Apple Silently Rolls Out Free Disney Movies 4K HDR Upgrade on iTunes

iTunes and Apple TV customers received notifications starting October 14 from Apple that the Disney movies they previously purchased have been upgraded to 4K HDR for free.

According to a MacRumors report, some of its followers received emails from Apple, a week after iTunes Store in the U.S. and Canada promotes various Disney movies as 4K. "The HD Disney movies you purchased have been upgraded to 4K HDR," Apple wrote on the email sent to Apple TV and iTunes subscribers. "Your HD Disney movies have been visually enhanced to 4K HDR at no extra charge," the notice added.

Twitter user Brian Tong shared the email he received saying he has been waiting for it for a long time.

Disney movies in iTunes now in 4K HDR

The upgrade to 4K came a bit late as Disney movies purchased from iTunes Store remained in HD despite Apple supporting 4K content since 2017. Now, the iTunes Store show various Disney movies as 4K HDR, including Star Wars movies, Pixar, and Marvel.

According to a 9to5Mac report, back in 2017, Apple already announced it supporting 4K titles in iTunes with agreements with all major Hollywood studios. However, it was surprising the Disney was excluded, despite Apple's close relationship with the studio.

Meanwhile, Marvel and Disney titles have been showing in 4K versions on Apple TV via Disney+ and Vudu since 2018. However, on October 5, iTunes Store also shows Disney movies in 4K as well. The upgrade to 4K is also retroactive to Disney films previously purchased in HD as long as the 4K version is available since not all Disney titled have already been upgraded to 4K.

How to check if the Disney title is already in 4K

Since not all titles are already upgraded to 4K HDR, it is best to check first the iTunes Store. To check if a Disney movie is already in 4K, just go to the iTunes Store app on the Apple TV or iOS device and look for the Disney title using the search function. On the movie's landing page, look for the labels that it is available in 4K resolution, HDR, Dolby Vision, and other indicators of a higher dynamic color range.

Which Disney titles in iTunes are currently in 4K?

As of October 5, various Disney films are produced in 4K on the iTunes Store in the United States and Canada. The Verge listed 253 titles in iTunes that are available in 4K:

• A Bug's Life
• A Wrinkle in Time
• Aladdin (1992)
• Aladdin (2019)
• Ant Man
• Ant Man and the Wasp
• Avengers
• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Avengers: Endgame
• Avengers: Infinity War
• Beauty and the Beast (1991)
• Beauty and the Beast (2017)
• Big Hero 6
• Black Panther
• Brave
• Captain America: Civil War
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• Captain America: Winter Soldier
• Captain Marvel
• Cars
• Cars 2
• Cars 3
• Cinderella (2015)
• Coco
• Doctor Strange
• Dumbo (2019)
• Finding Dory
• Finding Nemo
• Frozen
• Frozen 2
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Guardians of the Galaxy 2
• Hocus Pocus
• Incredibles 2
• Inside Out
• Iron Man
• Iron Man 2
• Iron Man 3
• Maleficent
• Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
• Mary Poppins Returns
• Moana
• Monsters Inc.
• Monsters University
• Mulan (2020)
• Onward
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
• Ralph Breaks the Internet
• Ratatouille
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
• Solo: A Star Wars Story
• Star Wars: A New Hope
• Star Wars: Attack of the Clones
• Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
• Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker
• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi
• Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
• Tangled
• The Good Dinosaur
• The Incredibles
• The Jungle Book (2016)
• The Lion King (1994)
• The Lion King (2019)
• The Little Mermaid (1989)
• The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
• The Prestige
• The Princess and the Frog
• The Santa Clause
• Thor
• Thor Ragnarok
• Thor the Dark World
• Toy Story
• Toy Story 2
• Toy Story 3
• Toy Story 4
• Up
• Wall-E
• Wreck it Ralph
• Zootopia

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Written by CJ Robles