Top 10 Things You'll NEVER See on Disney+

This 1981 comedy-fantasy stars Elliott Gould as the titular Max Devlin and - get this - Bill Cosby as the devilish Barney Satin. In hindsight, that’s got to be the most ironic casting since O. J. Simpson was considered for the Terminator. Even before Cosby’s fall from grace, audiences at the time were shocked to see Hell depicted in a Disney movie. Sure, we’ve seen Hell in other Disney projects, but not on such a large scale. That’s one of the reasons Disney decided to create more adult-oriented distribution labels like Touchstone Pictures going forward. While Cosby and the dark subject matter are the main reasons why we’ll never see the film on Disney+, its financial failure, mixed reviews, and lack of a cult following don’t help.

This animated Disney series hit the streaming service in early 2020 with every episode… except one. The tenth episode of Season One, “Don’t Leave Home Without It,” featured a guest spot from Steve Harvey as Penny’s credit card. The episode is perhaps even more notable for including Destiny’s Child song, “Independent Women.” In addition to Disney+, the episode is missing from other digital platforms. Many believe that this is due to a licensing issue over the song. If that’s the case, we don’t see why Disney can’t just replace the song with generic music as they did with a few “Lizzie McGuire” episodes. On second thought, it’s just not the same without Michelle, Kelly, and Beyoncé, but we don’t see Disney coughing up the money.

It’s funny that Disney not only bought the Muppets, but also Marvel, which co-produced this hit 80s animated series through the now-defunct Marvel Productions. Despite winning the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program four consecutive times, “Muppet Babies” has never been officially made available in its entirety on DVD or streaming. Many have theorized this might be because of the show’s use of clips from popular franchises. However, some people who worked on the show, including developer Jeffrey Scott, have called this into question. Plus, Disney owns franchises like “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” now anyway. Disney seems content with producing their own version of “Muppet Babies,” but for nostalgic 80s and 90s kids, we’ll just have to close our eyes and make believe.

If Mickey could work out a deal with Sony to get the Tom Holland “Spider-Man” movies on Disney+, maybe there’s a universe where Universal lends out 2008’s “The Incredible Hulk.” However, we don’t see Disney making a big push to get the unreleased “Fantastic Four” movie on the streaming service. Executive-produced by Roger Corman on a million-dollar budget, this remnant of the 90s can only be viewed through pirated copies. While Disney acquired the “Fantastic Four” film rights along with Fox, we’re not sure if the Corman movie was included, especially since New Horizons Pictures was supposed to distribute it. Even if it was part of the package, the bootlegged versions aren’t of the highest quality and the film doesn’t exactly do the characters justice.

Michael Jackson collaborated on multiple “Simpsons” projects, including the song “Do the Bartman” and the Season 3 premiere, “Stark Raving Dad.” While Jackson went uncredited in the episode, everyone recognized his voice. Even after Jackson’s name was enveloped in controversy, the episode was still generally seen as a classic. With the 2019 documentary “Leaving Neverland,” though, Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Al Jean found it difficult to stand by the episode. The producers thus pulled “Stark Raving Dad” from reruns and it’s nowhere to be found on Disney+. Like Jackson himself, the decision to remove the episode remains a divisive debate. Wherever you stand on the issue, the episode can still be viewed through “The Simpsons” Season 3 DVD set.

For decades, George Lucas was determined to make sure this infamous holiday special never resurfaced. While it only aired once, the “Star Wars Holiday Special” took on a life of its own in bootleg form. Will it ever get a proper streaming release, though? To Disney’s credit, they have released a segment from the special on the streaming service. Titled “The Story of the Faithful Wookiee,” this animated segment marked Boba Fett’s debut, predating “Empire Strikes Back” by two years. Alas, the rest of the special remains absent from Disney+. Come on, Disney. If you added the two “Ewok” movies, you can make room for Diahann Carroll, Harvey Korman, and Bea Arthur. For now, we’ll celebrate Life Day with the LEGO version.

For anyone who thinks Goofy is a wholesome figure, go back and watch some of his earlier shorts. The 50s, in particular, saw Goofy take center stage in some of Disney’s edgiest cartoons ever. “Teachers Are People” was produced at a time when weapons at school wasn’t seen as a relevant issue. “No Smoking,” another cartoon directed by legendary animator Jack Kinney, sees the Goofy - or George Geef - trying to kick a nasty habit. While the cartoon is full of clever gags and arguably contains a lesson about smoking’s addictive nature, it’s obvious why Disney would omit it from their streaming library. If you want to see “No Smoking” along with a few other taboo toons, try tracking down “Walt Disney Treasures: The Complete Goofy.”

During World War II, Walt Disney Studios hosted 500 U.S. soldiers. Around the same time, Disney was asked to produce a series of propaganda films for the government. Walt was especially passionate about “Victory Through Air Power,” a documentary based on aviation pioneer Alexander de Seversky’s book. Putting his own money into the project, Walt agreed with Seversky that strategic air power should be prioritized. While not a moneymaker, the film served its purpose, even catching Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s attention. Almost 80 years later, however, the Disney Company doesn’t see the need to relive the wartime era. Like the Oscar-winning “Der Fuehrer’s Face,” though, the company would officially release the documentary with the “Walt Disney on the Front Lines” collection.

Who would’ve thought that one of Disney’s most lighthearted animated comedies would inspire such a heated documentary? Musician Sting initially wrote several songs for the musical opus, “Kingdom of the Sun.” As the project morphed into “The Emperor’s New Groove,” though, Sting’s music contributions were drastically limited. Along with John-Paul Davidson, Sting’s wife Trudie Styler captured the stressful making-of process in this documentary. Disney officially owns “The Sweatbox,” and while they did give it the most minor of releases, don’t expect them to distribute it on physical media or through streaming. Between the studio’s portrayal and the casual swearing that secured a PG-13 rating, Disney’s motivations are understandable. Nevertheless, animation buffs should definitely look this one up online. Just don’t bother looking on Disney+.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

“Hot Spells,” “Darkwing Duck” (1991-92)
Too Dark Even For Darkwing, This Episode Has Rarely Been Seen Since Its Initial Broadcast

“Phineas and Ferb’s Musical Cliptastic Countdown Hosted by Kelly Osbourne”
If You’ve Seen “The View,” You Know Why

“A Muppet Family Christmas” (1987)
Disney Owns The Muppets, But That Doesn’t Mean They Got the Whole Family

We’ve all heard “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” but unless you were born before 1986, you probably haven’t seen the controversial film it stemmed from. Due to its misguided depiction of Black people, Disney has strived to keep “Song of the South” in the Briar Patch. While home media versions were distributed outside of the U.S., Disney has never given the full film a physical release in its native country. Unsurprisingly, Bob Iger made it clear that the film wouldn’t be included on Disney+ either. Although figures like Whoopi Goldberg and Floyd Norman have pushed for “Song of the South” to be released and analyzed, this seems increasingly unlikely with Splash Mountain getting a revamp and other real-world factors. If you’re curious, however, there are other online avenues.