After Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film became a box office sensation this fall, it just became available for Disney+ subscribers. Fans around the globe are finally going to be able to witness, or experience the magic of Swift’s record-breaking journey through her prolific career. Swifties are celebrating, and as it turns out, so is Disney Plus. The streaming service recently re-themed their platform to reflect Swift's album “eras” and I’m completely here for it. However some of the categorization choices are a bit odd, but fitting in their own ways.
For context, each of Taylor Swift’s albums differ significantly from each other, often chronicling where Swift is in her life, the experiences she’s having, and how she has sonically decided to express that. Disney+ tried to capture this musical journey through their movie categories, so fans can make a movie night selection to match whatever Taylor Swift “era” is their favorite. While it must be noted Swift’s self titled debut album was left out, and not given its own category, the other albums were.You can see some of the Fearless/Speak Now/Red categorizations below from Disney+’s home page.
Fearless is about embracing your youth and the risks you take within your teenage years. It makes sense The Marvels would be featured here, as it features young women taking chances despite the obstacles. The stakes are certainly higher, but the essence is still there. Speak Now is a much more romantic version of Fearless, embracing the whimsy of being young and in love. Enchanted is an inspired choice here, as Giselle's naivety is tested as she falls in love in the real world. However, the choices for Red are a bit mind boggling, as Disney+ seems to have decided to embrace the color palette of the album rather than the themes related to the evolution into adulthood and feelings of being lost. Nevertheless, it still looks aesthetically pleasing on the homepage.
Disney+ did the same kind of categorization for 1989/Lover/Reputation as well, which you can see below:
1989 is about rebirth, finding yourself, and dating in your 20s. I love that the streamer put The Little Mermaid in this category, as that movie is also about Ariel finding herself as she grows up and has new experiences. But I still can’t make heads or tails about why Honey, I Shrunk the Kids was placed within this era. On the other hand, putting Deadpool in the Reputation era is a great choice, as that movie defied expectations of superhero movies, embracing the darker side of the genre. This is kinda like what Swift did with her album, as she subverted her “good girl” image in her previous work. Of course, the Lover era is well represented with romantic whirlwind stories like Princess Diaries 2 and Love Victor.
Lastly, Disney featured movies that represented Swift’s later albums, like Folklore/Evermore/Midnights. You can see examples from the homepage below:
Folklore emphasizes Swift’s storytelling ability, as the album features songs focused on characters outside of the singer’s own love life. Featuring Beauty and the Beast and Snow White here are great choices, as the woodsy fairytale aesthetic is very present here. Evermore is the “older sister” of Folklore, so featuring more mature fairytales like Ever After and Into the Woods in this “era” is a perfect match, especially considering the Folklore choices. No complaints with Midnights, either. Midnights is a concept album that chronicles tales from some of Swift’s own sleepless nights. Titles like Cinderella and Werewolf by Night may be so different, but so are the different nights Swift sings about on her most recent album.
While some of the Eras movie categorizations are a bit of a head scratcher, all and all the whole concept is a great idea, and a smart way to celebrate Swift’s concert film landing on Disney+. They must’ve enlisted some resident Swifties to help with the home page, and you can totally tell. However, their work might not be done, as Swift’s upcoming project, Tortured Poets Department is set to release on April 19th. I can’t see what themes in the new album could be reflected in our Disney+ viewing choices. There are some great movies on Disney+, so there is a lot to choose from. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!
