I’ve been a faithful Disney+ subscriber for many years, but I have to admit, the library of movies and TV shows from my childhood is so vast that I often don’t even take advantage of what it has outside of what’s new on streaming. It’s kind of a shame because if you had told me as a kid that I could have every Disney movie and TV show at my disposal… well I also probably would also be overwhelmed, but I absolutely would have done an instant deep dive. But thanks to a new perk I found on the app and website, I’m starting to appreciate my subscription a lot more.
So at the end of May, Disney+ announced through a press release they’d be celebrating Disney nostalgia all summer with a “totally rad throwback” campaign that’s all about the ‘90s and 2000s. I didn’t originally think much of it until I found a 24-hour throwback stream that plays the cartoons of my childhood literally all day long, all the time. But to be clear here: this is a feature only premium subscribers can access. So if you have an ad plan and can’t find it, that’s why. Let me talk more about my experience with it.
I've Been Loving The Throwbacks Stream On Disney+
What started as a curious click on the stream to see what it was has slowly unraveled into a place I’ve been regularly going to when I open my Disney+ app. And while I'll be the first to admit nostalgia feels like it’s everywhere nowadays, especially with all the live-action Disney remake movies, tuning into the throwback stream without having any idea what TV show is going to come on really unlocks something truly sentimental for me. It was like the sweetest jump scare in the world when I found myself suddenly watching an episode of Quack Pack for the first time in my adulthood, before Kim Possible also switched on.
It helps with the decision paralysis about what to watch, or sometimes simply wanting to put on something in the background (yes, I’m one of those people who really thrive when there’s sound going on in the background rather than absolute silence) or to watch something wholesome to fall asleep to. Now the throwback stream has absolutely been my go-to for these reasons a few times already. The throwback stream helps with all these common viewing problems for me, plus I can revisit some classic cartoons from when I was a kid, too.
I've Enjoyed Watching Shows From My Childhood, And Discovering More
While at first I was kind of switching it off when I’d see titles I wasn’t aware of, I’ve since started to actually pay attention to some of the animated shows from earlier in the 1990s that I wasn’t as familiar with. One example is a series called Bonkers, which is basically a spinoff inspired by Who Framed Roger Rabbit. It follows a formerly popular cartoon star-turned-cop, Bonkers D. Bobcat, and his human partner, Detective Lucky Piquel, who solve wacky crimes together in the Hollywood area. It looked vaguely familiar, and I assume I have seen it before on the Disney Afternoon block when I was very little, but it was a lot of fun to watch now.
It’s also just really interesting to be on the stream and see the difference between the shows of the ‘90s or ‘00s, and how children’s cartoons have changed over the years. Most of all, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how funny and well-done a lot of them are. As a full-fledged adult, I’ve been very entertained by them, and I didn’t have to do the legwork of digging through the Disney+ library to find them. And let’s be honest, I never would have found and clicked on a TV show called Bonkers on my own.
The Stream Itself Feels Nostalgic To TV Viewing Days I Miss
And look, I know the streaming era is all about us as viewers having the choice in our hands to watch what we want to and all that, but frankly I find it rather exhausting how much I have to search to find something I’d like to watch, especially on those brain-off occasions I was discussing earlier. Watching the throwback stream reminds me of my childhood TV viewing. Sure, I didn’t have as many options or autonomy as I do now that live television is going more and more out of style, but there’s something about clicking on a channel and watching something you didn’t expect that I think we’re missing as audiences right now.
Nowadays, unless I actively know about something and decide to watch it, I probably don’t. And the stream is reminding me that a little randomization and curation of a stream offers me that again. I appreciate the discovery and rediscovery process of it all, and when I was younger, that’s something I forgot was fun about turning on the TV.
I Really Hope The Throwback Stream Stays Awhile, And More Services Do Something Similar
It sounds like the Disney+ throwback stream could be a summer campaign, but honestly I hope the streaming service keeps it on the service all the time, or at least continues to take advantage of the feature for subscribers because it’s really allowed me to use my Disney+ subscription for what I wanted it for the first place, which is to access its big library full of movies and TV shows I love from the studio. It’s already inspiring me to look for Disney movies I forgot existed on the app or watch more Disney Channel original movies I haven’t checked out.
I’ve noticed more streaming services have “live channels”, but I’d like to see more like this throwback one, for example, like a 24/7 comedy block of shows like The Office and Parks and Recreation, or other retro TV shows from NBC’s past, would really spice up my Peacock subscription. Or one highlighting all the classics on HBO Max? Now, I’m not saying I want my streaming services to become just like TV again, but for people like me who want the option to turn off my brain or discover my subscription in a deeper way, I’m all in on this new feature.
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