Each month, new films and TV shows are added to Disney+‘s Australian library. Here’s Eliza Janssen’s recommendations for the titles most worth watching. Scroll down for the full list of everything arriving on the platform.
Top picks
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (December 3)
Feels extremely surreal that I’ve lived long enough to outgrow the Diary of a Wimpy Kid tween books, and to then see them get adapted twice: first in a live-action 20th Century Fox trilogy, and now in this expensive-looking Disney animated feature. Such is the life of a Wimpy Late-Stage-Capitalist Millennial.
Viewers of basically any age should find some laughs in Jeff Kinney’s middle school saga, now rendered in slick 3D style similar to the Peanuts screen adaptation. You probably had all the same schoolyard fixations as poor Greg: those annoying kids you can’t get shake off…desperation to be crowned “Class Clown” in the yearbook…the ancient slice of cheese on the basketball court that’s taken on near-religious significance…
The Last Duel (December 8)
Sir Ridley Scott’s stormy costume drama faced an almighty duel of its own in cinemas this year. Released around the same time as a new Bond movie, two CGI-laden Marvel hits, and delayed Halloween programming, this steely reconstruction of a historical rape trial may have failed to attract audiences as a fun opportunity to share popcorn with mates.
Which is a damn shame! Because, as Fatima Sheriff’s thoughtful review highlights, The Last Duel is only superficially interested in Ye Olde Timey Machismo. Damon, Driver, and Affleck ultimately bow down before a tremendous Jodie Comer in her biggest feature role yet: “Comer’s nuanced performance reveals the extent of Marguerite’s trauma down to minute trembles in her eyes, and is just as crushing as the film’s broken bones and beheadings.”
The Rescue (December 31)
It’s hard to say who was working harder during the Tham Luang cave rescue saga: the 10,000-strong international team of divers, soldiers, and volunteers working to save the lives of thirteen young men from the rising waters, or Hollywood producers rushing to adapt the story into an inspirational money-maker.
If you don’t care to see those fictionalised takes, The Rescue may be your most straight-forward option. It’s directed by the gutsy documentarians behind Free Solo plus the bonafide credentials of National Geographic: expect to swim deep below the surface of a sensationalised news item.
All new titles arriving on Disney+ Australia in December
December 1
The Simpsons: Season 33
December 3
Christmas…Again?!
Ernest Saves Christmas
Disney Holiday Magic Quest
Mickey & Minnie Wish Upon A Christmas
A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa
December 5
The First Wave
December 8
The Last Duel
Big Sky: Season 2
The Hot Zone: Anthrax: Season 2
Muppet Babies
The Choe Show: Season 1
December 10
The Queen Family Singalong
December 15
Foodtastic: Season 1 Premiere
Our Kind of People
Black-ish: Season 3
Disney’s Magic Bake Off
Gigantosaurus: Season 3
December 17
Glass
Arendelle Castle Yule Log
December 22
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 7
The Con: Season 1
Marvel’s Runaways: Season 3
Sydney To The Max: Season 3
December 24
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Fight Club
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip
Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel
Gone Girl
Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
December 31
The Rescue
See also
* Best new movies and TV series on Netflix
* Best new movies and TV series on Stan
* Best new movies and TV series on Prime Video
* All new streaming movies & series
