The Walt Disney Company is continuing its on-and-off relationship with Netflix by licensing a limited number of films and TV shows to the global streaming juggernaut through next year.
The first two seasons of “Percy Jackson and the Olympians,” a show that originally debuted on Disney Plus, arrived on Netflix this morning as part of a limited, three-month licensing window.
Disney is also making all five existing “Ice Age” movies available through Netflix globally for three months. The licensing window comes ahead of the theatrical release of “Ice Age: Boiling Point,” providing Disney with an additional platform to promote the franchise before the next installment reaches theaters. The Ice Age series was acquired nearly a decade ago from what was then 21st Century Fox as part of a broader purchase of certain Fox intellectual property, studio assets and cable channels.
The arrangement between Disney and Netflix extends beyond those franchises: ABC drama “Will Trent” is among the television programs being licensed to Netflix, along with “Felicity,” which was produced by Disney’s Touchstone Television. Additional Disney and Pixar movies are scheduled to begin appearing on Netflix in early 2027. Those titles include Pixar’s “Soul” and “Elio” and Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Raya and the Last Dragon.” Availability and release dates will vary by country.
Disney says most of its branded movies and television programming will remain exclusive to its own streaming services and television networks.
The last time Disney struck a licensing deal with Netflix was 2023, when the company agreed to give the streamer a few older TV series that were part of 21st Century Fox, including “White Collar,” “Prison Break” and “How I Met Your Mother.”
Disney had a more-involved relationship with Netflix that allowed the platform to offer its U.S. subscribers access to classic Disney films, which ended in 2012. A few Disney titles became available on Netflix in the mid-2010s through a unique and unusual arrangement between Netflix and Starz, the latter of which had digital distribution rights to some Disney movies.
Disney largely moved away from licensing deals for its core content, including classic films and Disney original TV series, with the launch of Disney Plus in November 2019.
