How to watch Disney Plus abroad
Your one-stop guide to stream and watch Disney Plus UK and US libraries from anywhere in the world
Following its Stateside launch in the US and Canada in November 2019, Disney Plus launched in the UK and four other European countries in March 2020. The timing couldn’t have been better as people were looking for quality content to keep them entertained during the first wave of the global coronavirus pandemic.
This – coupled with the fact that Disney Plus had a great product right out of the gate – has helped the streaming service now garner nearly 100 million subscribers worldwide as Disney continues its rollout in international markets and adds new content to existing libraries across the world.
For example, Disney Plus recently added a sixth brand Star to its UK library instantly increasing its catalogue by 75 TV shows and 280 movies overnight. It was also the first time that mature content was introduced to the service.
Disney is relying on the power of its six main brands – Disney, Pixar, Star Wars, Star, Marvel and National Geographic – to entice customers to subscribe to its new streaming service. But will that be enough to sway people away from services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video that we have grown to love and trust?
In our detailed Disney Plus review, we concluded that Disney’s alluring price-point and its huge archive of child-friendly content certainly make it worth your money because it has features that other services don’t.
This includes all the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars movies in 4K, seven individual profiles, streaming on four devices at the same time and a GroupWatch feature that lets you sync playback with other people remotely.
But the service is still not available – or coming soon – to many other countries. If you’re stuck indoors and want to see how Disney Plus compares to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, then read on to find out. Conversely, you may want just want to find out how Disney Plus US compares to Disney Plus Europe.
What films and TV series are on Disney Plus?
We have the full list of films and TV series that launched on Disney Plus UK – including some of the best content added with Star on Disney Plus – but new content is added every month. However, if you just want a general overview, expect to see a huge number of Marvel films, including Avengers: Endgame, with the promise of even more being added later in the year. The service is also home to all the Marvel series spin-offs, including WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (March 2021), and Loki (later this year).
Disney’s acquisition of the Star Wars franchise means that it’s now the only streaming service that will let you watch every Star Wars film in remastered 4K. Apart from that, you can also watch the successful Star Wars-spinoff, The Mandalorian. If your favourite film isn’t there yet, don’t fret, as Disney Plus will be adding more Star Wars content going forward, including new episodes of The Clone Wars.
Disney Plus also has almost every Pixar film – including Pixar shorts and Toy Sory 4 – and some of your children’s favourite animated films, including Lion King, Aladdin and Frozen 1 and 2. The service also has over 600 episodes of The Simpsons.
How much does Disney Plus cost in the UK and US
In the UK, Disney Plus costs £7.99/mnth or £79.90 a year. In the US, the service costs $7.99 a month or $79.99 for a yearly subscription. While the service initially had a seven-day free trial, this is no longer available, so your best option is to choose a monthly pass and check whether it’s the right streaming service for you before choosing an annual subscription.
How to watch Disney Plus abroad: use a good VPN service
If you want to watch Disney Plus in a country where the service isn’t available locally, then the only way to do this is using a VPN. This method also works if you want to have a Disney Plus account but want to see what content is available in other Disney Plus libraries, like the US and UK, which tends to have more Disney Plus content that other regions because of licensing restrictions.
Why do you need a VPN? In short, Disney Plus is geo-blocked, which means that you can’t access it outside the countries where it has officially has launched. Not all VPNs will give you access to Disney Plus when you’re abroad, but we found two that are just perfect for the job.
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ExpressVPN: During our tests, ExpressVPN offered the fastest browsing speeds to Disney Plus US and UK from other countries. Add to this its 24/7 customer support and simultaneous usage on five devices and you’ve got a well-rounded VPN that lets you access all of the biggest streaming services abroad. Better still, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee if you decide ExpressVPN isn’t for you. It’s also the only service that has undergone a thorough audit of its entire service to prove that it doesn’t log or store any user data. To top it all, our readers get three months free on the one-year plan!
NordVPN: Another VPN that lets you watch Disney Plus abroad is NordVPN, which is second behind ExpressVPN on our list of VPN services. It shares many of the same elite VPN features, including simultaneous use on multiple devices, 24/7 customer support and a 30-day moneyback guarantee if you’re unhappy with the service, for whatever reason. Apart from that, it’s also the cheaper option of the two.