Praise be to our cartoon rodent overlord– it’s another mass market slam dunk. Following a banner year for the Mouse in the wildly successful culmination of the MCU films and the upcoming Star Wars holiday season (because honestly, what’s a better a non-denominational holiday than the annual Star Wars merchandise blast), Disney has once again proven that nostalgia is humanity’s greatest weakness.
Credit where credit is due, 7 bucks a month is a genius move. Cheaper than every other streaming service out there, and it’s the only one that can silence your kids with on-demand Frozen. On top of that, they’ve loaded up virtually every Disney-owned piece of content all the way back to the ‘30s, and a slew of new originals, only available on D+. So it’s only natural you might find yourself struck with paralysis of choice, with such a vast array of new and nostalgic battling for your attention. We’ve collected some of the best gems to tackle first:
The Mandalorian
The centerpiece of the Disney+ launch, everyone’s looking for Jon Favreau to kick off a satisfying Star Wars universe in TV much like he did for the MCU with the first Iron Man movie. Two episodes in, it’s still early doors, but the immense positive reception so far bodes well for The Mandalorian. Don’t let the avalanche of Baby Yoda memes deter you (even Werner Herzog isn’t immune to Disney’s plush-ready character design team, and he used to hold his actors at gunpoint), at its heart, Favreau has put together a grounded, Western-styled Star Wars story that presents a welcome alternative to the vast, airy space opera stories of the modern SW-era and harkens back to the grit and dirt of Luke’s early days on Tatooine. Best of all, the production value and quality of craft, especially the decision to use practical effects over CGI where possible, really makes you feel like you’re watching one of the Star Wars movies. We recommend a pairing like Defonce’s Coconut Dark Chocolate Bar for the measured balance of sweet and bitter, and the easily portionable 5mg slabs so that you can lose yourself in a far-off galaxy.
Fantasia 2000
One of the nostalgic gems brought out of Disney’s deep vault, this New Years will actually mark the 20th anniversary of the films release. If you’re not familiar with the film, it’s actually a sequel to Walt Disney’s Fantasia (1940), comprised of 8 animated sequences set to pieces of classical music. Fantasia 2000 is the same idea, also made up of 8 animated sequences and classical music, but with updated animation and new sequences. The movie is a more abstract than Disney’s more commonly known narrative-driven classics, but that’s what has set Fantasia apart from the other movies, contributing to it’s timeless quality. It’s a beautiful melding of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s renditions of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 or Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue set to the nostalgic, hand-drawn, and occasionally downright psychedelic animation Disney was known for. We recommend pairing the film with something like Kikoko’s Positivi-tea, the brew and sip ritual adding to the nostalgic slow-burn of Fantasia.
Free Solo
Compared to Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel, the National Geographic content available on Disney+ can seem like an afterthought. But a quick swipe through show they’re showcasing some of the best documentarian work under the NatGeo name. Including, the 2018 Academy Award Winner, Free Solo which follows Alex Hannold in his quest to complete the first free solo ascent of El Capitan. “Free solo” climbing is a technical niche in rock climbing without the aid of equipment, ropes or harnesses, forcing the climber to rely entirely on their own strength and skill. El Capitan, well-known for its striking silhouette in Yosemite, is famously one of the most difficult rock climbing ascents with equipment, let alone without. The documentary follows Hannold as he prepares for his penultimate climb, doing test runs in Zion National Park and the sheer limestone cliffs of Morocco, but most interestingly it also follows the directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin as they puzzle out the issue of recording Hannold without distracting him, getting in his way or otherwise endangering him in such a risky environment. We recommend a pairing like Henry’s Coast 2:1 CBD Pre-rolls, the higher CBD content relieving the inevitable anxiety and sweaty palms you’ll get watching Hannold scale these absurd cliffs.
