Everybody Breathe: Disney+ Will Be Up & Running... Eventually

The day every exhausted parent has been waiting for has finally arrived: Disney+ is here! After months of discussing what would be available on the new streaming service, months of perhaps sharing previews with your kids and getting maybe just a little excited about all the content for you too, it's officially here. Well, sort of... As it turns out, Disney+ is apparently down for many people at the moment, hours after its launch, and I think perhaps everyone needs to step away for a moment. Take a deep breath, grab a latte, go for a walk. This too shall pass.

On Tuesday, Nov. 12, Disney fans were so excited about getting access to all of the amazing programming promised on Disney+ streaming service, like the new movie The Mandalorian that I've been desperately wanting to watch with my son, for instance, that the system appeared to hit some roadblocks. People across the country who signed up for the service were disappointed to discover that it was taking forever to load (one writer for The Verge pointed out, attempting to load the movie Dumbo took longer than 30 minutes). In some cases, it seems customers couldn't connect to Disney+ at all, as Reuters reported.

While this is presumably a frustrating situation for the tech engineers working at Disney+ trying to figure out what the issue might be, it seems there is no greater frustration than that of a disgruntled customer. So sayeth the tweets of Disney+ users that read like sorrowful missives, so deep is their crushing disappointment.

Romper has reached out to Disney+ regarding the slow streaming issues and awaiting a response, but for now the company has shared an official statement on Twitter explaining that there was so much demand for the new service that it "exceeded our highest expectations."

"We are so pleased you’re excited to watch all your favorites and are working quickly to resolve any current issues," Disney+ said on Twitter. "We appreciate your patience."

In the meantime, some fans have made a bit of a game out of it. Instead of focusing on the irritation of not being able to access all of the great new programming, one social media user suggested an alternative form of entertainment: Why don't we all start playing "What 'unable to connect' character are you getting?"

A few social media users noted that there are often glitches during any sort of launch, especially considering the enormity of the Disney+ launch and its encompassing library of content. After all, it is available across all streaming devices like smart TVs, gaming consoles, mobile devices, and computer browsers. And when you consider the fact that things like multi-player video games have crashed servers in the past, it does sort of make sense that this launch might experience a glitch or two.

I have total faith that Disney+ will have these issues sorted out in short order. With any luck by this evening, when I plan to lay on the couch and spend my evening doing nothing but watching television with my new streaming service. If not... well, I promise not to freak out, I swear.