Disney+ Users Lash Out Amid Launch Day Issues: “I Can’t Believe I Called Out of Work for This”

If you thought the launch of Disney+ was going to go off without a hitch, think again. This morning, Disney’s new streaming service officially hit the airwaves, but customers are already having a variety of connectivity issues. Twitter is filled with angry comments from subscribers, many of whom are reporting seeing “error messages” in place of their favorite Disney content. As one frustrated viewer put it, “I assume Disney will be refunding the first month for all the ppl who can’t access the server right?”

The first hour of Disney+’s short life went relatively smoothly. Viewers who woke up early to celebrate the 6 a.m. ET launch time were able to easily download the app, watch new originals like the first episode of The Mandalorian, or skim through the vast library of movies and shows. However, according to Downdetector.com, users started reporting problems at around 7 a.m. ET: according to the site, 7,428 negative reports were made at that time. Disney seemed to briefly fix the site at around 8 a.m., but within an hour, more than 8,000 users began reporting problems once again.

The main Disney+ connectivity issue seems to be a playback error. Twitter users report seeing pop-ups or a spinning wheel (which, it should be noted, is visually consistent with the company’s iconic shooting star) when they try to play content on desktop, while many mobile users have been met with a Ralph Breaks the Internet-themed error message.

As you can imagine, Disney+ subscribers aren’t super happy about the spinning wheel of death. Twitter is filled with complaints from users, many of whom were expecting to spend the morning deep in the Disney Vault. “Waiting for Disney+ to work so I can relive my childhood,” tweeted one customer. “I can’t believe I called out of work for this,” added a particularly dedicated user (they aren’t alone). “Who else’s Disney+ is continuously losing connection?” asked another.

Hopefully, Disney+ will resolve its issues soon — or all those people will have skipped work for nothing.