Disney+ Monthly Library Breakdown: October 2021

If you’re looking for an in-depth explanation of how these numbers are reached, the scale I use, the color-codes, and everything in between, check out the first edition – July 2021.

Disney+ Library Adds Per Month

Two months in a row in green… but at what cost??

Monthly Averages

Yet again the monthly average ticks up. The change to in-season batches of episodes has really paid off for Disney with this stat rallying the past 4 months. A bright spot in an otherwise poor showing this year. With only November and December left in YEAR 2 Disney will be falling quite short of their YEAR ONE titles added. Pretty odd considering the amount missing.

Past 3 Month’s Library Title Categories

Depressingly, there is no argument of quality over quantity here in 2021 as Disney Junior and Nat Geo have accounted for most library all year. We’ve stopped sharing the last 6 months and will focus on the most recent 3 so that the text is bigger and easier to read.

Come January we may have to analyze just which percent of the year’s library adds come from which brands. We’re confident Nat Geo is at LEAST 33% due to being the top 1 or 2 categories every month this entire year. in January to see just how much of the service’s annual library came from those two brands. We know it’s over 33% as Nat Geo has been the most added category almost every month this year.

As always Disney refuses to add anything vintage or classic.

Ongoing Streaks

All positive streaks that began last month have ended. We’re back to zero good streaks. Disney XD and Disney Channel library continues to be locked away in the vault alongside the classics. The same month Disney celebrates the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World they completely ignore the park, leaving all classic Disney World specials or anything vintage in the vault.

Disney Channel Missing Library Progress

Disney XD continues to be a forgotten brand, even as Paramount+ fills in their missing Nickelodeon library at a robust pace. Disney is now 2 months away from tying their 8-month streak without any live action Disney Channel / XD series.

As we said last month about Pepper Ann – “These big additions are less powerful when the realization sinks in that they’re still adding at a snail’s pace and it could be half a year before another library cartoon arrives.” This month proves that as Joe Earley returns us to ZERO. Disney clearly needs to invest more money in prepping classic cartoons for the service – 2 a month would be good.

Past 3 Month’s Library Titles Grouped By Colors

Final October Thoughts:

This month’s “main feature” from the library is Black Widow or Maleficent.

This month’s “main feature” original is Just Beyond premiere but we’re most excited about Muppets Haunted Mansion since anthology series aren’t as enjoyable unless the stories run full season.

The fact that Doogie Howser isn’t coming despite being set to expire from Hulu is horrible decision making. Oh well, Doogie Kamealoha… we tried to help you out by bringing your franchise together, but Hulu always gets “renewals” when contracts lapse…

This is Hallowstream

Otherwise this month is another vaguely insulting month where the numbers are solid, but the variety is non-existent and the primary audience served is tweens and younger. We have two individual episodes of Disney Junior series that are Halloween episodes. Then we have the first ever Disney Junior Original Movie which is also a Halloween special.

There is a Disney Channel holiday special and the Disney Channel’s latest DCOM, Under Wraps, which is… Halloween-y as well. We are happy to see Addison’s Moonstone Mystery series of shorts FINALLY added – it’s been on DisneyNow for like a year…. It is bad form to hold it back so long when ZOMBIES is a massive franchise. A 2nd season begins airing in October on Disney Channel so hopefully that comes to Disney+ much faster instead of waiting until next Halloween.

We are pretending our article about the missing Just Roll With It Halloween special is why they’re adding it!

Notice how none of the Halloween library adds are intended for adults. Other streaming services have you covered well in October…

Maleficent will return, but likely leaves on November 1st after just 1 month of streaming – repeating the same window to last year. The Fox films coming include 2 returning titles, Rookie of the Year and Thumbelina, as well as 2 out of 4 Alvin and the Chipmunk movies that will likely not stay very long due to being Fox films. Disney’s shallow pool of available Fox titles (in USA) continues to be evident.

This month once again features a few nonsense decisions. One of them is the addition of a random individual episode of Chicken Squad from August. While the other series are receiving batches that bring them up to date with their Halloween episodes, there is apparently no plan to bring the episodes of Chicken Squad released in September or the Halloween episode to Disney+ in October… what? That HAS to be an error.

The Ghost and Molly McGee sees 5 episodes added, 3 of which will join Disney+ prior to their premiere on Disney Channel. This is a weird, new form of release. We like it. Why not just call the series a Disney Plus Original as we had suggested months ago release it this way all the time… We thought it could be an accident but the creator of the show confirmed it was intentional!

The usually dominant Nat Geo brand wins the month again. Impact With Gal Gadot and Dr. Ole are overdue so it’s good to see them. Disney almost caught up their recent Nat Geo library with this month’s titles. We’ll closely watch Apollo: Back to the Moon because it’s currently on Hulu and doesn’t show as expiring yet. Wizard of PAWS is relisted after initially appearing on the September list, but it’s still just season 1 despite 2 seasons having aired.

