Disney Movies Online released a news release on Nov. 19 regarding the shutdown of its online web service, as of Dec. 31. SCREEN GRAB BY WILLIAM KEE
By: William Kee
The magical world of Disney will be taking a hit on the web with the closure of its online web service, Disney Movies Online.
As of Dec. 31 the website, which allowed consumers to purchase and stream Disney and Pixar content online, will be shutting down.
In a news release posted on Disney Movies Online last Monday it was also mentioned that users looking for a refund on purchased Disney movies can send an e-mail by Feb. 28, 2013 to support@disneymoviesonline.com, with the tagline “Refund Needed”.
The Disney Movie Rewards service and Magic Codes will not be affected, and users can still access Disney content on other related websites with their usernames.
Digital content can be transferred and watched from iTunes or Windows Media Player, but not on the site directly.
In an e-mail statement to 680news.com, a Disney spokesperson addressed the website’s closure.
“The digital environment is rapidly evolving and Disney Movies Online does not have the flexibility that many users today demand. We made a business decision to close the service until we are able to provide the greatest value to our customers.”
With that said, Disney is turning its attention towards a new web project called “Disney Movies Anywhere,” although it is unclear when the replacement service will be released.
The Hollywood Reporter said DMA will try to break from the limitations of DMO, with the ability to download and stream Disney movies across multiple devices.
But with the advances coming to Disney’s new service, it may not be enough to challenge the other outlets like iTunes, Amazon and Google Play, already streaming Disney movies online and the growing power of Netflix as an online streaming industry giant.
“Disney is unfortunate in that people would want to keep a copy of their movies, whereas Netflix, no one cares about that,” Bernie Monette, program co-ordinator of Web Development at Humber north campus, told Humber News.
“I am sure there are a lot of people who have downloaded movies from other services, so [Netflix] is the future as far as I can tell.”