Disney+ has a few new family-friendly selections debuting on the service this Friday, but first, a quick PSA about their seasonal content, a curated collection of anything and everything Halloween-related with their "Happy Hallowstream" collection. I recommend the Tim Burton classics "Frankenweenie" (both the 2012 feature film and his 1984 short are available) and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (appropriate to watch any time from Halloween to Christmas).
Aimed at the teen and tween crowd, the new feature film "Clouds" debuts on Disney+ Friday, based on the life of Zach Sobiech, who found success with his song "Clouds" on YouTube while battling cancer in 2013. Fin Argus plays Sobiech, a high school student living with osteosarcoma. When he learns the disease has spread, in his senior year, he has to decide what he wants to do with his "one precious life," and despite the dire circumstances, he continues to pursue his musical dreams. The film is directed by Justin Baldoni, who directed the moving "Five Feet Apart" (available on Showtime), another film about a teenager battling a fatal disease and finding a community and support on YouTube.
"Clouds" is rated PG-13 for brief strong language, and while it deals with disease and serious themes, it is more appropriate for a tween and teen audience than small children.
For the younger kids, Disney+ also has a fun new offering in the form of a new National Geographic series narrated by Jane Lynch, "Meet the Chimps." The series takes viewers inside Chimp Haven, a 200-acre wildlife sanctuary in the forest of Louisiana, home to 300 chimpanzees. The series depicts these chimps given a second chance at life and the staff that work at the sanctuary, though the chimps are front and center. Tune in for all the highs, lows and delightful chimp drama.
