Hulu works deal with Disney to stream classic family movies

By Andrew Martonik
last updated

Hulu has signed a multi-year deal with Walt Disney Studios (opens in new tab) to bring on-demand streaming of much of its back catalogue to the service. That makes Hulu the exclusive streaming provider of family films like The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hercules, Air Bud, Lilo & Stitch and the rest of the true classics.

The deal will also bring over 50 of Disney's blockbusters over the years to Hulu, including Con Air, Gone in 60 Seconds, Pearl Harbor and more. Some of the biggest names with plenty of re-watch value are in that shortened list alone, and they'll all be included in your Hulu subscription.

Snagging this big back catalogue from Disney is a huge deal for Hulu as it fights the likes of Netflix and Amazon for streaming dollars, especially as that competition picks up the pace on creating their own original content in addition to their robust set of older movies. Together with Hulu's current crop of Disney original movies and shows, this new addition of the big Disney titles may move the needle for some families to give Hulu a look over the others.

Andrew Martonik
Andrew Martonik

Andrew was an Executive Editor, U.S. at Android Central between 2012 and 2020.

12 Comments
  • Con Air is one of the greatest bad movies of all time.
  • "Con air ? More like con ****" -rufus dogma
  • Doesn't Disney own a large portion of Hulu? How hard could it be to get a deal with your parent company?
  • The greed in this industry is mind boggling, I do believe ABC is part owner or Hulu along with NBC/Comcast and Fox. Disney owns ABC so yeah it's bit of a conundrum. BTW, Why is this on Android Central?
  • Because a good portion of the reader base uses streaming services, and Hulu is a streaming service.
  • And what does that have to do with Android? Because you can stream on your phone it's somehow relevant?
  • You must be new here.
  • Disney-ABC owns something around 30% of Hulu. But that doesn't mean it just automatically gets the rights to everything from Walt Disney Studios. They operate independently. Obviously they were able to do this deal in the end, though!
  • Netflix signed a deal with Disney a couple years ago for exclusive streaming rights. That amounted to pretty much... nothing, so this isn't too exciting. Disney will only let go of their third rate content for streaming without purchase.
  • That's what I thought. I wonder what this new hulu/Disney contract means for Netflix. I remember them making a big deal about Disney movies on Netflix when they first signed the contract, but it seems like the content disappeared as suddenly as it came. It didn't really amount to much. Posted via the Android Central App
  • Yeah. The only things I've seen so far from the Netflix deal are Zootopia and Captain America: Civil War (which just became available on 12/25).
  • The Netflix deal is for new movies, not back catalog. I believe it coincided with the release of Star Wars: A Force Awakens. It was released by Starz in the US, and on Netflix in other countries. As more major movies are released expect more to pop up on Netflix. Doctor Strange, for example, should show up there in a few months.