Umamusume: Pretty Derby's anime film spinoff, Beginning of a New Era, released in theaters in Japan way back in May 2024. And now, it's coming to the U.S. for a one-night-only theatrical release on February 27, 2026.
As shared by Crunchyroll, the film will hit select, to-be-announced theaters in the U.S. for a one-night screening next month, and shared an English-language trailer and poster alongside the news. Tickets will be available at a later date via the official English website, though it's unclear how broad a release this film will actually get.
If you're not familiar with Umamusume: Pretty Derby, it's an exceedingly popular franchise from Cygames centered around a mobile game that launched in 2021. It features the Umamusume, or women with some of the features (such as ears and tails) and abilities of horses who participate in races styled after real-world historical horse races. In the game this takes the form of a sports simulation game where players train Umamusume to compete in various raises and meet certain, character-specific goals.
Across the mobile game, a multi-season anime, a manga, and various other spinoffs, Umamusume has covered the stories of multiple characters based on real-world race horses from the '90s, '00s, and '10s. The film, Beginning of a New Era, released in Japan on May 24, 2024 and follows Jungle Pocket, based on the real-world horse of the same name, and her rivalries with Agnes Tachyon, Manhattan Cafe, and Dantsu Flame. In the film, Jungle Pocket trains with veteran trainer Tanabe in an effort to win the Triple Crown, a series of three races that can only be competed in once in a lifetime.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby launched in the U.S. in July of last year and only increased its popularity from what it already enjoyed in Japan. So much so that fans are now paying attention to the real-life horses that inspired their fictional counterparts, cheering them on, and even mourning the death of one last year.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Disney+ pricing has been a bit all over the place recently. The service raised prices across all of its streaming plans (including Hulu) last October, before offering a pretty solid Cyber Monday deal in November. Over the holidays, the streamer returned to its aforementioned increased pricing.
Fortunately for anyone trying to cut down on subscription costs this year, Disney+ has already unveiled its first streaming discount for 2026.
New and eligible returning subscribers can get one month of ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu for $9.99, a solid $3 off the standard pricing of $12.99. A whole cup of coffee, I know. Eligible returning subscribers, in this case, means anyone not already subscribed to Disney+ or any of its many bundle options. And, yes, unfortunately the deal is only available for the version of the bundle with ads.
While not exactly an eye-watering discount, the couple bucks could certainly be worth it if you’re looking to test out the waters of a new streaming service or catch up on a particular streaming release. The discount lowers the bundle price to $2 less than standalone Disney+ or Hulu, so if anything draws you to either of those two services, it’s worth it to pick up both.
According to the Disney+ website, the discount lasts until February 17, giving you a little over a month to think about what you could do with an extra $3.
As a taster, new additions to Disney+ this month include new episodes from the Phineas & Ferb reboot, the continued release of Percy Jackson & the Olympians Season 2, and the long-awaited MCU series Wonder Man. Speaking of MCU, it’s a better time than ever to catch up on some homework ahead of Avengers: Doomsday. Of course, you’ll also get the full slate of Star Wars, Pixar, National Geographic, and all things Disney.
Hulu, on the other hand, has streaming exclusives like The Handmaid’s Tale, Shogun, and Only Murders in the Building. It’s also the streaming home for the Predator franchise, with exclusive releases like Prey and Predator: Killer of Killers. It’s a little all over the place, but there’s some value to that when you're trying to find new things to watch.
Blythe (she/her) is an SEO Coordinator at IGN who, when she isn't following streaming news, spends way too much time in character customization screens and tracking down collectibles.
After more than 10 years in development, Hytale early access is here! If you’re just getting started, we’re writing a variety of early-game guides on smelting, setting up servers for friends, and plenty more.
I preferred to go in blind. Hytale is quite obviously heavily Minecraft coded, but developer Hypixel is also doing its own thing in ways big and small, too. Below are seven things in Hytale's early game that surprised me, coming at it specifically from a Minecraft’s player’s perspective. Anything I missed? Have some early-game observations of your own? Leave a comment!
1. Punching down a single tree knocks down the entire thing at once, giving you a pile of wood, sticks, and sap along with it. No floating tree trunks here!
Hytale is very clearly heavily Minecraft-inspired, but one area in which it does feel quite different is in that time-honored opening crafting survival game moment of punching down your first few trees. In Hytale, like Terreria and plenty of other survival games, the whole tree collapses and explodes like a little piñata of wood and resources once you disconnect it from the ground. You'll need all that sap, trust me.
2. Early overworld mobs are tankier than expected
Within my first few minutes in Hytale I had come across squirrels, rabbits, sheep, and even a fox. And although none of them were hard to kill at all (sorry little guys, but I need your pelts for early-game crafting recipes), I was a little surprised at how much HP they seem to have, and how many hits from my first crude sword it took to take them down. I had to chase one rabbit halfway across the plains - they're quite speedy when making their getaway.
