Some Disney+ Movies Already Have an Expiration Date. Here’s What It Means.

It’s been nearly a week since the launch of Disney+, which means plenty of time has been devoted to browsing its categories, see how poorly those Disney Channel original movies aged, and request The Muppet Show‘s inclusion. But one user found some information in the application’s files that at least as first seems like bad news for viewers.

Stitch Kingdom, a Twitter account dedicated to Disney, publicized its discovery that most movies on Disney+ have an expiration date set for next year. Some are set to expire in 2021, and others look due to expire later this month.

Most #disneyplus movies now have an expiration date set in 2020, with some in 2021 pic.twitter.com/J28V7p3bcD

— Stitch Kingdom (@stitchkingdom) November 12, 2019

Several titles even have expiration dates set for 2019. #ThePrincessAndTheFrog is set to expire November 25. We'll see how that goes. pic.twitter.com/ARaBPLSul4

— Stitch Kingdom (@stitchkingdom) November 12, 2019

1. How stir crazy do your kids get on indoor days?

   Not very. They like being inside.

   For a time, they’re content. But they need to be occupied.

   Very. They’re like caged animals.

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But hold on. Before you start worrying about not having permanent access to The Princess and the Frog, assuming that’s a thing someone might worry about, there are two reasons to relax.

First, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced nearly a month ago that movies you’ve downloaded from Disney+ will still be available to stream even if they leave the service, an unheard-of and very subscriber-friendly feature of the streaming platform.

Secondly, it’s very possible that the expiration dates are just placeholders. Disney owns everything on Disney+; Netflix, Amazon, and other streaming services routinely “lose” content because separate companies own them, which means deals expire and/or aren’t renegotiated. With Disney, there’s no external force that can make it put any title back into the Disney vault.

So while it’s true, according to a Bloomberg report, that some Disney properties like Grey’s Anatomy will remain on rival services for years to come, the chances of losing any of the currently offered titles are slim.

And if you are worried that Motocrossed will leave the service, you can simply download a copy for safekeeping in the unlikely case that it’s dropped from the service.