Disney+ launched this week in North America and it’s been so-far-so-good for the highly anticipated streaming video service that aims to compete with such powerhouses as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. But while Disney might be written off by those who still think the brand is only about light-hearted kids programming, the fact is that the acquisitions of the Star Wars and Marvel properties have elevated Disney to a pretty admirable spot in this race.
Yet it’s still a stretch to say that Disney’s broadened horizons are quite on the same level as those gritty and gory post-apocalyptic movies that we all love. In fact, Disney’s own dip into the zombie genre (Z-O-M-B-I-E-S) is more High School Musical than The Walking Dead, but there are still a few gems included with Disney+’s opening day content.
So let’s take a look at that short list of films currently on Disney+ that could still scratch our post-apocalyptic itch.
3. Avengers: Age of Ultron
The impending elimination of all mankind is the main plot of most superhero movies, but Avengers: Age of Ultron has just enough of that destruction, and its aftermath, to be included on this list. Despite the fact that Age of Ultron happens early on in the Infinity Saga timeline, it’s the visuals that really sell this one. Come for the robots-gone-wild aesthetic, stay for the glorious Fallout-esque backdrops.
2. Avengers: Endgame
OK, now the world has officially ended (mostly) and it’s up to Tony Stark and his pals to restore order to the devastation left by the Infinity War. Avengers: Endgame is full of some of the most impressive end-times visuals in the series, yet still paves the way for the “Phase 4” films and TV shows that will stretch well into 2021.
1. WALL-E
Of course you knew this one would be on the top of this list. WALL-E is a traditional post-apocalyptic story of doom and gloom told through the animated lens of Pixar. It not only delivers that heart-warming message we find in all Pixar movies, but it does so in a way that is both gritty and just so gosh-darn cute at the same time.
From here, it’s entirely possible to loosen up the “post-apocalypse” definition and venture into the realm of apocalypse (the world is fiddna end) and strangely dystopian (I’m looking at you, Tron), but we’ll save that list for another article. What would you like to see added to this list? Is there a title that is not yet on Disney+ but you’re holding out hope that it will be added soon? Let us know in the comments below!
(Header artwork offered free to use by Makenzie Kublin on Pexels.)