3. Ores glint faintly in underground caves
This is truly a tiny detail, but still one I thought was neat. When spelunking in Hytale, if you look carefully, an otherwise pitch-black cave wall or crevasse will glint off distant light sources like your torch if there are any valuable ores present. Helpful!
4. Gear Progression Is a bit more complicated
In my first cave I explored I found plenty of copper ore for Tier 1 armor, but I also found a stack or so of iron ore, for Tier 2 gear. I was initially a little bit disappointed, thinking maybe I could just leapfrog past tier 1 entirely. But crafting weapons and armor in Hytale actually requires a few different raw materials, which I appreciated. Copper armor requires only copper and plant fiber. But Iron requires iron, light leather, and linen scraps. So it looks like I have more mob grinding in my near future.
5. There are more decorative options
Hytale’s crafting system in early access is still very basic (and a little buggy), but coming from Minecraft, I still appreciated some small crafting details like being able to turn raw wood and stone into slanted, tiled roof blocks and half-block-thick walls when building out my starter hut. You can also place shelves on our walls and stick a few decoratives like candles and books on them. By the way - huge fan of how Hytale's crafting benches can see and make use of resources stored in nearby chests.
6. There are promising secrets and surprises
Hytale is what I would describe as an “aggressively” early access game. Most of the time when you come across something interesting in the world like what looks like a dungeon entrance, or a hand-built ruin, you’ll be stopped from entering and shown a literal under construction “work in progress” sign. There is one exception though, which illustrates some of the promise of what is hopefully to come.
Early on I spotted a nearby icon on my map labeled “Forgotten Temple Gateway.” Without spoiling the details, investigating said gateway led to a fight against a unique mob and a portal to a beautiful and entirely unique, hand-crafted location, filled with its own NPCs and points of interest. Hytale for now looks to be very thin on hand-crafted Adventure content, but this tiny taste was an encouraging place to start.
7 Farming Is a Bit More Complex
Although I didn’t get a chance to dive into the feature in detail because I had to go back to (grumble grumble) work, I did get a chance to poke around Hytale’s farming system a bit. So far it looks like, similar to most of Hytale’s other systems, it’s a bit more complex than Minecraft’s. You can craft animal caretaking buildings including chicken coops and beehives, as well as a farming aids like a watering can. Tree saplings and new crop seeds don’t come from harvesting, but instead must be created by spending “Essence of Life,” which seems a bit like a currency you receive when harvesting mature crops.
For now, as a Minecraft veteran - I’ve been playing off and on since there were Secret Friday Updates! - Hytale’s opening few hours are familiar enough and yet still different enough to keep me interested and coming back for more. Be sure to check out our Hytale Review-in-Progress for a far more in-depth look at the game.
Considering what it offers, Disney+ is one of the best streaming services on the block. From classic Disney animated films to the latest Marvel shows, Star Wars movies, and so much more, Disney+ puts an incredible range of high-quality viewing options at your fingertips. There's tons to watch, but after another round of price hikes, you might want to revisit your streaming subscriptions. We're here to help.
At the moment, one of the best Disney Plus bundle deals available is the massive Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max streaming bundle. This starts at $19.99/month (after a recent price hike) to get you all three streaming services with ads. Bundles are definitely worth considering, especially following the news of Hulu eventually fully integrating into the Disney+ app.
We're only two weeks into January, but Disney+ has already announced a new bundle discount. Until February 17, you can get one month of Disney+ and Hulu (with ads) for $9.99, $2 less than standalone subscriptions to either service. Sure, it's not a door-stopping discount, but it's a decent way to test out the Disney waters or catch up on a particular series.
Want a way to save on your Disney+ membership sooner rather than later? Bundles are a great, affordable way to go. Our top recommendation is the Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max streaming bundle can be purchased through any of the three streaming services and starts at $19.99/month for the ad-supported tier or $32.99/month for ad-free access across the three platforms. If you currently own all three and want to cut down on costs, this is a great way to bundle them together and save big on what you'd pay for them separately per month – 42% on the ad-supported plan and 43% on the ad-free plan.
Beyond HBO Max, you can also choose to bundle Disney+ with just Hulu or the all-new ESPN Unlimited service. Here's the breakdown of all your bundle options:
Disney+ is available in a couple of different tiers. You can get the least expensive option (simply called Disney+) for $11.99/month, which gives you access to everything except the ability to download select shows to watch on the go. This tier is ad supported. If you want to get rid of ads and be able to download certain shows, you can spring for the $18.99/month or $189.99/year Disney+ Premium package.
In an effort to crack down on password sharing, Disney has added a paid sharing plan for individuals outside of your household. Basically, anyone using your account that's not within your household will have to be added as an "Extra Member" to your account. This costs an additional $6.99/month for the ad-supported subscription and $9.99/month for the Premium ad-free plan, and only one Extra Member slot is available per account. You can learn more from Disney's paid sharing explainer here.
