Review of DisneyLIFE: 'The family-friendly service NAILING the streaming experience'
It is a crowded market, with Netflix. Amazon and Sky providing much of the children's entertainment when it comes to movies and TV shows.
When I heard Disney was providing its own, dedicated streaming service called DisneyLife, I was dubious if it would be unique enough to compete with this pre-established group.
I stand corrected.
This platform is colourful and multi-faceted and my children were agog when I introduced it to them. I downloaded it on my phone (IOS), my husband had it on his Android phone and the kids had it on their (shared) Ipad.
You can mirror it onto your TV if you have a smart TV. In fact, you can link your account with up to 10 different devices at a time which is seriously handy and realistic.
The sign up is simple and easy – you just enter your details and your kids can choose a profile character. Mine was Mickey Mouse but my children chose Belle from Beauty and the Beast. They scrolled through the vibrant and user-friendly menu, oohhhing and aahhhing at which movies they wanted to watch and games they wanted to play.
At €6.99 a month, the price is very competitive with some of the other streaming services. The difference is that DisneyLife isn't just for watching movies, it has hundreds of soundtracks, e-books and even Disney-inspired apps.
The real test was when we were out and about in town last weekend. Foolishly, we had arranged to pop into the travel agent to discuss an upcoming family holiday. Trying to hold a conversation with another adult for more than 45 seconds is an issue when you have three restless scamps.
20 seconds was spent flicking through travel magazines, 20 seconds were spent chasing each other under tables and five seconds tugging at my leg asking 'are you done yet'. Instead of frantically trying to find something suitable on YouTube to keep them amused, I remembered DisneyLIFE and like a shiny beacon of necessity, 3 seconds later they were blissfully watching Tangled. My children only use devices at the weekends so it was a real novelty for them.
One of the best parts, in my opinion, is the offline mode which lets you download movies or shows to your phone or Ipad to watch when you are out of WiFi coverage. This is a godsend for travelling with children and something we plan to take advantage of this Christmas when we go away.
Also, it is worth mentioning that it doesn't just provide childish Mickey Mouse cartoons. We found ourselves re-watching some of our old favourites, Big Business with Bette Middler, Blank Cheque and Sister Act. In fact, DisneyLIfe has something for all ages.
Overall, this family-friendly service is nailing the streaming experience and have DisneyLife has tapped into exactly what children (and parents) really want.
