategy for subscription streaming services. Once a month, he performs The Purge. He cancels every service lacking new content.
As I’ve mentioned, streaming programmers have discovered one simple trick for keeping subscribers. They need eight high-quality series per year.
Photo: Getty Images/Ringer illustration
That’s roughly enough to keep most subscribers willing to stick around. For others, as soon as they’ve binged all the best programs, they cancel.
This behavior led to an industry term named churn, and the fear of churn keeps Disney+ executives up at night. A high churn rate is devastating to the bottom line.
Image: The Wall Street Journal
Not coincidentally, Disney prioritizes churn over virtually everything else other than programming content…and churn considerations even factor into that.
A while ago, Disney embraced bundling as a way to reduce churn, and the results have been impressive.
Photo: Disney
Disney even joined with Warner Bros. Discovery to create a joint Disney+/Hulu/Max bundle that is currently the industry’s gold standard.
I’m appreciative that they did because it allowed my family to cancel our AT&T home internet. We were getting Max free in the deal, and I didn’t want to lose that.
Photo: Getty
However, thanks to that new Disney bundle, we’ve got all three services and 2.5 gigabit internet from our local utility company. It’s a whole new world for us.
These are the newfound considerations digital customers must make in determining their household budgets.
Photo:cnet.com
Churning between streaming services makes perfect sense. Honestly, I subscribe to a lot more services than I really need. You’re probably the same.
Disney officials know that you’re likely to cancel if you haven’t watched anything in a while. Unless…
Disney Adds Always-On Perks Program
Here’s the official announcement from Disney about its new “always-on” Disney+ Perks program.
According to the release, Disney+ subscribers earn “rewards ranging from access to one-of-a-kind experiences and limited-time sweepstakes to everyday savings and special discounts.”
Photo: Disney
Some of the stuff is nebulous, like a three-month trial of Clear+ or a two-month Duolingo trial. Disney probably gets a kickback on those.
Others, like a free six-month subscription to DoorDash DashPass, are fairly decent. I think mine cost $99. So, it’s a $49.50 value.
Disney didn’t forget its fans, either, offering an in-game emoji from Disney Emoji Blitz.
You’ll find other contests that provide vacations to Walt Disney World and on the Disney Destiny as well.
Photo: Forbes
The purpose of all of this is simple. Just like AT&T offering me an annual Max subscription to use their service, Disney is enticing guests.
Anyone who was going to sign up for Clear+, DashPass, or Duolingo anyway can double-dip here. They basically get Disney+ as a bonus in the transaction.
Photo: Ivan Marc / Shutterstock.com
I’ve only listed a portion of the perks, and we know that others are coming soon.
So, Disney has just incentivized current subscribers to keep their Disney+ accounts, thereby reducing churn.
Photo: Newsweek
Simultaneously, Disney has provided non-subscribers a reason to sign up for an account.
This perks program demonstrates Disney’s heightened awareness of how to keep Disney+ subscribers happy to be signed up.
A Surprising Lawsuit
Photo:ofx.ie
I’ve said it hundreds of times here, and I’ll repeat it now. Disney gets sued so often that none of us can possibly keep up with every case.
Since the corporation has deep pockets and its adorable mouse fingers in many pies, it’s subject to frequent litigation.
Photo: cba.cj
Most of it is frivolous, but Disney’s not above the law. So, it loses sometimes, too. However, Disney rarely experiences any legal ramifications in the parks.
Everyone knows that the company takes safety more seriously than anybody else in the theme park industry, which makes Disney tough to beat in court.
Photo: Disney
A recent water park-related lawsuit has gained some traction, though. In 2021, a man rode the Downhill Double Dipper at Disney’s Blizzard Beach.
What’s notable is that the plaintiff in this lawsuit knew that he weighed more than the 300-pound limit on the attraction, yet he rode it anyway.
Downhill Double Dipper slides
Here’s the crux of the lawsuit. “While sliding down… (the rider) became momentarily airborne as a result of the rides’ ‘exhilarating speeds’ and design, resulting on Disney’s inner tube becoming forcibly, suddenly and unexpectedly dislodged from underneath (the rider’s) body.”
According to reporter Anthony Talcott of WKMG, “Strickland forcefully landed onto the hard plastic surface of the slide, suffering “permanent catastrophic injuries.”
Photo: Miriam-Webster
So, now the rider is suing Disney, claiming that it’s the company’s responsibility to fix an attraction with such “dangerous conditions.”
I haven’t spoken to any of my lawyer friends about this one (yet), but I was fascinated that this lawsuit gained any traction.
Photo: Disney
From my non-expert perspective, this individual blatantly disregarded the warning signs about weight limits, rode anyway, and then suffered the (regrettable) consequences.
None of that strikes me as Disney’s fault. What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
Miscellaneous Headlines
I wanted to highlight a couple of other stories this week just because they made me happy as a Disney fan.
The first involves the brewing debate over the character of Nana Pelekai in Lilo & Stitch. This author argues that Nani is Disney’s most underrated heroine.
Photo: IMDb
I’ve long felt this way in that the world has treated her cruelly, yet she’s nothing but a noble, loyal sister to Lilo.
The live-action remake has stirred up a bit of controversy regarding the changes to Nani (warning: possible spoilers in link), but the final comments resonate.
Photo: Disney
“The movie did expand the boundaries of what ohana means — and left no one behind — in an authentic Hawaiian way.” That’s my take as well.
Photo: Amazon
Next, I know that some of you are bummed out about the cancellation of EA’s Black Panther, the latest in a long line of EA panic moves.
To cheer you up, I’m posting this Headline about ten classic Disney video games.
Many of them are available for cheaply, or, if you know how, you can easily emulate them on your favorite device.
Miscellaneous Headlines Part II
Finally, I’ll throw in a mention about a Korean hit series on Disney+. Nine Puzzles reflects Disney’s locally-focused broadcasting strategy.
Many programs are less expensive to make in foreign countries, and the best of them tend to outperform Disney classics in those specific markets.
Hulu
Nine Puzzles merits mention because of its unique premise, which I summarize as, “Girl, you need therapy.”
A woman finds her uncle’s dead body alone with a puzzle piece. Ten years later, she’s become a criminal profiler, hinting that her uncle’s murder defines her.
Hulu
Police procedurals sell everywhere, not just in the United States. And these programs tend to run for many, MANY seasons.
So, don’t be surprised if Disney makes an American version of Nine Puzzles.
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