Disney Movies Anywhere Expands to Google Play

“The ultimate goal is that no matter where you buy it, it ends up in all the places that you might like to watch,” Disney executive Jamie Voris tells TheWrap

Disney and Google Play launched a partnership Tuesday that will make Disney Movies Anywhere available to U.S. Android users.

Hollywood embraced cloud-based movie storage to encourage ownership and help make up for declining DVD revenue. Disney Movies Anywhere (DMA) is a cloud-based digital movie locker service which allows users to access content from Disney, Marvel and Pixar across their devices. It’s the studio’s answer to the UltraViolet cloud-based storage, with Disney being the only major studio that did not partner with UltraViolet in favor of developing its own proprietary system.

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“Ultimately UltraViolet and Disney Movies Anywhere have the same goal, which is getting people comfortable with digital collection and digital ownership,” Jamie Voris, chief technology officer of Walt Disney Studios, told TheWrap. “But we felt like Disney consumers have an expectation of what they think our brand should provide.”

Once users connect their Google Play accounts to the DMA app, the Disney, Marvel and Pixar movies users buy (or have already bought) from retailers will go into their DMA collection. Consumers can explore Disney’s library of over 400 active digital titles, preview upcoming offerings and watch free new and exclusive short-form content. People who sign up via Google Play will receive a free copy of “Wreck-It Ralph.”

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“We’re excited because the way the ecosystem works, all of that content is available in your Google Play account and locker as well,” Jon Zepp, head of Google Play Movies partnerships, told TheWrap. “So if you’d like to see it along with all of your content you’ve purchased from Google Play, it will show up there as well.”

Users can also access content they’ve purchased from Disney on physical media by inputting the digital copy code. If a consumer recently bought a DVD or Blu-ray combo pack of a Disney film, the digital copy code found in the clamshell will allow access to a copy in the cloud. Disney has been selling discs with redeemable digital codes since 2008.

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“The ultimate goal is that no matter where you buy it, it ends up in all the places that you might like to watch,” Voris said.

The storage system will link to Android users’ accounts with a click or two to make it easy for fans to transition. DMA launched earlier this year in partnership with Apple and across the entire iOS ecosystem.

“We’ve been really encouraged by the response,” Voris said. “We see a lot of people really engaging deeply with the iOS app. And today we’re super excited to launch our partnership with Google.”

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The release of DMA on Google Play coincides with the release of “Maleficent” and “Planes: Fire & Rescue” on digital and Blu-ray.

“At the heart of this it’s about helping people feel comfortable about building their digital collections,” Voris said. “We’ve seen really positive trends in the growth of digital ownership.”

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