November Predictions:

We already know 20 library titles arriving. Hopefully Disney+ Day will bring a lot more than what they’ve announced because library wise it’s awful. It’s also Mickey Mouse’s anniversary but the odds of getting House of Mouse, vintage shorts, or Mickey MouseWorks as always seem slim.

We stand by our reveal that Spin will arrive on Disney+ Day despite not being mentioned in their initial lineup. What’s so weird is other countries are already getting it. That’s how Disney rolls – we have so little content available they hold it back.

In all likelihood November will be a disappointment focused on Originals once again. Library needs to be valued and utilized well each month. It’s an afterthought. A good service manages both. We expect Home Alone 4 and 5 and MAYBE Eloise at Christmastime to arrive because Disney pulled it from Prime Video.

Additional Freeform Christmas movies would be nice to see but it’s unlikely cuz last year they gave a huge batch to Hulu including taking Snow 2 OFF Disney+ and sending it there. It never even returned. Some analysts think the Christmas Freeform Originals we do have are vestiges of the superior exec team present before launch that intended to give adults content and touted Malcom in the Middle as a title. How far we’ve fallen. Freeform is now fully “Hulu territory.”

The following Nat Geo are almost guaranteed –

• Wicked Tuna Outer Banks Season 8
• Car SOS Season 9
• Vets on the Beach Season 1

Make your own predictions using our Missing Nat Geo (by date aired) page

Ice Age is weirdly absent after leaving Starz and Hulu so we think it’s coming in November. We’ve given up on Bridge to Terabithia or Dick Tracy or Jungle Book. We’d like to think Alita: Battle Angel will show up but… it left HBO before Dark Phoenix and is still not here so Disney may deem it “too mature.”

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What’s Coming To Disney+ October 2021

Courtesy our Disney FYI Calendar

October 1st, 2021

• Lego Star Wars: Terrifying Tales
• Just Roll With It: You Decide Live!
• Alvin And The Chipmunks
• Alvin And The Chipmunks: The Road Chip
• The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular!
• Maleficent
• The Ghost And Molly McGee (Disney Channel)
• Under Wraps (Disney Channel)

October 6th, 2021

• Black Widow (Available to all subscribers)
• Among The Stars
• Turner & Hooch Episode 12
• Chip ‘N’ Dale: Park Life Episode 11
• Marvel’s What If Episode 9
• Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. Episode 5
• The Chicken Squad (S1, Episode 12: The Stolen Surprise / U.F. Oh-No)
• Drain The Oceans: The Mississippi River & Arctic War (Season 1)
• Drain The Ocean (Season 4)
• The Ghost and Molly McGee (Season 1, Episodes 1-5)
• Impact With Gal Gadot (Season 1)
• Muppet Babies (Season 3, 9 Episodes)
• Puppy Dog Pals (Season 4, Episodes 10-14)
• Spidey And His Amazing Friends (Season 1, Episode 8: Rocket Rhino / Trick Or Trace-E)

October 8th, 2021

• Muppets Haunted Mansion
• Under Wraps (2021)
• Mickey’s Tale of Two Witches

October 13th, 2021

• Chip ‘N’ Dale: Park Life Episode 12
• Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. Episode 6
• Just Beyond (Season 1, All 8 Episodes)
• Apollo: Back To The Moon (Season 1)
• Mickey Mouse Mixed Up Adventures (Season 3, Ep. 36 – The Spooky Spook House / Clarabelle’s Banana Splitz)
• Secrets Of The Zoo: North Carolina (Season 1)
• Secrets Of The Zoo: Down Under (Season 2)
• The Wizard of Paws (Season 1)
• Zombies: Addison’s Moonstone Mystery Shorts (Season 1)

October 15th, 2021

• Lost Cities With Albert Lin: The Great Flood
• Megacity Of The Maya Warrior King

October 20th, 2021

• Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. Episode 7
• Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Black Widow
• Disney Insider (Season 1, Episode 8: “Drawn To Life, Muppets and the Haunted Mansion, Our Very Own Studio Tour”)
• Disney’s Magic Bake-Off (Season 1, Episodes 5-8)
• PJ Masks (Season 5, Episodes 1-6)
• The Wild Life of Dr. Ole (Season 1)

October 22, 2021

• Rookie of the Year
• Thumbelina

October 27th, 2021

• Doogie Kamealoha, M.D. Episode 8
• Port Protection Alaska (Season 4)
• Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of What If…?
• Disney Insider (Season 1, Episode 9: “Harmonies of Harmonious, Tiana’s Cuisine, Galaxy’s Edge Expands… Virtually”)

October 29th, 2021

• McFarland USA 
• Bob Ballard: An Explorer’s Life