If you want to help someone out and give them a gift that will keep on giving, gifting a one-year Disney+ card is a great option. It provides all the great things Disney+ offers and it costs a fraction of what it would take to buy even a small sampling of those movies physically.
There is a bonkers array of shows and movies you can watch on Disney+. Highlights coming to Disney+ in January include new episodes of Phineas & Ferb, Percy Jackson Season 2, and all of the Indiana Jones movies. For new and potential subscribers, here's a deeper dive into what's available on the service:
On the Disney front, you have awesome classic movies like The Sword In The Stone, Robin Hood, 101 Dalmations, Hercules, and Sleeping Beauty, modern classics like The Princess & The Frog, Tangled, and Frozen, and a wide range of animated shows, including Phineas & Ferb.
You also gain access to a ton of vintage content like Escape to Witch Mountain, The Apple Dumpling Gang, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, The Love Bug, and a whole lot more. The Disney Junior section is home to absolutely top tier animated shows like Bluey (which, for my money, is worth the price of admission on its own).
There's way more on offer, too, including a ton of Muppet movies, new live-action films and adaptions (including the new Snow White), nature programs, documentaries, Pirates of the Caribbean, and musical programs featuring Taylor Swift (like her wildly popular The Eras Tour), Elton John, Ed Sheeran, and more.
When it comes to computer generated films, Pixar stands alone. Kicking off the revolution with Toy Story, Pixar has consistently put out fantastic films, and they are all here. From the Toy Story series to Finding Nemo, Cars, and more recent hits like Inside Out 2, there is a ton to love.
Beyond even that, there are incredible shorts like Bao and Party Central, as well as a wide range of originals and series based on major films, such as Dory's Reef Cam, Forky Asks A Question, Cars On The Road, and more.
The MCU has become a true juggernaut, and there are many viewers who subscribe to Disney+ purely for access to nearly the entire MCU lineup of films and shows.
Whether you are a fan of the blockbuster action films, you are an appreciator of the classic 90s runs of "Saturday morning" cartoons like X-Men, or you are currently vibing to the funky theme of the 1981 Spider-Man series, there is a ton of Marvel to enjoy on Disney+. And with new movies and shows being added to the MCU all the time, including most recently Thunderbolts* and Captain America: Brave New World, there is always more coming.
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, there was a film that changed everything. The original Star Wars is a seminal sci-fi fantasy work that inspired generations of creators, but there is still nothing quite like that far away galaxy. Disney+ grants access to all things Star Wars, including the remastered versions of the original trilogy (hopefully some day they'll add the theatrical cuts, too), as well as the prequels and sequels.
You can also stay up-to-date on all the latest shows, including The Mandalorian and the critically-lauded Andor, which recently wrapped up its second and final season. There are also fantastic short series like Star Wars Visions, and longer-form series like The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, Young Jedi Adventures, and a whole lot more.
Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.
Original story from Brian Barnett.
© Rachel Woolf for The New York Times
© @Heijan @Muti via Youtube
Mulhouse a validé son billet pour le tour de play-offs de la Coupe CEV en s'imposant ce mercredi soir face aux Hongroises de Békéscsaba (3-2). En revanche, l'aventure européenne s'arrête en huitièmes de finale pour Vandoeuvre Nancy, à nouveau dominé par Chieri (3-1).
© Guglielmo Mangiapane/REUTERS
Le Maroc s'est qualifié au bout du suspense pour la finale de la CAN, ce mercredi à Rabat aux dépens du Nigéria. Les Aigles ont eu besoin de la séance des tirs au but pour gagner le droit d'être sacrés à domicile (0-0, 4 tab à 2). Ils affronteront le Sénégal en finale, dimanche (20 heures).Après avoir éliminé Moreirense et Arouca, clubs de l'élite, lors des tours précédents, Fafe, qui évolue en Troisième Division portugaise, s'est qualifié mercredi pour les demi-finales de la Coupe du Portugal en signant l'exploit d'éliminer Braga en quarts de finale (2-1).
© Arin Yoon for The New York Times
Villeneuve-d'Ascq a surclassé Guernica (85-62), ce mercredi, lors du match aller des huitièmes de finale de l'Eurocoupe, et part avec une belle avance pour le match retour la semaine prochaine.
© Kenny Holston/The New York Times
Dans cette troisième journée de la deuxième phase d'Euroligue, Basket Landes a livré une magnifique prestation ce mercredi pour s'imposer (80-61) contre Fenerbahçe, invaincu depuis le début de la compétition. Dans les autres matches, Charleville-Mézières s'est lourdement incliné contre Prague (98-55) et Bourges s'est relancé contre Schio (92-81).
© Anna Watts for The New York Times
© Vahid Salemi/Associated Press
Connexion