First Look: Hulu on Disney+ Brings Updated Look, Collections, Content to Flagship Streamer

After months of testing, Disney has made it official with the launch of Hulu on Disney+. This new one-app experience will bring a significant portion of Hulu’s on-demand and next-day streaming libraries to the company’s flagship streaming service Disney+. While the beta tests that launched in December gave many subscribers an opportunity to check out what this new evolution of Disney streaming was all about, now that it is live for Disney Bundle subscribers in the United States, The Streamable is giving you a first look at the refreshed platform and diving into what content is and isn’t available.

• Hulu on Disney+ brings thousands of new general entertainment titles to Disney+ for the first time.
• Disney Bundle subscribers can now stream titles from numerous non-Disney-owned networks.
• Hulu titles now have Dolby Vision support on more devices than they did previously.

First Impression

As Disney+ apps are updated, the first change that users will notice is the logo color. Disney has replaced the legacy blue background with a new color that blends the blue with Hulu’s green. That color is called Aurora, both to reference the aurora borealis represented in the logo’s gradient presentation, but also to pay tribute to one of Disney’s original princess, Sleeping Beauty herself, Aurora.

Once Inside Disney+

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Once inside the app, the set up looks nearly identical to the beta test setup with a Hulu tile sitting alongside those of other Disney brands, like Marvel, Pixar, Star Wars, and more. The Streamable has tested on multiple devices that have received an update to Disney+, and even on the ones that are showing the new Aurora-colored app, the “BETA” tag is still appearing on the Hulu tile.

Presumably that will eventually be remedied and Disney+ will just present the clean Hulu tab next to National Geographic.

The New Hulu on Disney+ Hub

Once you enter the Hulu hub on Disney+, the hero placement at the top of the page quickly rotates through a handful of popular Hulu titles like “The Bear,” “Only Murders in the Building,” and “The Kardashians” before giving way to a new animated intro featuring the familiar Hulu logo.

What New Content Is Available on Hulu on Disney+?

Unsurprisingly, Hulu on Disney+ features archive and next-day on-demand access to shows and movies from across the brands owned by Disney, especially ABC, FX, Disney Channel, and more, as well as the Hulu original series and films.

Disney+ has also added to its existing slate of collections that viewers can use to browse for new titles. Joining the more traditional Disney groupings like “Mickey and Friends,” “Be Our Guest,” and “Marvel Origin Stories,” the platform now contains options to check out “Adult Animation,” “Alien,” “Anime,” “Horror,” “Predator,” “Suspense & Thriller,” and “True Crime.” Additionally, Hulu titles have been added to existing collections where it applies as well, giving viewers a chance to check out an even more complete viewing experience.

However, it also includes on-demand streaming to a host of titles from other brands through licensing deals.

While Hulu on Disney+ does not feature everything that is available to stream n the standalone Hulu app, it does feature the next-day streaming rights to shows that air on Fox like “The Masked Singer,” “Hell's Kitchen,” and “The Cleaning Lady.” Additionally, there is a large selection of series from various cable and broadcast networks. In Disney+, you can now stream “The Mentalist” and “Mom” from CBS, “30 Rock” and “Frasier” from NBC, “House” and “24” from Fox, not to mention “Sherlock,” “Broad City,” and many more.

Also available to stream are a majority of the films from the Hulu library, including such popular titles as recent Occar-winner “Poor Things,” “The Creator,” “Life of Pi,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “Goodfellas,” “Inception,” and more. Both the films and TV series availability on Hulu and Disney+ will change over time as licensing agreements expire and new ones are signed. However, it is a positive to know that Disney is not going to limit the content moving from Hulu to Disney+ to just its produced and owned originals.

The one major component of Hulu that has not, and will not, be making a move to Disney+ is the Hulu + Live TV live streaming functionality. Disney execs have said that there are no plans to fully fold the live TV streaming component of Hulu into Disney+ anytime in the near future.

What Other Features Are Available With Hulu on Disney+?

One under-the-radar feature that an eagle-eyed user noted on Reddit is that Hulu titles now appearing on Disney+ are available with Dolby Vision support. Previously, depending on what streaming device you were using, Hulu was limited to either standard definition or traditional high definition. But since Disney+ has nearly universal Dolby Vision support, you can now stream shows like “The Bear,” “The Dropout,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and more in the upgraded quality.