Amongst the hysteria of the coronavirus, as we each fight our own battles. Whether that be for our own lives, or those of an elderly or vulnerable loved one. Perhaps it's the battle to pay next month's rent as we're left jobless and fearing destitution. Or- in an official job- the fight to maintain a positive political image as the public demands answers and clarity in such desperate moments. Heck, we've all at least battled another hysteric in the hunt for toilet paper which is becoming increasingly rare- especially here in the UK. But amongst this war of lies and canned beans, all across our screens and minds, the world's beloved has come to shine some light in the gloom. It's Disney.
And their timing couldn't be more perfect. As we see many families cooped up inside their homes, we find solace in 'at home' entertainment. Whether that be social media, youtube, books (they still exist) or with the recent closing of theatres across the UK, even streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime. Disney plus, releasing on 24th of March, comes at a time when millions of eyeballs are searching for new ways to keep themselves entertained as the quarantine leaves them with ample of newly found free time.
However the UK, along with other parts of western Europe like Germany, Italy and Spain, are late on the bandwagon. The Disney streaming service already launched in the US, Canada and the Netherlands on the 12th of November back in 2019. Before the world sunk into such an obvious state of havok, with WW3, Australian wildfires and this pandemic.
Followed by which other countries got to feast their eyes before the Brits, such as India which got access to the service on the eleventh of March only momentarily as it was withdrawn the day after, labelled a 'beta test'. The release of the full service in India has now been delayed due to the Coronavirus, with no specific date but only the awareness that it won't be on the 29th of march as planned. This is because it was to coincide with the popular Indian cricketing tournament, the IPL, which has now been postponed to the fifteenth of April.
The Indians weren't alone on this as the French let out similar sighs of disappointment as Disney postponed their launch in the baguette nation as well (would this be considered stereotyping? Certainly not very politically correct, you can almost hear the Mona Lisa fall in disgust). They won't be receiving the service until the 7th of April due to concerns of straining the country's networks. This isn't too prude as even in November in the US (when the world wasn't on the verge of an apocalypse) the demand to feast eyes on the adorable 'baby yoda' lead to widespread network crashes. Imagine the demand when people don't have the interruptance of work and school, and you get why the French chose to delay.
Nevertheless, the postponements along with the expected higher demand shows the two sided affect that Covid-19 is having on the world. When using Disney as a case study it is easy to see however, that it has probably done more harm than good. Disney has struggled with sales of their new movie "Onward" as cinema's shut, as well as production on new and upcoming movies has been halted. The release of the highly anticipated (and personally hated due to the absence of the fiery dragon Mushu) live-action Mulan and Black Widow have also been delayed.
On other news, Disney also made the wise decision to close their amusement parks last weekend. While this decision was applauded many questioned if they should have taken action sooner, as social distancing isn't quite possible when you're coped up in a roller coaster. A 34 year old man in California died of Covid-19, after he was reported to have visited the parks. Of course, it was only a part of the man's last few footprints, he easily could have caught it at the conference which is the reason he had flown out to Orlando in the first place, but it does make you wonder if swifter actions on the 'happiest place on Earth' would have helped?
Back to the streaming service which I, like I'm sure many across Western Europe, am excited about. There will be plenty of content to keep many entertained through this tough period of quarantation and help keep spirits up when all seems to be going to hell. Whether you spend hours on end binge watching alone, or cosy up on the couch with family, we've all set our watches. It's similar to Cinderella's tale, but as the clock strikes twelve today, the magic will have just begun.