Disney Plus’ Rapid Removals: Blink and You’ll Miss Them

Following Bob Iger’s return as CEO of The Walt Disney Company, significant cost-cutting measures were announced, aiming to reduce expenses by $5.5 billion. One approach to achieving this goal involved laying off numerous employees. However, Disney also joined the likes of Warner Bros. Discovery in a growing trend of removing TV shows and movies from its streaming services. This purge commenced in May and continued with a recent wave of surprising removals.

According to observations by What’s on Disney Plus, a dozen shows, and movies vanished from Disney Plus on Friday, June 30. While most of the removed content consisted of Turkish original series, Disney also took down the English-language sci-fi movie Crater, which premiered on May 12.

Crater, an original Disney+ movie written by John Griffin (known for “From”) and directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez (renowned for “13 Reasons Why”), tells the story of Caleb (played by Isaiah Russell-Bailey), a young boy who grows up in a lunar mining colony. As the days draw near for his permanent relocation to a new planet, Caleb and his friends embark on a final adventure by hijacking a rover.

Crater, despite receiving a modest 64% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 5.3/10 on IMDb, offered a charming coming-of-age experience with a sci-fi twist. Regrettably, if viewers missed the seven-week window during which it was available, they may never have the opportunity to watch it.

This situation undoubtedly feels like a blow to the cast and crew who poured their efforts into the project. If Disney lacked confidence in the movie, perhaps it would have been better not to produce it at all. Instead, the creators who were granted the chance to bring this story to life are now facing the consequences of Disney’s decision-making.

Adding to the confusion is Disney’s choice to cancel and remove the Freeform series Single Drunk Female from streaming platforms, even after its critically acclaimed second season. Starring Sofia Black-D’Elia as a 28-year-old struggling with alcoholism and trying to rebuild her life, the show garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews. Considering the substantial advertising efforts made by Disney during its two-year run, this abrupt removal is perplexing. Sadly, it appears that the series is now gone for good, although the two seasons can still be purchased online for the time being.

While Netflix’s tendency to cancel shows after one or two seasons can be frustrating, at least the streaming giant does not delete those shows entirely. Shows like 1899, Inside Job, and Lockwood & Co. may not see additional seasons, but viewers can still enjoy the existing content.