Disney Movies Anywhere Released - Every Disney Movie Ever, Anywhere and Deep Ties into iTunes

Disney has released Disney Movies Anywhere app that gives access to any Disney, Pixar, or Marvel digital movie purchased via Disney or iTunes, all in one place. This app introduces something we haven't yet seen, deep ties and content license sharing with iTunes. Here's how it works.

Two logins are needed, a Disney ID and an iTunes ID. Once signed into the Disney ID, the app will prompt the user to tie a Disney ID to an iTunes account by launching iTunes on the iOS device and asking for permission. See the screenshots below.

Once the two accounts are linked, the magic happens. Any Disney, Pixar, or Marvel movie purchased in iTunes now shows up in the app. In addition, any Disney digital movie purchased (usually as part of a DVD & digital copy bundle) that is associated with the Disney account now appears as purchased in the iTunes account. That's something we haven't seen before. A deep integration and cross license system between iTunes purchases and a content owner's own system.

And beyond that, there is every single Disney, Pixar, and Marvel movie ever made available for purchase in the app. That's pretty magical. All of my childhood favorites are here, even the non-animated ones like Old Yeller and The Love Bug. The prices are high, as is common for Disney, but they are all there.

In addition, the app also includes special features, shorts, etc. all of the content associated with each release is included with a purchase. As a special offer, anyone who downloads the app and sets up the connection between Disney and iTunes will be gifted a free copy of Pixar's The Incredibles.

Jamie Voris, Chief Technology Officer, The Walt Disney Studios comments on the release.

“Disney Movies Anywhere is an adaptable digital ecosystem designed to help consumers consolidate their Disney movie collections and enjoy them for years to come. The beauty of this technology is that it enables us to work with iTunes and future provider partners to ensure movie lovers have streamlined access to all of their favorite Disney titles no matter which device they are on. The intuitive layout of the website and app creates an easy and enjoyable browsing environment for the whole family.”

I hope we see a lot more of this type of integration in the future with content rights holders integrating with iOS and iTunes. It's a loosening of digital rights, just a tiny bit. And does so in a way that's refreshingly logical and customer friendlier than most services launched these days.

I have a suspicion that this is an example of what we may see once the Apple TV strategy is finally revealed.

Here's a short intro for the service.